Caelan Doris could be in line to be named as Ireland captain when the squad for next month's Autumn Nations Series is named later today.
The Leinster forward wore the armband in the summer win over South Africa in Cape Town.
Peter O'Mahony - who captained Ireland in the Six Nations earlier this year - is struggling with a hamstring injury.
Ireland play New Zealand in their opening fixture on November 8th at the Aviva Stadium.