So many missing: can you even name those absent from the Six Nations in Ireland?
At this point it becomes a quiz question rather than a team update.
Ireland’s Six Nations preparations have been derailed by injuries, with absentees piling up across all lines of the team. It’s not a problem, it’s everywhere. Backfield, midfield, front row, engine room. Pick a position and Ireland are light.
Start with the bottom three, where the list alone tells the story. Hugo Keenan is absent. Mack Hansen is out. Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Shayne Bolton and Jordan Larmour are also unavailable. He’s Ireland’s most reliable organizer at full-back, their most creative winger and almost all the versatility Farrell relies on when games get underway. Experience, air safety and the threat of counterattack have disappeared.
The situation in midfield is equally detrimental. Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw are both sidelined. Together they were the heart of the Irish defense and the launching pad for much of the attack. Remove both, and Ireland aren’t just replacing players – they’re replacing an entire system built around power, confidence and defensive reads.
From the start, concerns grew. At loose props, Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle are all missing. Porter’s absence is huge. He sets the tone physically, plays big minutes and anchors the scrum. Against France, losing this security is not an easy task.
In the bottom five of the peloton, Ryan Baird and Tom Ahern are also absent. It’s the athleticism, lineup flexibility and dynamism taken out of the engine room – exactly the attributes needed to live with France’s power play.
Even the betting markets have lost confidence. Just last week, Ireland was +5 for this match. On Monday, this figure had fallen to +9. It now extends to +13. An eight-point change in a few days doesn’t happen based on sentiment. It reflects increasing injuries, disrupted preparation and a growing belief that Ireland will struggle to cope with France’s physicality and depth in Paris.
And even today, the list may not be complete. Tadhg Furlong, Robert Baloucoune and Jamie Osborne remain doubtful. One of those missing would be a big blow. More than one, and the margin for error shrinks even further.
This is not about panic, but about reality. Ireland are lacking players in all critical areas of the pitch. Depth will be tested, combinations will be rushed and young players will need to learn quickly in one of the toughest environments in world rugby.
Paris does not wait. France will not let up its pressure. And when the list of absentees is this long, the Six Nations stops being about momentum and starts being about survival.
Ireland Six Nations Absentees and doubts
Back three
- Hugo Keenan
- Mack Hansen
- Calvin Nash
- Jimmy O’Brien
- Shayne Bolton
- Jordan Larmour
midfielder
- Bundee Aki
- Robbie Henshaw
Free head accessory
- Andrew Porter
- Paddy McCarthy
- Jack Boyle
Return five of the pack
- Ryan Baird
- Tom Ahern
Major doubts
- Tadhg Furlong
- Robert Baloucoune
- Jamie Osborne
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