Ireland remain hopeful that Sam Prendergast will be fit to play some part in next week's Nations Championship clash with Argentina, as the out-half battles a wrist injury.

Prendergast missed Leinster's 24-18 win with Munster on Saturday after suffering the injury in training, with head coach Leo Cullen admitting the timeline would be "tight" for the 23-year-old to return in time for the meeting with Los Pumas on Friday, 6 November.

The Ireland squad have already gathered in Dublin in preparation for the second half of the Nations Championship campaign, where Andy Farrell's side take on Argentina, Fiji and South Africa before a finals weekend in London which will determine their overall place in the competition.

Ireland assistant coach Johnny Sexton says Prendergast has been able to take a limited part in training, with the intention to raise that involvement next week.

"He's progressed really well since then [last week]," Sexton said.

"We saw him earlier doing a bit of passing with the physios and he's still working through that.

"So we'll see how he pitches up over the next couple of days, maybe take a little bit of part in training at the back end of the week or, if not, maybe the start of next week.

"It's really a day-by-day kind of see how it's progressing, see how it's healing up and we're very hopeful that he'll be involved."

If Prendergast does miss the opening game against Argentina, the fact that head coach Andy Farrell hasn't called up another out-half would indicate that they expect the injury to be healed in time to face Fiji.

It also opens the door for Ciarán Frawley to start against Felipe Contepomi's side next week, after he has impressed for new side Connacht, where he has started four games in a row in the 10 shirt, scoring four tries.

"Frawls has gone really well with Connacht. All Frawls needed was some time in the seat, really. He's done really well so far," Sexton added.

"He has things to improve on, like every player when they come in. We have a certain way of playing here versus how Connacht do things or some similarities, and so we're saying, 'Keep doing that and maybe just brush up a couple of other things,' but he's done really well.

"Jamie Benson's doing really well. I know he's only had limited time at 10 [for Ulster].

"And Sam [Prendergast] has started the season well. Jack [Crowley], obviously his injury is ongoing, it's disappointing. Obviously we'd love to have him here, but we've still got some good options there."

Tadhg Furlong (below) trained with the squad as normal this afternoon, and it was confirmed he will face an independent disciplinary committee on Thursday after he was cited for alleged grabbing Munster's Gavin Coombes by the genitals during Saturday's URC Interpro at Aviva Stadium.

Coombes made the allegation late in the first half, with TMO Colin Stanley unable to find footage of the incident for referee Andrew Brace to check, with the incident referred to citing commissioner Peter Ferguson after the game.

If the allegation is proven, the tighthead prop could miss all of Ireland's November games, but Sexton, who played with Furlong for eight years with Ireland and Leinster before retiring in 2023, doesn't believe it is something his former team-mate would do.

"All I can say really is he's been training. He's been training really well.

"He started the season pretty well, and his body's good, which is always a good thing with Tadhg. When his body's good, he tends to play really well.

"In terms of the incident, I can't say too much about obviously because the disciplinary process is ongoing. But I know Tadhg as a person, first and foremost, and I don't think that's something he would have done.

"So I just have to, I suppose, back him in that in that regard, but we'll see what happens with the disciplinary hearing," he added.