Andy Farrell calls on Billy Bohan to ease Ireland prop crisis

The 20-year old Connacht prop Billy Bohan has been added to the Six Nations squad

Connacht's Billy Bohan. Pic: ©INPHO/James Crombie

Ireland’s loosehead prop crisis has prompted Andy Farrell to call 20-year old Connacht prop Billy Bohan into his Six Nations squad ahead of the tournament opener against France in Paris on Thursday week.

Farrell last week had to name a squad without the injured Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy, his first and second-choice players on that side of the front row. The next man in line, Jack Boyle, was stretchered off during Leinster’s win in Connacht on Saturday.

All of that left the national team with just two fit looseheads, the Munster pairing of Jeremy Loughman and Michael. Loughman has not featured for Ireland since 2024, Milne only made his debut last summer with a second-string Irish side.

Bohan, a Kildare native, is highly-rated by the Connacht brains trust but is still painfully inexperienced even if he performed excellently in discommoding the Leinster scrum at the revamped Dexcom Stadium this weekend.

He only left his teenage years behind in late November and only made a senior provincial debut against the Black Lions in the Challenge Cup pre-Christmas. Bohan was a member of last year’s Ireland U20s squad and had been named last week in the Ireland XVs squad.

Also included in that squad was Ulster loosehead Sam Crean.

Loosehead isn’t the only area of concern and change.

Munster’s Tom Ahern is replaced by Ulster’s Cormac Izuchukwu, while Robert Baloucoune will continue to be assessed over the coming days after being withdrawn at half-time in Ulster’s defeat away to Scarlets.

Farrell also has worries over Tadhg Furlong, Finlay Bealham, Edwin Edogbo, Jack Conan and Jacob Stockdale as they prepare to travel to Portugal for their pre-tournament training camp.

It is believed Furlong and Keenan still have work to do if they are to make the Championship kick-off on February 5th.