Ireland run out of numbers and options

Ireland 13 France 13

They have to deal with the here and now. There is no avenue of speculation to saunter down when you are competing in the fast lane of Test rugby but after a frustrating stalemate against France, Ireland head coach Declan Kidney finally admitted that the injury levels his squad has been battling have shaped the way this RBS 6 Nations campaign has unfolded.

The numerous injuries, 40% of the Ireland squad by Kidney’s calculations, have been well documented and this morning, Ireland begin preparing to face Italy in Rome next Saturday with a further six players in need of assessment and treatment. Even worse, a seventh, scrum-half Eoin Reddan, faces three months on the sidelines following the bad lower leg fracture he suffered in the final minute of a game a full-strength side might have had the experience to win.