Ireland reeling from Bowe and Heaslip injury blows
Ireland are reeling from a double injury blow after Tommy Bowe and Jamie Heaslip were last night ruled out of the RBS 6 Nations opener against Italy.
The Ospreys winger and Leinster number eight are the latest names to be added to a lengthy list of players who will miss the trip to Rome on Saturday week.
Bowe is struggling with a knee problem while Heaslip is nursing an ankle injury and the race is now on for them to return against France on February 13.
It is a significant setback to head coach Declan Kidney, who must begin the tournament without two of his most consistent performers.
Heaslip was magnificent during the autumn series while Bowe has emerged as one of Ireland’s most effective strike runners.
“You never like to see guys injured – we know how much playing for Ireland means to those guys,” said Kidney.
“We’ve tried to build a squad over the last few years and this will be the test of that. I have a huge belief in the way Irish rugby comes from the grass roots up.
“Of course there won’t be as much video analysis on the new guys so that will be an advantage.”
Meanwhile, captain Brian O’Driscoll is confident Ireland can challenge for the Six Nations title if they play to their potential.
Ireland have been installed as third favourites to win the tournament with England manager Martin Johnson commenting they had “slipped under the radar”.
A mixed autumn has dented expectations of making an impact in the Six Nations but O’Driscoll insists they should not be written off.
“If you’re going on recent form I don’t know how much under the radar we’ve managed to slip,” he said.
“We had a reasonable November series – we won two and lost two. Plenty of other sides did better than us but we’re quietly confident that if we get our game together we’ll be in the hunt in some capacity.
“But I haven’t really thought about slipping under any radar or about any other side that has done likewise. We’re just plodding along like we always do, working hard.”
Ireland open their Six Nations against Italy on Saturday week and O’Driscoll admits trips to the Italian capital are welcomed by his team-mates.
“More often than not we’ve been fortunate to have good conditions in Italy,” he said. “The players thrive on the sun shining and there’s usually a freshness to playing in February or March.
“Players do enjoy it there – it’s a good atmosphere in the stadium. There are worse places to play rugby internationals than Rome.”
