Conor McGuinness, Ireland's first-choice scrum-half for the last two seasons, has declared himself unavailable for Ireland's forthcoming tour of Australia within two days of captaining St Mary's to their AIB League semi-final defeat to Garryowen.

McGuinness, capped 14 times, is to undergo an operation on the big toe of his left foot and will be out of action for two months, thereby comfortably making him available again for the interprovincial campaign in August.

"My toe has been troubling me for some time and it's best that I have an operation as quickly as possible," said McGuinness yesterday. "That rules me out of the tour, but I aim to be back in action for the start of next season."

The Irish coach Warren Gatland has viewed the news in a positive light. "I'm not looking on it as a blow. He's been carrying a bit of a foot injury for some time and I think this has affected his game and his confidence a bit. It's best that he gets the problem sorted out now and he's back in time for the start of next season. I think it's a very good decision and is also the mature and right decision."

Presuming that McGuinness' regular understudy this season, Ciaran Scally, will be one of the two scrum-halves chosen for the Australian tour (the squad for which will be announced next week), then the former's withdrawal would add an extra edge to the contest between the two number nines, Cork Constitution's Brian O'Meara and Garryowen's Tom Tierney, in this Saturday's AIL final.

Both have represented Ireland A this season, as has Guy Easterby. Along with, at a push, the under-21 scrum-half Peter Stringer, they are the only viable contenders for the other scrum-half place.