Ireland's preparations for the World Cup read like stats from a rugby wreck: four defeats from four Tests, tryless in three of those games and the plan to bring a fit and warmed-up squad to New Zealand in tatters. David Wallace and Cian Healy are the latest casualties.

Wallace, who tore cruciate and medial knee ligaments in the 20-9 defeat by England, has been replaced by Shane Jennings. Healy's departure to New Zealand has been delayed by four days after an injury to an eye socket. Along with Sean O'Brien, who was unavailable for the England Test because of a knee injury, Healy is a doubt for the USA game in New Plymouth which opens Ireland's World Cup schedule on 11 September.

After 2007, when Ireland were undercooked in France, Kidney opted for the busiest warm-up programme of any nation, with four Tests plus a domestic game against Connacht. Not only has the injury count climbed but the players look as far off the pace as they did when opening the series against Scotland.

The coach, Declan Kidney, is reluctant to talk about the recurring nightmare which is Ireland and the World Cup. "I'm not going to, with all due respect, get into a discussion about comparisons between now and 07 or 03 or 99, or whichever they are," he said. "We needed the games. To me that was very apparent, and we have had the games and we haven't got the results that we wanted but we will be the better for it. I have put together teams in the past and I can see us coming together now. There is obviously work to be done but I know we needed the games and I am glad we played the games."

It was suggested last week that Ireland would look for an extra game in New Zealand, against a provincial side. Kidney confirmed that would not be happening. They will arrive in Queenstown on Thursday and have a week and half to prepare for the USA, when it is expected Brian O'Driscoll, who missed the England Test, will be fit. He has an ongoing issue with a shoulder injury which requires careful management and threatens his ability to play in the key games in New Zealand.

At least there is positive news about Stephen Ferris, whose knee problems kept him out of the August series until Saturday's game. Kidney was forced to leave Ferris on the field for the full 80 minutes because of injuries to Wallace and Jamie Heaslip, who was concussed. If Heaslip satisfies the 'return to play' protocol then he will be fit to face Eddie O'Sullivan's Eagles.

"Two months ago it was about getting Stephen out on the pitch," Kidney said. "We would have been delighted to get 80 minutes out of him and we are thankful for that. Credit to the medical team and strength and conditioning team and certainly Stephen for how hard he has worked with it."

Kidney found further positives in the Ireland performance. "We started to make a few better decisions," he said. "We turned them a few times but England were quite happy with the strength of their line-out for us to put it down inside their 22. But when it did rain, we knew there was nowhere else for us to play the game, so we didn't get to try to run it inside our own half and give up even more scores again.

"So now the next thing to do is to convert that pressure, to turn them around a little bit. I've seen that come on a little bit too, but that will come the more emphasis we put on the opposition. As I said we've been putting 99% on our own and we haven't looked a whole lot at what they do. If we put a small bit on what they do, then all of a sudden we turn over one or two of their balls and the game changes."