Rugby League: Wayne Kerr will make his World Cup debut for Ireland in Wednesday's winner-takes-all clash with Samoa. Kerr, 24, who only started playing rugby league three years ago with Carlow Crusaders, will be on the bench in place of veteran Mick Cassidy, the former Wigan and England forward who misses out through injury.
"Mick has been carrying a calf strain during the course of this week," said coach Andy Kelly. "We're hoping he will be ready for our third game. Wayne has worked hard and we think he's ready to drop in there. I know he's excited about it."
The call-up of Kerr, who played for London Skolars this year, is the only addition to the side that lost 22-20 to Tonga in their opening pool C match last Monday.
Kelly also makes two positional changes, with scrum-half Liam Finn and prop Gareth Haggerty coming into the starting line-up at the expense of Karl Fitzpatrick and Ryan Tandy, who both drop to the bench.
Stand-off Graham Holroyd has failed to recover from the knee injury that forced him to sit out Ireland's opening game.
Ireland need to win their final group match at Parramatta Stadium by at least five points to pip Samoa for top spot and a place in the semi-final qualifier against Fiji or Scotland.
Ireland: M Platt (Bradford); D Blanch (Wakefield), S Gleeson (Wakefield), S Littler (Salford), P Richards (Wigan); S Grix (Wakefield, capt), L Finn (Dewsbury), E O'Carroll (Wigan), B Beswick (Widnes), G Haggerty (Harlequins), B Harrison (Warrington), L Doran (Leigh), S Finnigan (Bradford). Replacements: M McIlorum (Wigan), K Fitzpatrick (Salford), W Kerr (London Skolars), R Tandy (Wests Tigers).
