Jack Boyle injury leaves Andy Farrell's Ireland facing Six Nations prop crisis

Boyle was Ireland's most likely start at loosehead for the Six Nations clash with France on February 5

Leinster prop Jack Boyle was carted off 20 minutes into his side's URC clash with Connacht. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is facing into a full-blown prop crisis ahead of Thursday week’s Six Nations opener away to France with Leinster’s Jack Boyle the latest loosehead to come a cropper in recent weeks.

Boyle stayed down after a scrum 20 minutes into Leinster’s URC game away to Connacht on Saturday evening, eventually being stretchered off. Inexperienced as he is, Boyle was Ireland’s most likely starting loosehead against the French until this.

Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy, both of whom held down that side of the front row last November, are already absent due to injuries. McCarthy looks like missing the entire Championship, Porter is certainly out for part of it.

Neither were named in the 37-man squad this week.

Farrell had named Boyle and the Munster pair of Jeremy Loughman and Michael Milne in that group. Loughman featured for Munster in Friday’s night’s come-from-behind URC win against the Dragons in Virgin Media Park.

Farrell has other concerns on the tighthead side where Tadhg Furlong and Finlay Bealham have both been struggling with injuries of their own in recent weeks. An anxious few weeks and maybe months lie ahead.