Just when you thought Ireland's rugby team was about to unleash some serious shamrock magic against the All Blacks in Chicago, the injury leprechauns struck hard. Ireland's coach, Andy Farrell, is now scrambling to patch up his squad after a rough weekend in the Vodacom URC dished out more pain than a hangover on St. Patrick’s Day.
It appears that Ireland's fast and furious winger, Mack Hansen, is out of the running after he turned his foot into a casualty while scoring a try for Connacht against the Bulls. Talk about suffering for your art! As for the centers, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw are hanging in there – barely. They’re both banged up, with Aki nursing a hip issue and Henshaw grappling with a groin strain. They’re still on the plane to Chicago, but whether they'll hit the field or just the hotel’s ice machines remains to be seen.
"We are monitoring Bundee and Robbie; it will be a game-time decision for both,"
Farrell stated, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.
To fortify the ranks, Farrell has summoned Munster's uncapped center Tom Farrell (no family relation, or so they claim) and Leinster's utility back Jimmy O’Brien. It might just be their time to shine or at least try to stop the All Blacks from turning the game into a runaway train.
Meanwhile, the injury ward has welcomed two more with Munster’s Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson out for the count with a concussion and an elbow injury respectively. This leaves Shayne Bolton from Connacht as the lone reinforcement standing by. Talk about thinning the ranks!
Ireland is set to kick off their November Test campaign against the formidable New Zealand before heading back to Dublin to host a rugby feast featuring Japan, the Wallabies, and the Springboks. Let’s hope the Irish have enough magic and manpower left to make it through this brutal lineup. As they say, it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. And maybe, just maybe, Ireland’s got enough fight to make a miracle happen in Chicago.
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Just when you thought Ireland's rugby team was about to unleash some serious shamrock magic against the All Blacks in Chicago, the injury leprechauns struck hard. Ireland's coach, Andy Farrell, is now scrambling to patch up his squad after a rough weekend in the Vodacom URC dished out more pain than a hangover on St. Patrick’s Day.
It appears that Ireland's fast and furious winger, Mack Hansen, is out of the running after he turned his foot into a casualty while scoring a try for Connacht against the Bulls. Talk about suffering for your art! As for the centers, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw are hanging in there – barely. They’re both banged up, with Aki nursing a hip issue and Henshaw grappling with a groin strain. They’re still on the plane to Chicago, but whether they'll hit the field or just the hotel’s ice machines remains to be seen.
"We are monitoring Bundee and Robbie; it will be a game-time decision for both,"
Farrell stated, keeping fans on the edge of their seats.To fortify the ranks, Farrell has summoned Munster's uncapped center Tom Farrell (no family relation, or so they claim) and Leinster's utility back Jimmy O’Brien. It might just be their time to shine or at least try to stop the All Blacks from turning the game into a runaway train.
Meanwhile, the injury ward has welcomed two more with Munster’s Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson out for the count with a concussion and an elbow injury respectively. This leaves Shayne Bolton from Connacht as the lone reinforcement standing by. Talk about thinning the ranks!
Ireland is set to kick off their November Test campaign against the formidable New Zealand before heading back to Dublin to host a rugby feast featuring Japan, the Wallabies, and the Springboks. Let’s hope the Irish have enough magic and manpower left to make it through this brutal lineup. As they say, it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. And maybe, just maybe, Ireland’s got enough fight to make a miracle happen in Chicago.