Ireland are set to defend their Six Nations crown without two of their biggest weapons, with Mac Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien both sidelined. The news will be a huge setback for coach Andy Farrell as he prepares for his first Six Nations match against France.
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Connacht have announced that Hansen will undergo surgery on a dislocated shoulder suffered during his side’s win over Munster in the URC on New Year’s Day, which will keep the talented winger out for at least three to four months.
It’s a shame for us to lose Mack for such a period of time, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins told RTE Sport. Obviously, this will have consequences for the Irish campaign in the Six Nations and, above all, for Mack.
He started to find form and rhythm, although he was a bit stop-start after the World Cup. In that sense, everyone loses and the fans will also miss him playing, so we have to fill that gap and other players get a chance to shine.
Maintaining Spirits Amidst Adversity: Hansen’s Sense of Humor
He hasn’t lost his sense of humor, luckily, he was with us at the end of last week and walked around the place a lot, albeit in a sling. Today he went for surgery. We talked a lot with him. It’s about trying to keep his spirits up. The main thing is to finish this operation and these first couple of days, and you can begin your rehabilitation campaign.
“He’s had a shoulder injury before, a similar injury when he was with the Brumbies in Australia, so while it’s unfortunate that it happened twice, at the same time he’s familiar with the surgical process, familiar with the rehab and that length of time.”
Although Hansen was a significant loss for Andy Farrell’s campaign, the emergency department has expanded since Leinster reported that O’Brien had suffered a neck injury and would be unavailable for several months.
The pair join Dave Kilcoyne, who will miss the Six Nations for six months with a shoulder injury. Farrell will have to reconsider many of his starting XI options as the Republic of Ireland set to begin their campaign against France in Marseille on February 2.
Ireland suffer massive Six Nations blow
Hansen was due to undergo surgery on Monday after dislocating his shoulder during the Connacht Rugby Championship match against Munster. The Irish club confirmed the news on their official website, stating: Mac Hansen will undergo surgery today on a dislocated shoulder. It is expected to be unavailable for three to four months.
Reigning Six Nations champions Ireland begin their campaign against France in Marseille on February 2, with their final game being a Dublin meeting with Scotland six weeks later. Hansen, 25, has quickly emerged as a key player for Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, scoring nine tries in 21 Tests since making his debut in February 2022. He will also miss Connacht’s final two European Cup pool games against Lyon and Bristol Bears.
England players split with RPA for independence
England hooker Jamie George insists the team’s split from the Rugby Players’ Association in favor of their own contracts with Twickenham chiefs was simply a matter of independence.
Saracen No.2 George is one of five England Rugby Ltd player-directors, along with fellow internationals Ellis Genge, Maro Itoje, Joe Marler and Anthony Watson, who will now face contractual and commercial negotiations with the Rugby Football Union. This comes after the vast majority of players voted not to renew the RPA agreement. You can also read Six Nations – England confirm that Felix Jones is their new defense coach.
RPA split
What exactly this new England team looks like and the reasons why and how it came about will soon become abundantly clear, George told City A.M. The most important thing we want to emphasize is that this is not a complete separation from the RPA. We’re not saying we’re moving away from the RPA completely; we’ll still encourage people to become members of the RPA, we’ll still encourage people to use the RPA because what they do in the welfare space is second to none.
“Independence was an important thing for us. The emphasis is that it is not us who say that we are poorly paid, this has nothing to do with finances, to be completely honest. The main reason for this has to do with the day-to-day execution of England’s contracts and what that looks like. I’m in no way saying that the contracts we’ve been given in the past aren’t good enough, because that’s not what we’re talking about.”
It follows a dispute between players and English rugby’s governing body over third-place play-off pay at last year’s Rugby World Cup, which the RFU reportedly tried to deny players. England will return to international action next month with the return of the Six Nations.
Day-to-day management
“We’re talking about day-to-day management and the players who are at the forefront of the decision-making in the game,” added George, who was this week named ambassador for financial services company Funding Circle.
I haven’t spoken to other people [from other sports], but I know it was the same in cricket. When we spoke, this was the generally accepted reasonable decision. I think it was pretty unanimous throughout the team. We are full of hope. We’ve already set ourselves a challenge, we’ve decided to make some decisions, we need to make sure we put all our words into action.
“A lot of people have come forward and said it’s great that we’re going out and doing our thing, and I think they see it as a positive step. They also offered any advice or help they could provide which is fantastic and we will be leaning on these people in the future.”
O’Brien to miss Six Nations 2024 like Mack Hansen
Ireland and Leinster international Jimmy O’Brien has been ruled out of the 2024 Six Nations, dealing another blow to Ireland head coach Andy Farrell’s plans to retain his crown in 2023. The news was confirmed on the Leinster website today. Jimmy O’Brien suffered a neck injury and will be unavailable for several months, the province said.
The Kildare native has played eight times for his country and expected to become a more important member of the Ireland squad in 2024.
However, O’Brien’s last game was in the Investec Champions Cup victory over Sale on 16 December. It comes hours after Ireland and Connacht star Mac Hansen also ruled out of the spring tournament. The Ireland star dislocated his shoulder against Munster. He will have surgery today.
The news confirm on the Connacht website, which said Hansen is expect to unavailable for 3-4 months. Hansen, 25, has won 21 caps for Ireland since his debut. The rugby player scored three tries in Ireland’s five games in the Six Nations last year as Ireland won their first home Grand Slam.
Injury Blow to Ireland’s Six Nations Prospects: Mack’s Unfortunate Setback
Jacob Stockdale, Jordan Larmour, Calvin Nash and Robert Balukun are among those who could now enter Six Nations contention. Speaking about his star’s injury, Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins said it was a shame to lose Mack for such a period of time. Obviously, this will have an impact on Ireland’s Six Nations campaign and, above all, Mack’s disappointment. He was starting to find some form and rhythm as he had been slowing down a bit since the World Cup.
The 2024 Six Nations Championship is due to begin on Friday 2 February. Andy Farrell’s Ireland will travel to France to face Les Blais. This game will start at 8 pm. Irish time. Details about the venue are still unknown as the Stade de France is unavailable due to preparations for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Ireland will then play consecutive home matches at the Aviva Stadium in the second and third rounds. Italy visit Dublin on Sunday, February 11th, kick-off at 3pm, followed by a meeting with Wales on Saturday, February 24th, kick-off at 2:15pm.
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