Prop Cian Healy’s participation in the upcoming Rugby World Cup is in doubt, according to a number of reports this morning.
The Leinster and Ireland player is working to recover from a neck operation in May, and had hoped to be fully fit in time for the tournament.
Earlier this month, Healy that his recovery was going well, although he acknowledged it had been a potentially very serious injury.
“I’m recovering from a neck injury and it’s going pretty well,” he said. “ It’s about building up the arm again because there was so little movement in it in training.”
“If it’s a neck injury it could have left me paralyzed if I didn’t get if fixed, and that’s the way my head thinks.”
Healy continued: “They assured me that it wasn’t a situation like that. I was happy to be told that I’d be able to play rugby again.”
The Leinster prop has taken part in the Ireland training camp, but fears are growing that he may not make a complete recovery in time to be part of the 31-man panel for the World Cup.
Fears grow over @ProperChurch and his race to be fit for the RWC #NotLookingGoodLADS pic.twitter.com/2C6hoQLEjs
— RugbyLAD (@RugbyLAD7) July 28, 2015
Cian Healy a major doubt for the Rugby World Cup: http://t.co/qExWgB20UL
— 98FM (@98FM) July 28, 2015
Cian Healy could be a doubt for the World Cup – more in sport at 7
— Cork's RedFM Sport (@BigRedBench) July 28, 2015
Ireland play Wales, Scotland and England in warm-up matches over the next five weeks, before their World Cup campaign kicks off against Canada on September 19.
The squad hold an open training session in Cork tomorrow.