Paul O’Connell will miss Sunday’s Six Nations clash with Wales at Lansdowne Road. The secondrow is struggling with a shoulder injury which is not healing at the rate doctors had hoped for.
The 26-year-old Munster star came through training unscathed yesterday but met with a setback during today’s high-intensity session and was sent for further scans.
"Based on Paul’s reaction in training today, we repeated the scan which revealed that the shoulder has not healed to the extent we had anticipated," team doctor Gary O’Driscoll said.
"Paul will continue with his rehabilitation and we are confident that he will be available for the Scotland game."
The news is a considerable setback considering yesterday’s upbeat bulletin stating the player was making "good progress" from the A/C shoulder joint strain sustained in the recent defeat to France.
O’Connell, who has been Ireland's outstanding performer in the Six Nations to date, was said to be pain free yesterday and progressing at a "pleasing rate".
His Munster colleague Donncha O'Callaghan is now likely to partner Malcolm O'Kelly in the secondrow with another Munster man, Mick O'Driscoll, expected to be named on the subs bench.
Coach Eddie O’Sullivan, who names his starting XV at lunchtime tomorrow, is also sweating on the fitness of hooker Jerry Flannery who strained his ankle during today’s session.
The management team will give the Munster man as much time as possible to recover but have called Saracens hooker Shane Byrne into the squad as a precaution.
Gareth Thomas, the Welsh captain, also misses the game and will be sidelined for the remainder of the tournament.
The British and Irish Lion was admitted to hospital on Sunday with severe migraine and MRI scans have revealed a damaged artery in his neck.
Thomas saw a consultant neurologist at the University Hospital of Wales today and was ordered to rest at home and allow the damaged blood vessel heel before resuming training.
Wales team doctor John Williams expects Thomas to make a full recovery and resume training within ten to twelve weeks.
Stand-in Wales coach Scott Johnson said: "We need to do what is in the best interests of Gareth Thomas in this situation, listen to the doctor’s advice and leave him at home to rest."
Michael Owen will now skipper Wales in their three remaining Six Nations games.
Johnson makes two changes to the side that beat Scotland. Lee Byrne replaces Thomas at fullback while Dafydd James comes in on the wing for Shane Williams who has a dead leg.
Gavin Henson returns having missed the opening two games through suspension but must make do with a place on the bench.
"Tough times breed tough men and we are taking a tough team to Dublin to play tough rugby," Johnson said. "We are going to look squarely in the face of adversity and show a different side to our characters this weekend.
"We've shown that we can turn on the pretty stuff, now we are going to show our true heart, make Welsh fans proud of us and proud to be Welsh and come out fighting."
Wales: L Byrne (Llanelli Scarlets); M Jones (Llanelli Scarlets), H Luscombe (Newport Gwent Dragons), M Watkins (Llanelli Scarlets), D James (Llanelli Scarlets); S Jones (Clermont Auvergne), D Peel (Llanelli Scarlets); D Jones (Ospreys), R Thomas (Cardiff Blues), A Jones (Ospreys), I Gough (Newport-Gwent Dragons), R Sidoli (Cardiff Blues), C Charvis (Newcastle), M Williams (Cardiff Blues), M Owen (Newport-Gwent Dragons, capt). Replacements: M Davies (Gloucester), G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), J Thomas (Ospreys), G Delve (Bath), M Phillips (Cardiff Blues), G Henson (Ospreys), B Davies (Llanelli Scarlets).
