The Irish rugby coaching staff have issued a positive update on Rob Kearney and Keith Earls ahead of Sunday's World Cup opener against Scotland. 

Full back Kearney has been battling a calf problem, while Earls has been nursing a quad muscle injury.

However, both players trained in Chiba today before the squad departed for Yokohama ahead of the opening match.

The duo will have to go through a few further protocols to play on Sunday. A decision on their participation will be made after another session on Friday.

Coach Joe Schmidt will name his starting XI on Friday.

The second World Cup game is against hosts Japan and Robbie Henshaw is set to be available for selection for that game.

He's recovering well from a hamstring injury.

Assistant coach Andy Farrell has said this morning that the coaches won't take any unnecessary risks when it comes to the fitness of players.

Jordan Larmour and Andrew Conway are waiting in the wings for an opportunity behind the scrum and Farrell has praised their unity within the squad:

"The last Welsh game, when the squad's narrowed down to 31, then you start seeing the little units gelling together and people taking ownership of those units and everyone benefits from that. They are certainly putting their best foot forward to contribute in their area of expertise. Jordan's a young lad, but where he's come from in the last couple of years is remarkable.

"I think they don't just see themselves as part of the squad now; I think they see themselves as team members that are building for something special, hopefully this weekend."

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