Rugby World Cup 2019: Conan to fly home injured as Ireland target response

Jack Conan will fly home from the Rugby World Cup on Sunday due to a fractured foot, leaving Ireland to find a response to their shock Japan defeat without the back-rower.

Conan suffered the injury in training and missed Saturday’s match against Japan, with Joe Schmidt’s side sensationally beaten by the tournament hosts.

Schmidt, speaking after the 19-12 loss, confirmed Conan would be leaving the squad, with reports suggesting Jordi Murphy will be called up as his replacement.

“Unfortunately, Jack Conan has a fracture in his foot and he will return home to Ireland tomorrow,” Schmidt said.

#RWC2019

Bad News for us as @JackConan1 has a fracture in his foot and will return home to Ireland tomorrow. No news yet on a replacement. A huge thank you to Jack for being such a great member of the squad. #TeamOfUs #ShoulderToShoulder pic.twitter.com/SMb1tlSq3S

— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) September 28, 2019

Schmidt was hopeful there had been no further injury issues against the Brave Blossoms, but Rob Kearney took a blow to the head and failed his initial assessment.

“From an injury perspective, Rob Kearney, I just spoke to him, has got a decent shiner but he’s feeling okay now,” he said.

“He failed his HIA [Head Injury Assessment], as far as I know, so if he doesn’t pass his HIA 2 and HIA 3, he’ll be a confirmed concussion and that will rule him out of the Russia game.”

The coach is now focused on the team bouncing back against Russia, although he is wary of a short turnaround to the match on Thursday.

“It’s a tough defeat for us to take, but I think the strength of the team will be how they respond and rebound from this,” he said.

“A six-day turnaround into this game was a little bit tough, and we’ve got a five-day turnaround into the Russia game in Kobe on Thursday.”

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