Ireland's World Cup preparations have taken a blow with the news that Tommy O'Donnell is to miss the tournament after dislocating his hip at the weekend.
The 28 year old made his debut against the United States in 2013 and had made nine appearances to date including four in the Six Nations over that past two years.
O'Donnell started for Ireland at the weekend against Wales before being substituted in the final ten minutes of the game. He was seen as potential cover for the back row ahead of the tournament.
The IRFU revealed in their Medical Bulletin that O'Donnell was to miss the tournament, stating: "Investigations at University Hospital Wales yesterday afternoon confirmed that Tommy suffered a hip dislocation in the game against Wales. He will be limited to non-weight bearing activity for at least 6 weeks and has unfortunately been ruled out of participating in RWC15."
There was better news for Joe Schmidt and his backroom team today after it was confirmed that Andrew Trimble is due to have a "precautionary scan" on his right foot ahead of this weekend's game with Scotland.
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