Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll is set to make his return against Wales next weekend as Ireland bid to kick-start their Six Nations campaign.
Eddie O'Sullivan's side opened their campaign with a 35-17 mauling by France and although the scoreline fails to reflect a brave performance which witnessed the odd flash of brilliance, Ireland finished well beaten.
O'Driscoll was one of six absentees from the Stade de France yesterday following his failure to recover from a hamstring injury, but O'Sullivan revealed he should be back in action against the resurgent Welsh next Sunday.
"I'm confident that Brian O'Driscoll will play. He's had five days of rehab since he cried off on Tuesday. He was chomping at the bit but he just wasn't right. I'm very hopeful for next Sunday," he said.
"But I've learnt from experience that you can get a player with this type of injury 90 per cent fit in five days - and then it takes another five days to get that last 10 per cent. It's going to be tight but it's looking good."
If fit O'Driscoll will be restored to outside centre, but it would be a big call to drop Gordon D'Arcy who marked his first start for Ireland with a lively display which he capped by setting up Tyrone Howe's second-half try in Paris.
O'Sullivan is sure to try to accommodate D'Arcy somewhere in the back line, with one of the wingers or full-back Girvan Dempsey making way, because the Leinster back was the most dangerous player in a green shirt.