Ireland sweat on Johnny Sexton fitness ahead of Scotland Rugby World Cup clash

Ireland may face an anxious wait on Johnny Sexton’s fitness ahead of Saturday’s week’s Rugby World Cup Pool B encounter with Scotland. The captain and out-half, troubled by a groin problem all year, was limping when leaving the field near the end of Saturday’s groundbreaking 13-8 win over South Africa while, post-match, he appeared to have strapping on his left shoulder underneath his shirt.

“Pieter-Steph du Toit is one of the best back rowers in the world and he made his presence known, of course,” said Sexton afterwards. There were a few tackles where I’m just passing the ball, on the line, and he hits me — it’s probably fair.

“There’s a couple of them, it’s a very physical game. Very different to the first two games we had where the ball was in play a lot and I’d say our running metres were higher. But today, I’d say there were a lot more collisions, for and against, so it was a very tough game.”

Read more: Johnny Sexton hails Ireland fans for support shown during Rugby World Cup clash against South Africa

Meanwhile, Garry Ringrose is set to undergo a precautionary HIA after a first-half blow but is expected to be ready for the October 7 Scots tie.

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