The Irish squad arrived safe and sound in Buenos Aires yesterday, went through a light run-out and will have more rigorous, full-scaled work-outs today before the side is finalised tomorrow for Saturday's test against Argentina. Jeremy Davidson is the only player ruled out because of injury, though tabs are also being kept on various bumps and bruises to Rob Henderson, Kevin Maggs and Peter Clohessy.
Davidson apart, though, the likelihood is that Ireland will be picking from a full-strength squad for the pivotal tour opener which is likely to see the debut of Peter McKenna at full back.
Despite the season having begun almost 10 months ago, there were few withdrawals until Sunday's spate of injuries following the match with the Barbarians at Lansdowne Road, and there is a palpable eagerness for the games ahead. "We had a good run and stretch today and ran the ball through the hands, just to get the cobwebs out of the system," said Irish coach Warren Gatland.
"I'm happy with the preparations and I told the boys this morning that their enthusiasm was an encouraging sign after such a long, hard season. If we can win this game, it will set up the rest of the tour perfectly."
It will, by extension, presumably permit the Irish management more scope in the selection process for the ensuing tests against the US and Canada. Peter Clohessy, for one, will probably be returning from Boston after the second test, by which point Marcus Horan may well have joined the squad.
The panel of 28 (including the quartet of replacements brought on board in the 24 hours before departure) and the management staff checked in at Dublin Airport at 5 p.m. on Monday and arrived via Gatwick some 18 hours later at around 8.15 a.m. local time (which is four hours behind Irish time).
Much to the management's chagrin, only 20 business class seats could be obtained for the players on the 13-hour leg from London to Buenos Aires. On arrival in rush-hour traffic, the hour-long coach journey highlighted the vast socio-economic discrepancies of the Argentinean capital before arrival in the Claridge Hotel, a stylish olde world five-star hotel in the business belt of the city centre.
The squad had been adjusting their body clocks for almost a week before arrival, and after the light run-out and an afternoon spent either window shopping or golfing, the squad were obliged ostensibly to stay awake until evening so as to maintain their "acclimatisation".
The match is bound to be a sell-out homecoming for the Pumas in their first outing since reaching the World Cup quarterfinals for the first time at Ireland's expense last October.
England coach Clive Woodward has called up outhalf Ali Hepher as a replacement for injured Alex King in the squad to tour South Africa in June. "Ali has had an outstanding season for both Northampton and for England A and he deserves this opportunity to prove himself at the highest level," said Woodward.
Hepher helped Northampton to a 9-8 win over Munster in the European Cup final at the weekend. Wasps outhalf King withdrew from the 40-man England squad with a shoulder injury.
