Ireland coach Brian Ashton has been dealt an injury blow ahead of next month's Test match against New Zealand in Dublin. Bristol flanker David Corkery looks certain to miss the game after being seriously hurt during a freak training ground accident.
Corkery suffered knee and ankle injuries when he was tackled by back-row colleague Craig Short during a full-contact club session last night. The former Cork Constitution player's kneecap dislocated on impact and after falling awkwardly, he also sustained ankle ligament and tendon damage which will keep him out of rugby for at least six weeks.
Ireland host the All Blacks at Lansdowne Road on November 15th when 21-times capped Corkery would have confidently expected to feature in Ashton's line-up.
"Fortunately my kneecap popped straight back into place, but news about the ankle isn't so good," said Corkery, who was put in plaster by staff at Bristol's Southmead Hospital.
"I am trying to look on the bright side, but cannot believe that this has happened at such an important time of the season, both for Bristol and Ireland. Obviously, it would have been a lot worse had I broken my ankle, so I've just got to be patient. It was a total accident, yet that doesn't make the injury any easier to bear."
Corkery's all-action style helped forge a quality Irish breakaway trio last season alongside Eric Miller and Denis McBride, even though he played against England and Scotland while nursing a broken hand.
Unlucky to miss out on the Lions' tour of South Africa, he bounced back this season through some quality European Conference displays for Bristol, featuring at blindside flanker and number eight.
Ashton, whose preparations for the New Zealand fixture are gathering pace, also expects to be without Simon Geoghegan. Bath wing Geoghegan faces a ninth foot operation in the latest attempt to rescue his injury-stricken career, having made less than 20 Bath appearances since joining them three years ago from London Irish.
At provincial level, coach Mike Ruddock keeps his back line intact for Leinster's match against Toulouse in their final European Cup qualifying game in France. A number of changes, however, have been made to the pack following the side's lacklustre, but clear-cut win over Milan at Donnybrook last week.
Victor Costello, who was man of the match at the weekend has, importantly, decided to play against the leading team in pool A following the sudden death of his father during the week. Costello will fly out on Friday to take up his number eight position, with the rest of the team arriving in Toulouse today.
Blackrock second row, Hubie Kos, has done enough to earn himself a place in the starting line-up, where Aaron Freeman loses out, while the dynamic Trevor Brennan also returns to open side flanker. Brennan missed the Milan game due to a knee problem he picked up against Leicester at Welford Road two weeks ago. Stephen Rooney completes the back-row formation.
In the front row, Angus McKeen makes his return at tighthead after several weeks out with a rib injury. His return forces Emmet Byrne into the replacements for what will be one of Leinster's toughest games of the series. Toulouse are desperate to win the match to ensure direct qualification into the quarter-final stages of the competition.
Australia's provincial rugby union players have been guaranteed minimum salaries of £25,000 under a historic agreement with officials.
More than 100 players from the three provincial sides and a selected squad of elite national team players will benefit. Also included in the agreement is a clause which guarantees full payment of players' annual contracts, regardless of injury.
Players' Association president Tony Dempsey said the deal, the first of its kind in rugby union, was based on an agreement used in American Football.
