Ireland have been dealt a major setback ahead of their Six Nations opener against Wales with the news that Tadhg Furlong is out with a calf issue.

On the latest Left Wing podcast, Sinéad Kissane is joined by the Irish Independent’s Rúaidhrí O’Connor who is with the Ireland team training base in Portugal.

Rúaidhrí says there was no indication that Furlong would be missing out but says Andy Farrell and the Irish squad are still bullish about their chances with Connacht’s Finlay Bealham coming in.


The Ireland team vs Wales is: H Keenan, M Hansen, G Ringrose, S McCloskey, J Lowe, J Sexton (C), J Gibson-Park, A Porter, D Sheehan, F Bealham, T Beirne, J Ryan, P O'Mahony, J van der Flier, C Doris.
Replacements: R Herring, C Healy, T O'Toole, I Henderson, J Conan, C Murray, R Byrne, B Aki.

Join us again on Friday for the view from Wales on their chances against Ireland, whilst on Saturday, just after the final whistle, catch up with Sinéad, Cian and Rúaidhrí for their post-match analysis.

If you want to get in touch with the show, email your questions and comments to theleftwing@independent.ie, or on Twitter @SlatteryWill @lukefitz11 @RuaidhriOC @CianTracey1 and @SinéadKissane.

The biggest stories in Irish rugby with our team of writers and experts, including Rúaidhrí O'Connor, Cian Tracey, Will Slattery, Sineád Kissane and Luke Fitzgerald. From breaking news to in-depth analysis, expert opinion and post-match comment we have every position covered.

From in-depth analysis to team news and post-match analysis we have every position covered.

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