? Injured Ireland pair missed initial flight to New Zealand
? Bryan Habana says South Africa ready for title defence
Gordon D'Arcy and Cian Healy have joined their Ireland team-mates in Queenstown following their delayed departures from Dublin.
D'Arcy failed to travel after pulling up in training with a calf strain last Tuesday, the day the squad set off for New Zealand. The Leinster centre could be fit to face the United States on Sunday but Healy is a doubt for the World Cup opener because of his eye injury.
Healy sustained the damage in last month's 20-9 defeat by England and was advised to allow it to heal before embarking on the long-haul flight to New Zealand.
"I was getting mentally prepared for doing the journey by myself, but I got the news that Gordon pulled up with an injury," said Healy. "There was a sense of relief for both of us that we would still be travelling.
"Talking to some of the squad, they have settled in really well and combined training with some time to relax and get involved in the whole spirit of the tournament. It's good to get that down time before we pick the pace up this week. The intensity will start to rise now another couple of notches as we look forward to the USA game."
The full-back Rob Kearney and the flanker Sean O'Brien trained on Monday and showed no ill-effects from their respective groin and knee injuries.
Business-like Habana says Springboks are ready
South Africa have begun the final week of preparation before launching their world title defence, with the wing Bryan Habana declaring: "We are here for business."
Habana and his team-mates will make history if they retain the trophy won at England's expense in Paris four years ago ? no side has previously won back-to-back World Cups ? and the top try scorer from 2007 believes South Africa can cause an upset in New Zealand, despite the hosts being clear favourites.
"The pressure we put on ourselves as Springboks is more than anyone else puts on us," he said. "We want to go out there and make sure we do our country proud.
"We are here for a task, and that is first of all to beat Wales next Sunday and then to carry on hopefully winning for the next six games to win a World Cup. We will definitely enjoy the experience that New Zealand has to offer, but we are here for business, not pleasure, and we are looking forward to getting on with business."
Charteris: Wales locked on for World Cup challenge
The Wales lock Luke Charteris believes that competition for second-row starting places is good for the team's World Cup chances.
Established pairing Bradley Davies and Alun-Wyn Jones look likely to be handed the task of combating South Africa's Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield in the Pool D opener next Sunday, with the 6ft 9in Charteris set to fulfil a familiar role on the Wales bench ? 10 of his 25 caps have been won as a replacement.
"The good thing about playing in a position where there is a lot of competition is that the boys push you to play better," he said. "And when you get a chance you have to do everything you can to impress.
"Everyone in the squad knows they cannot rest on their laurels. They have to give everything they can on the field, which is good for the coaches and good for us as players. There are 30 boys here all aiming for a starting shirt. You have to keep trying to impress as best you can."
The Cornwall-born Charteris is excited about what Wales could bring to the World Cup, having arrived with momentum generated from five wins in their last seven Tests.
"I think we are a lot fitter than we have ever been," he added. "Our fitness levels are really high. We know we can continue to perform for 80 minutes at real high levels, and that gives us confidence.
"The style we like to play is all-action, and there is a lot of work you have to do fitness-wise to play it. If boys are dropping off, that could cost you pretty badly, whether it's a lapse in defence or giving away a penalty through a stupid mistake. Physically, I think we are there, it is just finishing it off mentally and making sure we are primed for Sunday."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/sep/05/rugby-world-cup-2011-ireland
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