Ireland are facing something of an injury crisis at hooker ahead of their four Tests in November.
Andy Farrell will have to plan without his two leading hookers, Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher, for Ireland’s upcoming game against New Zealand on Friday, November 8th at the Aviva Stadium and quite possibly one or more of the ensuing Autumn Nations Series games against Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
This follows confirmation by Leinster head coach Leo Cullen that the ankle injury Kelleher sustained in the province’s win over Benetton in Treviso last week has required a minor operation which will sideline him for “four to six weeks”. The All Blacks game is four weeks away.
“Ronan had a procedure on his ankle so he’ll be gone for, I don’t know, four to six weeks. The exact timeline ... I’m not exactly sure on that, he only just got it done during the week.”
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In addition to Sheehan being sidelined until the new year due to the ACL injury he suffered in Ireland’s second Test win in Durban, the third hooker at last season’s World Cup, Six Nations and the summer tour to South Africa, Rob Herring, hasn’t played this season.
Herring suffered a calf injury in preseason and is believed to be in a race against time to be fit for the November window. Furthermore, his backup at Ulster last season and Ireland’s fourth choice hooker Tom Stewart, who won his first cap in the World Cup warm-up win over Samoa in Bayonne last year, underwent a leg operation during the summer and is not expected to return until December.
Connacht’s Dave Heffernan, who has been in good form and starting regularly this season, thus comes into the frame to start against the All Blacks, with attention now focusing on Niall Scannell as well as his fellow Munster hooker Diarmuid Barron and Leinster’s unrelated Lee Barron.
Cullen also gave no clear indication as to when Robbie Henshaw will make his seasonal reappearance, nor the injury that has prevented him from doing so thus far.
“Robbie is a little bit slower coming back in but we’re just managing guys with the niggles over the course of preseason.”
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