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Rob Kearney ©INPHO/Billy Stickland

Relief: Kearney to miss France match but expected to face England

Ireland’s Rob Kearney has been ruled out of the upcoming game against France, but is expected to face England a week later.

IRELAND FULL-BACK ROB Kearney has been ruled out of the weekend’s test against France at the Aviva Stadium, but is expected to return for the final World Cup warm-up against England on 27 August.

The Leinster star picked up a minor groin strain in Saturday’s clash with the French in Bordeaux but sustained no long-term damage. The news comes as a massive relief to the 25-year-old, who missed much of last season with a knee injury picked up against the All Blacks last November.

Meanwhile, Brian O’Driscoll is set for his first appearance of the season as he returned to full training with the Irish squad.

The team captain was joined by Stephen Ferris, Tommy Bowe and Gordon D’Arcy, who will all hope to feature in Saturday’s clash against Marc Lievremont’s side.

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    Mute Kevin
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    Aug 4th 2011, 2:28 PM

    About time.

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    Mute David Elkin
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    Aug 4th 2011, 3:33 PM

    @Phil: I think the management are trying to give the players a full pre season before giving them match time in these games. If you look at the team, only Fitzgerald and Sexton started the Magners League Final at the start of June. I think they will be re introducing the front line players over the course of the warm up games. Remember, there are 5 games in total. So, I would expect us to be playing our full team by the middle or the end of the series.

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    Mute Phil Mc Donald
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    Aug 4th 2011, 2:45 PM

    So much for the 1st’s gettin alot of gametime preWC, half these guys won’t be on the plane. We’ll be undercooked again

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    Mute Barry R.
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    Aug 4th 2011, 7:32 PM

    Phil, the concept of international rugby team management now is that there isn’t a ‘firsts’.
    There is a squad who are all ‘firsts’.

    Clearly Kidney will use this time to decide who will go and who won’t. If you think he is part of the Munster mafia then fair enough, I just don’t know where you draw your view from.

    Even at club level, we work to introduce the ‘squad’ concept right from underage. It eliminates the prima donna attitude of an ‘A team’

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    Mute Aideen Reilly
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    Aug 4th 2011, 4:06 PM

    will it be televised?

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    Mute Phil Mc Donald
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    Aug 4th 2011, 3:12 PM

    Correction: half these guys Shouldn’t be on the plane, but the Munster Mafia will have their way

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    Mute David Elkin
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    Aug 4th 2011, 4:27 PM

    Actually, just checked, it doesn’t appear to be on BBC 2 NI, which is the channel we get here, they are showing the Dublin v Tyrone game. I read that it was on BBC in The Sunday Times, they mustn’t have changed it for their Irish readers. So, after all this, I have no idea if it is being televised.

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    Mute Aideen Reilly
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    Aug 4th 2011, 6:40 PM

    I can get BBC London as well as BBC NI, thank God although I just checke my virgin listings and the GAA isnt til 7 and BBC2 NI is showing both

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    Mute David Elkin
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    Aug 4th 2011, 4:18 PM

    It’s on BBC2 for definite, don’t know about RTE’s coverage. There are issues surrounding RTE’s coverage of the whole warm up series.

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