British and Irish Lions injury woes continue as ANOTHER Ireland star suffers untimely setback
Mack Hansen in action for Connacht in 2024/25
British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell faces yet another injury headache ahead of his squad selection on Thursday, with Ireland star Mack Hansen ruled out for five weeks.
Hansen is the latest Irishman to suffer an injury setback on the eve of the squad selection, with Caelan Doris also picking up a knock in Leinster’s defeat to Northampton Saints.
Mack Hansen suffers injury setback on eve of Lions squad announcement
The winger, who has been a mainstay for Farrell during his tenure as Ireland boss, is suffering from an ankle injury, and his club side Connacht have confirmed he will spend the next five weeks on the sidelines.
That also rules him out for the rest of Connacht’s season, with the Irish province all but out of play-off contention this season.
Jacques Nienaber hopes his ‘gut feeling’ about Caelan Doris’ injury is wrong
Hansen isn’t the only Connacht player on the sidelines, with Colm Reilly, Shane Jennings, Byron Ralston and Josh Ioane also out for the rest of the season through injury.
The Australian-native is one of several wingers in the mix for the Lions this summer. Northampton’s Tommy Freeman looks almost certain to go on tour after his performance in the Champions Cup semi-final win over Leinster last weekend, but around that, James Lowe, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe will be hoping to hear their name read out on Thursday at the O2 arena in London.
Elsewhere, the club have confirmed fellow British and Irish Lions hopeful Bundee Aki is back up and running again after overcoming a heel injury, which will be welcome news for Farrell with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones both injury doubts in midfield. The powerhouse centre missed their recent tour of South Africa.
Caolin Blade and Denis Buckley are also available after missing the trip to the Southern Hemisphere, and Sean O’Brien is also back fit after a long-term hamstring injury.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Caelan Doris’ injury throws Willis into British and Irish Lions selection frame
