'Jack is back' - Conan set to be available for Scotland encounter

Ireland will head towards their final Rugby World Cup Pool B game against Scotland with a full squad to choose from, with Jack Conan set to be available after close to eight weeks out injured.

The number 8 sat out Ireland's opening three wins against Romania, Tonga and South Africa after picking up a foot injury in the opening warm-up win against Italy on 5 August.

But with Ireland on a bye-week and not due back in action until 7 October against the Scots, the Leinster back row looks set to make his bow at this tournament when the pair meet in Paris next week.

"Jack [Conan] is back...training, it's all good," said defence coach Simon Easterby.

"Jack is a really important part of the squad.

"He is good around the group, and at certain stages I think he might have felt it [the injury] might not come right but he has worked really hard with the conditioners, with the physios, with the nutritionists, so he has done everything he can to get himself into this position and I guess we have been fortunate with injuries in his position as well, that we haven't had to call upon him.

"There is a number of things that have aligned to allow to Jack to get himself right and it was definitely the right thing for us.

"I think we are starting to see the Jack we would like to have seen a few weeks ago, but injury has not allowed him to be in that place.

"So he is in a good place and there is no reason he won't be available next week."

While Conan, along with Dan Sheehan and Dave Kilcoyne carried injuries into the tournament, Ireland have done remarkably well to avoid any in-game injuries unlike many of the their other World Cup rivals so far.

Despite the physical nature of Saturday's 13-8 win against the Springboks, all 33 members of the squad