Denis Leamy is a fitness doubt for the RBS 6 Nations decider against Wales next Saturday with a shoulder injury.

The Tipperary native suffered a soft tissue injury in the win over Scotland at Murrayfield, and had to be replaced by Jamie Heaslip on 31 minutes.

“[Leamy]’s rehabbing at the present time," revealed Ireland's backs coach Alan Gaffney.

"He didn’t train today and probably won’t train tomorrow. There’s definite hope that he might be ok by the weekend. But we’ve just got to see how he progresses.

"Obviously, Denis adds a lot to any team but then again, we’ve got some very good people waiting in the wings if he doesn’t come through.

"It’s a soft tissue injury and he’s ok in that sense. It’s a painful injury but he’s rehabbing well so far. But everyone else is fine again. It’s been a miraculous 6 Nations with injuries.”

Meanwhile, Gaffney has pointed to the strong leadership in Ireland's group of players as one of the reasons why Declan Kidney's side could land a first Grand Slam in this competition since their only previous clean sweep in 1948.

“It’s something you always look for," he added.

"If you look through the World Cup winners over time they’ve always had a lot of leaders in their side, like the Australian sides or the English side in 2003.

"Martin Johnson was an outstanding captain in his own right but he had a lot of leaders across the pitch and I think that we’re lucky with that at the present time. Brian does a great job as captain but he’s got a lot of guys who stand up around him. In times when things are tough, these guys step right up to the plate.

“Being accountable is the thing. Stepping up and taking responsibility is the key – and that’s what these boys do very, very well. They’ve played together for many, many years but they’ve no problem taking on that responsibility.”