Rugby: Damien Varley has been drafted into the Ireland squad ahead of next weekend's match against Samoa. The Munster hooker will train with the rest of the panel as Declan Kidney assesses his options in the wake of last night's dispiriting performance against South Africa.
At this stage, Tony Buckley and Rob Kearney are Ireland’s primary injury concerns from the 23-21 defeat at the Aviva Stadium although neither player has been ruled out of next week’s encounter just yet. Kearney’s late try was his last act in the match, the fullback forced to leave the fray having picked up a knee injury in the build up to the score.
Buckley, meanwhile, didn’t enjoy one of his better days at the coalface against a formidable Springbok front row. The 30-year-old had been hoping to nail down his place in the side but struggled in the scrum, where he fell foul of referee Nigel Owens on more than one occasion, before being replaced 10 minutes after half-time.
The Irish medical team will continue to monitor both players and a further update on their fitness will be available tomorrow morning.