SCHMIDT WOE

McGrath out of Six Nations as injuries pile up

JOE SCHMIDT is facing an injury crisis at scrum-half after Luke McGrath was ruled out of the Six Nations yesterday.

McGrath suffered a knee ligament injury in Leinster’s 29-13 win over Toulouse last Saturday and the Blues No9 is set for eight weeks on the sidelines.

Ireland head coach Schmidt will name an extended squad of around 40 players today ahead of the championship, and Conor Murray is currently the only frontline scrum-half who is fully fit.

Connacht’s Kieran Marmion has been out of action since November with an ankle issue while John Cooney suffered a back spasm prior to Ulster’s clash with Racing 92 in Belfast.

Uncapped Connacht scrum-half Caolin Blade is set to be named in today’s Six Nations squad as Schmidt looks to find some cover at half-back.

Ulster loosehead Eric O’Sullivan and Connacht centre Tom Farrell are also in the frame for call-ups while Munster midfielder Chris Farrell is set for a recall after missing the autumn

internationals with a knee injury. Johnny Sexton’s fitness remains a worry ahead of Ireland’s meeting with England on the opening weekend of the tournament on February 2. The Leinster captain has not featured since he sustained a knee tendon injury during his side’s loss to Munster at Thomond Park on December 29. Sexton has been ruled out of Sunday’s European Champions Cup tie at Wasps with Ross Byrne once again set to deputise at No10. ‘Johnny has been rehabbing a tendon in his knee and the week’s not long enough, he just ran out of time,’ said Leinster assistant coach John Fogarty. ‘We’ve made the decision, so Ross is there to cover. For Johnny, I don’t see it being a huge issue for him going forward.’ Rob Kearney and Dan Leavy are being monitored and could feature this weekend. There was better news on the injury front for Devin Toner, Robbie Henshaw and Sean O’Brien with all three returning to full contact training this week. Toner missed the Toulouse victory with an ankle issue while Henshaw (hamstring) and O’Brien (arm) have been out of action since sustaining injuries during the November Test series.