Diarmuid Barron gets Ireland call-up

IRELAND confirmed this week that Diarmuid Barron, the Munster hooker, has joined the squad in Biarritz ahead of their upcoming World Cup warm-up match against Samoa on Saturday.

Munster posted on their Twitter account, confirming the news: "Good luck to Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron as he has travelled to Biarritz with the @IrishRugby squad, with preparations continuing for the @RugbyWorldCup."

Barron has represented Ireland at underage levels and Emerging A, but never the senior team.

Due to the condition of first-choice hooker Dan Sheehan, the Munster man has been called up. Reports suggest that Sheehan could miss all of Ireland's pool games.

In the previous warm-up victory against England in Dublin, Sheehan suffered a worrisome foot injury and had to leave the field during the first half. He has remained in Ireland this week.

Good luck to Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron as he has travelled to Biarritz with the @IrishRugby squad with preparations continuing for the @RugbyWorldCup 🙌#SUAF 🔴 pic.twitter.com/pzKhuLO2wQ

— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) August 22, 2023

Following a scan to assess the extent of Sheehan's injury, while no official update has been provided by Ireland, the situation has raised evident concerns about Sheehan's absence in France to recover from his injury.

Ireland's head coach, Andy Farrell, is said to be optimistic about Sheehan's return but has not given a specific date or time for his return.

Meanwhile, Rónan Kelleher, Jack Conan, and Dave Kilcoyne are all working to overcome injuries.

Andy Farrell will make his final World Cup selection next week.

Ireland's team arrived in Biarritz on Sunday and conducted their training session at the Stade Jean Dauger in the nearby town of Bayonne today. The upcoming Saturday night match against Samoa at the same stadium will be their final preparatory game before the start of the World Cup.