Farrell devastated for injured Healy, won't rule out return to squad

The Leinster veteran was the most notable omission when the Ireland World Cup squad was revealed on Sunday afternoon.

27 August 2023; Head coach Andy Farrell during the announcement of the Ireland Rugby World Cup squad at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Andy Farrell has spoken of his devastation for prop Cian Healy who misses out on Ireland’s World Cup squad with the calf injury suffered during the team’s last warm-up game, against Samoa, in Bayonne on Saturday.

The Leinster veteran was the most notable omission when the collective was revealed in the Adam Suite of the Shelbourne Hotel on Sunday afternoon. His place in the travelling party has effectively been taken by Munster’s Jeremy Loughman.

“He hasn't [made it],” said head coach Andy Farrell. “He's just had a scan as we got off the plane and he'll be out for a spell of time that won't be right, unfortunately, for Cian and for us, certainly for the start of the competition. We'll see how his rehab goes during it, you'd never know towards the back end if he could be a replacement or not.

“It's devastating isn't it? That's sport, that's life, that's rugby. Cian's big enough and old enough and experienced enough to be through these type of things before, I remember in 2013 on the Lions he got injured early and had to fly home. He's experienced something like this and understands that these things happen. He's devastated as we are for him.” 

Whether Healy makes it back into the group at some stage of the tournament is one thing but his absence for the bones of it robs Farrell and his brains trust of one of their most versatile operators and a player with a tonne of experience.

Healy has played tighthead and loosehead in recent seasons and he has also offered an emergency cover option at hooker, which has been maybe the main concern in recent weeks as Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher look to shrug off issues.

Both of the Leinster front rows were named in the squad, however, and Farrell looked to strike the most positive of notes when asked about the welfare of the two explosive and highly-rated operators before their opener against Romania on Saturday week.

“They're in good spirits. Rónan could have been fit for this weekend but we're giving him another week to solidify that. Dan is progressing very well, ahead of schedule as it were. We'll keep analysing that and see how it goes over the next week or so.” 

Ireland’s Cian Healy receives treatment from Dr. Ciaran Cosgrove in Bayonne before going off injured

There was precious little debate as to the entrails of Farrell’s selection, which has been taken as a positive and a sign of the settled nature of the squad as this latest four-year cycle funnels in towards the global get-together.

Stuart McCloskey has been included. A specialist inside-centre, he has figured prominently for the team this season and started two of the three warm-up fixtures, while Keith Earls has beaten Jacob Stockdale to the last of the back three slots.

Again, no real surprise there. Farrell discussed it all in terms of balance.

“For you guys, rightly so, you'd probably look at the squad and say these guys are competing against different types of personnel than the reality, really. The balance of the squad for such a small group that goes to the World Cup, versatility within that is pretty important. The likes of Keith and Jimmy O'Brien come into that category.” 

The announcement caps a pre-season stint that stretched to 70 days, sucked in 43 players and ended with an 18/15 split between forwards and backs, Asked if he was confident in that ratio, Farrell again pointed to the versatility at his disposal by way of reasoning.

If some players and positions picked themselves – and most of them clearly did – then that didn’t make the process of leaving people out any easier. Healy, Tom Stewart, Cian Prendergast, Ciaran Frawley and Stockdale made up the unlucky few.

“It’s obviously difficult because you’re shattering someone’s dream,” said Farrell. “You don’t want to let bad news be a shock and giving them constant feedback as to where they’re at and players aren’t stupid either, they get a sense of where they are along the way. 

“They made it very easy for me, they’re very understanding, they’re all team players.”