Ireland 'very hopeful' Jared Payne will win France fitness battle despite presence of moon boot
4 October 2015; Jared Payne, Ireland. 2015 Rugby World Cup, Pool D, Ireland v Italy. Olympic Stadium, Stratford, London, England. Picture credit: Stephen McCarthy / SPORTSFILE
Ireland are ‘hopeful’ that Jared Payne will recover in time to play France at the Millennium Stadium.
The New Zealander injured his foot in the victory over Romania last week and hasn’t trained with the squad since.
Speaking at the team hotel in London prior to their departure to Cardiff, team manager Mick Kearney admitted that the next 24 hours are key to determining if Payne will be considered for selection.
Payne was seen in a moon boot on the sidelines yesterday but Kearney explained that it was a precautionary measure.
“He's in and out of the moon boot all day, and he's already been jogging in training,” he said
“The next 24 hours will give us a clearer picture of Jared Payne's situation. He’s made good progress.
“But we would be very hopeful he will be okay later in the week.”
Ireland otherwise reported a “clean bill of health” after yesterday’s scrappy win over Italy as they move on to Cardiff in preparation for the pool decider against France.
