'Jarred hip' ends Healy's Six Nations campaign
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: Ireland prop Cian Healy will miss the final two rounds of this season’s Six Nations.
Healy sustained an injury during their loss to England, the Irish Rugby Football Union said Tuesday.
Healy, 32, left the field in the first half of Ireland’s 12-24 defeat at Twickenham on Sunday with what coach Andy Farrell said was a “jarred hip”, and a scan has now revealed the full extent of the problem.
His injury means first-choice loosehead prop Healy faces a longer than expected wait to make his 100th international appearance for Ireland as the 98-times capped front-row would have expected to reach the landmark by appearing in next month’s Six Nations matches against Italy and France.
Defeat by World Cup finalists England ended Ireland’s bid for a Grand Slam but Farrell said they were “100 percent” still in title contention.
Former England international and assistant coach Farrell, the father of England captain Owen Farrell, added: “We will take the learnings and the hurt as well.
“We will take the disappointment and again we need to make sure we get it [the title race] to the last weekend.”
Meanwhile, the coach has named his a 28-man training squad that will assemble later this week in Dublin.
Billy Burns, Stuart McCloskey, Jack McGrath and Tom O’Toole will attend the Ireland camp following the postponement of Ulster’s weekend fixture away to Benetton.
Iain Henderson will re-join the squad having missed the trip to England due to his wife’s birth of their first child, but Will Addison will continue his rehab in Ulster this week.
Players released back to their provinces to participate in PRO14 action this coming weekend include Will Connors, Max Deegan, Chris Farrell, David Kearney, Luke McGrath and Jack O’Donoghue.
*Article continues below…
Ireland squad:
Backs: Bundee Aki, Billy Burns, Ross Byrne, Andrew Conway, John Cooney, Keith Earls, Robbie Henshaw, Jordan Larmour, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Jonathan Sexton, Jacob Stockdale
Forwards: Ultan Dillane, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Dave Heffernan, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Jack McGrath, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, James Ryan, CJ Stander, Devin Toner, Josh van der Flier
In other news:
