Ireland hit with dreadful injury news ahead of Six Nations

There has been an injury update from Connacht and, as has so often been the case this season, it is not good.

2016 was such an impressive year for Ultan Dillane. He stepped up from smashing his way onto the scene with Connacht to make his Ireland debut against England, at Twickenham, and look like he was born for the good stuff. He carried on with huge, charging impacts against Italy and Scotland before helping Ireland to wins over South Africa, New Zealand and Australia. He got his only start of his eight Test appearances and claimed the man-of-the-match accolade in a 52-21 win over Canada. Dillane looked primed for an even better 2017 and there have even been murmurings of him making the Lions Tour to New Zealand off the back of a strong Six Nations. All that may have to wait, however, as the lock has damaged ankle ligaments. Pat Lam told reporters at The Sportsground, this afternoon, that Dillane will see a specialist about is injured ankle. The initial estimate is that Dillane will be out for five or six weeks but undergoing surgery may push that back another week. It looks highly unlikely, then, that the 23-year-old will feature in Ireland's Six Nations openers against Scotland and Italy next month. Connacht are also likely to be without Nepia Fox-Matamua, John Muldoon and Jack Carty for this weekend's Guinness PRO12 game against Ospreys. When it rains out west, it very often pours.