Ireland's Six Nations preparations have experienced another hiccup, with Finlay Bealham the latest prop to pick up an untimely injury.
The Connacht tighthead missed his side’s EPCR Challenge Cup defeat to Montpellier on Sunday, with the province saying they are expecting him to be ruled out for "a couple of weeks" with a knee issue, which he picked up in their URC loss against Leinster on 3 January.
Ireland are due to begin their Guinness Six Nations campaign away to France in just over three weeks on Thursday, 5 February, and while Bealham appears to be on track to be fit for that game in Paris, it's another front row issue for head coach Andy Farrell to deal with ahead of their training camp to Portugal later this month.
Farrell is already dealing with injuries to Leinster looseheads Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy, while third choice Jack Boyle is himself on the recovery from a shoulder injury.
While normally a tighthead, 54-cap Bealham (below) has covered loosehead for Connacht and Ireland in the past, and could be an experienced option for Farrell to lean into on the left side of the scrum should Porter and McCarthy’s injuries keep them out of the trips to Stade de France and Allianz Stadium Twickenham.
At the very least, Bealham looks set to miss Connacht’s final EPCR Challenge Cup meeting with Montauban this weekend, as well as the visit of Leinster to Dexcom Stadium on Saturday 24 January, which will mark the opening of the province’s new Clan Stand.
Stuart Lancaster’s side will also be without Josh Ioane for this weekend’s Challenge Cup game with the out-half following return to play protocols for concussion.
The province have also confirmed Hugh Gavin and Shayne Bolton will be sidelined until after the Six Nations.
Gavin has had surgery on a shoulder injury which will rule him out for three months, while powerful wing Bolton is out until April due to the quad injury he picked up in December's defeat to Dragons.
In better news, Lancaster can call on five players returning from injury for this Saturday’s visit of the French side, where Connacht will hope to end a run of four successive defeats.
Jack Aungier (elbow), Jack Carty (ribs), Matthew Devine (head), Dave Heffernan (calf), and Sean Naughton (ankle) are all available for selection.
Meanwhile, Leinster's BKT United Rugby Championship clash against Scarlets has been rescheduled for Friday, 27 March 2026 at Aviva Stadium.
The fixture against the Welsh outfit had been due to take place on Saturday, 28 March at 5.30pm but it will now move a day earlier and to a later kick-off time of 7.45pm.
"Leinster Rugby extends its sincere gratitude to the URC for their flexibility and approval, the Aviva Stadium Board for their accommodation, Scarlets Rugby for their cooperation in accommodating this change, and both the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) for their support in facilitating this rearrangement," the province said.
"Information regarding existing tickets for the original fixture date, along with details on how to purchase tickets for the rescheduled match, will be communicated directly to season ticket holders and the wider public via Leinster Rugby's official channels in the coming days. We appreciate their patience and understanding."
