Ireland back row Peter O’Mahony has been ruled out of the World Cup with knee ligament damage and replaced in the squad by Rhys Ruddock.
The 26-year-old Munster flanker had to be taken off 14 minutes into the second half of Sunday’s 24-9 win over France.
Team manager Mick Kearney said O’Mahony was «returning to Dublin for specialist opinion».
Skipper Paul O’Connell is to have a scan on a leg injury that could spell the end of his international career.
Fly-half Johnny Sexton is awaiting a scan on a groin problem but Ireland’s management said initial clinical assessment was «encouraging» and they were hopeful he would be able to play in Sunday’s quarter-final against Argentina.
The loss of the 35-times capped O’Mahony, and probably O’Connell too, leaves coach Joe Schmidt with problems.
Twenty-four-year-old Ruddock — who broke his arm in June — has five caps and would be a like-for-like replacement for O’Mahony at blindside flanker.
Ulster’s Iain Henderson, used as a second row in the tournament, is a likely replacement for O’Connell, but he could also come into the back row for O’Mahony, with Donnacha Ryan a possible candidate to partner Devin Toner in the Irish engine room.
