/world sport
BORDEAUX, France -- Argentina fly-half Juan Martin Hernandez expects to be fit for the potential Rugby World Cup Pool D decider against Ireland a week on Sunday.
Hernandez has proved a major success since switching from full-back to fly-half.
Hernandez, whose conversion from full-back to fly-half at the World Cup has proved a major success, has been struggling with a thigh injury.
The Stade Francais star will miss Saturday's clash with Namibia but is confident he will be ready to face the Irish.
"I can run but I can't do sprints," he said. "Against Ireland I will be okay but I won't take any risks so I won't be playing on Saturday.
"I suffered a dead leg against Georgia but I've been having problems since the first match against France."
Pumas skipper Agustin Pichot is a doubt for Namibia because of a hamstring problem.
"I don't know if I'm going to play in that game," he said. "It depends on the coach's decision. I'm quite calm because it's not a new injury but a pain in the scar of an old tear."
Georgia skipper Ilia Zedginidze has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament after suffering a knee injury in Saturday's 14-10 Pool D defeat by Ireland.
Poor performances against Namibia and Georgia have left Ireland's confidence in tatters ahead of Friday's clash against France in Paris where they have won just once in 35 years.
"We know we must perform better than we have been when we play France, but we also know we're capable of doing exactly that," said flanker Simon Easterby.
"It's our biggest Test match for a long time and we don't need any extra motivation. We've been written off by the press but hopefully we'll see a good performance on Friday.
"We'll be underdogs going into the game and that suits us well."
Namibia forward Jacques Nieuwenhuis has escaped with a one-match suspension following his dismissal in the 87-10 defeat against France in Toulouse last Friday.
A statement said there were a number of of 'mitigating features' including the player's good previous record and the fact that he apologized to the opposing player after the match. E-mail to a friend 
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