THE Irish camp has played down fears that a vomiting bug will affect their chances in Sunday’s first test.
Reports yesterday suggested that there were fears the bug could spread and bring down the hopes of a threadbare squad.
But it’s felt that travelling Donegal team doctor, Dr Kevin Moran, has managed to get the spread of the bug under control.
He had also warned players of the potential to contract such a virus before the team disembarked from Ireland.
The vomiting bug can be a side-effect of long haul flights. The Ireland team flew seven hours to Abu Dhabi on Sunday, followed by a 13-hour haul to Melbourne, with only the briefest of stopovers in between.
Sligo's Niall Murphy and Roscommon's Enda Smith were the first two to suffer when they came down with sickness on Wednesday.
It did spread to Pearce Hanley and physio Enda McGinley yesterday, but the hope is that it is now under control.
Anyone who hasn’t shaken off the ill-effects by the time of Sunday’s first test could well have a limited role given the forecasted weather conditions.
In a break from the traditional evening slot for tests in Australia, the game will throw-in at 3.40pm local time. Adelaide is 10-and-a-half hours ahead, so the game will be on at 5.20am in Ireland.
The mid-afternoon start means that temperatures could be as high as 34 degrees, which the Irish players will get their first proper taste of when they train in Adelaide for the first time today.
Conditions had been more moderate in Melbourne, where the peak during their three-day stay was 19 degrees.
