Hugo Keenan finds himself in a tight race against the clock to achieve fitness for Ireland’s initial Six Nations clash with France, scheduled for Paris next Thursday, following a new injury complication.
A report from the Irish Independent indicates that the celebrated player for the Lions, Ireland, and Leinster sustained a thumb injury during a training session held in Portugal prior to the championship.
The athlete from Dublin has been absent from play since participating in all three Lions Tests, from start to finish, during their 2-1 series victory against Australia. A surgical procedure for a prior hip ailment became necessary, leading to the 29-year-old’s continuous absence from the field.
After rejoining the Ireland squad to prepare for the tournament, Keenan had aspirations of increasing his 46 Ireland appearances by securing the No.15 position for the highly anticipated opening match against Les Bleus.
However, head coach Andy Farrell might now need to consider either Jacob Stockdale, who last started a Test match at full-back more than half a decade ago, or select from Ciarán Frawley, Jack Crowley, and Sam Prendergast, each of whom has prior experience in that role.
Farrell’s concerns regarding the back-three selection would be alleviated if Jamie Osborne and Robert Baloucoune manage to recover from their respective injuries.
Osborne featured as full-back in the initial two Autumn Tests, facing New Zealand and Japan, prior to Mack Hansen taking his place.
Hansen earned the Player of the Match title subsequent to achieving a hat-trick versus Australia, and subsequently concluded the campaign by occupying that same position against the Springboks.
Nevertheless, the player from Connacht will be absent for the Six Nations, and potentially for the rest of the current season, due to a foot ailment.
In other news, Bundee Aki is confirmed to be excluded from the France fixture following disciplinary action taken by the IRFU.
