Irish province dealt huge double blow ahead of Stormers showdown

SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: The Connacht coaching team has unveiled a 29-man tour squad for upcoming games against the Stormers and Lions in South Africa.

They will be without a couple of big names in the form of Ireland stars Mack Hansen (ankle) and Bundee Aki (heel).

The duo, along with Caolin Blade (ankle), will remain in Galway with a view to returning to selection availability for the game against Edinburgh, following the South Africa fixtures.

Meanwhile, Josh Ioane (hand) and Shamus Hurley-Langton (wrist) both suffered fractures in Saturday’s game against Racing, with a return-to-play timeline to be determined this week.

Denis Buckley (quad) also misses the tour due to a strain, while Finn Treacy (head) will continue the Gradual Return to Play Protocols following his withdrawal on Saturday.

Connacht tour squad:

Forwards: Jack Aungier, Finlay Bealham, Paul Boyle, Eoin de Buitléar, Peter Dooley, Oisín Dowling, Jordan Duggan, Dave Heffernan, Sam Illo, Sean Jansen, Joe Joyce, Josh Murphy, Darragh Murray, Conor Oliver,
Cian Prendergast, Dylan Tierney-Martin.

Backs: Shayne Bolton, Jack Carty, Santiago Cordero, Matthew Devine, Cathal Forde, Hugh Gavin, David Hawkshaw, Shane Jennings, Chay Mullins, Ben Murphy, Sean Naughton, Piers O’Conor, Colm Reilly.