Tadhg Furlong, Mack Hansen and Garry Ringrose are all seemingly in line to be available for Ireland’s final game in the Six Nations against Italy at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday (kick-off 2.15pm Irish time).
The trio missed last Saturday’s 42-27 loss to France at the Aviva Stadium through injury and suspension but all have been named in a 38-man squad for Saturday’s game.
What’s more, according to a relatively upbeat if somewhat brief IRFU squad update, the three players “are all set to return”.
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The prognosis on James Lowe, who was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s game shortly before kick-off due after he suffered a back spasm during the warm-up, is more cautious. The winger is “being monitored but has shown improvement since Saturday, and the same applies for Rónan Kelleher.” The update added a decision on their availability will be made later this week.
Hansen had also been in line to face France but was ruled out two days before due to what Simon Easterby described “a little bit of a quad strain,” adding: “It’s not a huge, significant injury but we felt it was important this week to get as much time and reps for the guys who were starting, and with Jamie [Osborne] being on the wing, then it meant he could come in and out of that position.
“It felt right to give him the minutes on the right wing, and he gives us that coverage across the backline, in terms of the flexibility to go a 6-2 split. It was probably an earlier call, we felt it was the right thing to do to allow us build that continuity.
“Mack was comfortable with that. He realised it might be one that was touch and go and we felt it was the right thing to do to make that early decision.”
Furlong hasn’t played since Leinster’s win over La Rochelle in January but trained with his province the week before last and did some scrummaging with the Irish squad last week.
“He wasn’t massively far away from it,” said Easterby of the two-time Lions’ tighthead prop playing against France. “But I guess it’s just making sure that there was a confidence he could get through a match. Training is one thing, getting through 40, 50, 60 minutes of an international game is different.
“We were building up towards this and we still feel like he’s in a really good place and he feels confident that he has hit the steps he needed to but it was just probably a few days too early.”
Ringrose is available after completing his suspension for the 20-minute red card he received against Wales in round three. Given the selection policy so far in this Six Nations of rotating partnerships between two from Ringrose, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw, it seems highly likely that he will return in midfield.
Compared to the 36-man squad which started the tournament, Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey, Gavin Coombes and Tom O’Toole have all since been added, whereas Iain Henderson (hamstring) and Cormac Izuchukwu (ankle) have returned to Ulster due to injury.
The Ireland team and replacements will be named at lunchtime on Thursday.
Ireland Squad to face Italy:
Forwards (21): Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Gavin Coombes, Caelan Doris, Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Rónan Kelleher, Gus McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Tom O’Toole, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier.
Backs (17): Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Stuart McCloskey, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale.
