The call went out immediately for Wallace who was a surprise omission when the squad was announced.

Speaking from Shannon Airport before catching a flight to Dublin, Wallace's first re-action was one of sympathy for his Munster colleague, Quinlan.

"First of all I feel for Quinny. It's a huge disappointment for him for his World Cup to end like this and obviously the circumstances of my joining the squad mean that something like this had to happen. But that's the sort of game this is. Injury is part and parcel of it. I just wish him well and hope he'll be back in action soon."

Speaking about his call up, he said his phone rang "very shortly after Alan was carried off " the field at Adelaide Oval. "They knew straight away it was serious enough to rule him out for the rest of the tournament."

The first leg of Wallace's journey will take him to Lansdowne Road this afternoon where he will be kitted out, and then it's off to Dublin Airport to catch the first available flight to London Heathrow.