Payne a doubt for Irish game
The 29-year-old New Zealand-born Ulster player – who has formed an effective midfield partnership with youngster Robbie Henshaw – joins star fullback Rob Kearney in needing to prove his fitness if he is to make the starting XV for Sunday's game.
Victory for the Irish – who have won both their group games thus far against Canada and Romania in convincing style – would see them claim a place in the quarterfinals.
"If guys have had niggles they get through this [Wednesday] afternoon, they will be assessed in the morning and then it's selection from there," said Ireland scrum coach Greg Feek.
"Jared Payne's just got a bit of a bruise on his foot, he didn't train, so we'll see how he goes for the rest of the week.
"Rob trained so now it's just a matter of how he goes from that.
"Normally you like to give them a run and then assess that, to see if they wake up with anything, if it's sore or whatever.
"So from here we'll be able to assess that."
Should Payne not be considered fit enough to play, the likelihood is that the in-form Keith Earls, who scored two tries against Romania to take him alongside retired star Brian O'Driscoll as Ireland's top try-scorer in the World Cup with seven, would move from the wing to centre.
Kearney's replacement would be Earls's Munster team-mate Simon Zebo, who also had an impressive outing against the Romanians before temporarily leaving the squad to attend his grandfather's funeral in Ireland on Tuesday.
Ireland coach Joe Schmidt will announce his starting line-up on Friday, with one eye on the subsequent key pool game against France – a team he has yet to lose to in two meetings – the following Sunday in Cardiff.
The pool winners will likely face a tough Argentina side in the quarter-finals, while the runners-up would probably have an even more daunting last-eight assignment against defending champions New Zealand.
Agence France-Presse
