Rugby: Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll is confident he will be fit for the World Cup opener against the United States on September 11th. The Leinster centre was forced to sit out 20-9 defeat by England at the Aviva Stadium last Saturday with a shoulder injury and has played just 80 minutes in the build-up to the World Cup the opens with a game against the USA in New Plymouth.

O'Driscoll's centre partner Gordon D'Arcy will now join up with the squad in Queenstown on Monday after his departure from Dublin was delayed on medical advice. D'Arcy has had a scan on a calf injury and will fly out to New Zealand with prop Cian Healy tomorrow.

"The shoulder feels okay. I was training away earlier, though granted we didn't do too much contact," said the captain this morning. "The more rest time I get, the better. At this moment in time I don't see any reason why I won't be playing against the USA."

Healy (eye socket), however, is the major doubt for the USA game but fullback Rob Kearney is on course to make the World Cup opener, despite sitting out training this morning with a groin strain.

Ireland touched down in New Zealand on Thursday after completing an epic 43-hour journey that began in Dublin and featured stops in Dubai and Sydney before concluding in Queenstown. More than 500 supporters gathered at Queenstown airport to greet the squad, who will be based in one of the country's most spectacular locations for the first week of the World Cup.

The team is training against a backdrop of snow-covered mountains and O'Driscoll admits the location has been well received.

"It feels like the World Cup has really started now. Once you get on that plane the realisation sinks in a bit," he said. "We're finally here after all the work we've done in the build-up.

"It's great to be here. It's certainly one of the more beautiful spots to be in. Hopefully we'll get some good work done over the next week to put ourselves in good shape for the matches."