Rob Baloucoune and Jeremy Loughman have returned to full training with Ireland's squad ahead of Friday's Nations Championship clash against New Zealand at Eden Park. Both players took part in a session at Kings College in Auckland on Monday, easing concerns over their availability for the tour's headline fixture.
Baloucoune missed the opening match against Australia with a hamstring problem and sat out the subsequent victory over Japan, while Loughman sustained a head injury in the Australia test that ruled him out of the Japan win. Their return bolsters Andy Farrell's 36-man squad as it prepares for its toughest assignment of the tour.
Ireland face a formidable historical hurdle: the All Blacks are unbeaten in 52 tests at Eden Park, a streak stretching back to France's victory there in 1994. No visiting side has breached that fortress in 32 years.