The Ireland flanker Tommy O’Donnell has been ruled out of the Rugby World Cup with a dislocated hip, the IRFU has confirmed.
The Munster back-row was taken off on a stretcher during Ireland’s emphatic 35-21 World Cup warm-up victory against Wales in Cardiff on Saturday and has subsequently been ruled out of action for six weeks.
An IRFU statement read: “Investigations at University Hospital Wales yesterday afternoon confirmed that Tommy suffered a hip dislocation in the game against Wales. He will be limited to non-weight bearing activity for at least six weeks and has unfortunately been ruled out of participating in RWC15.”
O’Donnell was making just his fourth start for Ireland, having made his debut on the 2013 summer tour of North America and his absence comes as a further blow to the head coach, Joe Schmidt, who is already with Rhys Ruddock for the World Cup after the Leinster flanker broke his right arm in June.
The IRFU also confirmed that the Ulster wing Andrew Trimble, who missed Ireland’s victorious Six Nations campaign earlier this year due to an ongoing toe problem, will have a precautionary scan on the foot injury that forced him off the field in Cardiff.
