Tadhg Furlong: Ireland prop ruled out of Six Nations opener against England due to calf injury

Ireland prop Tadhg Furlong suffered a recurrence of a calf strain in training on Saturday in Portugal where the squad are preparing for the defence of the Six Nations title; Ireland begin their campaign at home against England on February 1

Monday 27 January 2025 10:22, UK

Tadhg Furlong has been ruled out of Ireland's opening Six Nations match against England due to injury.

The 32-year-old Leinster prop will sit out Saturday's game at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin after suffering a recurrence of a calf problem during training in Portugal.

Furlong has returned to Dublin for further assessment.

The tight-head missed all four of Ireland's November fixtures due to a hamstring issue and only returned for Leinster in the win over La Rochelle three weeks ago before sitting out the win against Bath.

Uncapped Jack Aungier has been called up to the squad as a replacement, but it is his Connacht team-mate Finlay Bealham who would appear most likely to start in Furlong's place against England.

Marcus Smith's last-gasp drop goal handed England a 23-22 victory over Ireland at Twickenham last year, in the process ending a run of four successive defeats by them.

There was also some positive news for Ireland over the weekend as hooker Dan Sheehan was named player of the match as he scored two tries on his comeback from an ACL injury for Leinster on Saturday.