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Rugby

10th Feb 2018

Joe Schmidt gives positive Tadhg Furlong update, but Robbie Henshaw is another story

Ben Kiely

Robbie Henshaw

When Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Furlong went off, Irish concerns grew.

Ireland scored a dominant 56-19 win over Italy in the second round of the Six Nations on Saturday. However, the injuries suffered by Tadhg Furlong and Robbie Henshaw took the shine off a solid victory.

Three minutes in, Tadhg Furlong’s game was over. The Leinster prop hobbled off with a hamstring injury and was replaced by Andrew Porter. He remained on the bench receiving treatment leaving the Irish fans concerned. Ronan O’Gara’s halftime comments summed up the mood of the nation.

“The injury to Tadhg Furlong, with Twickenham, with England in mind, I don’t think we needed that.”

Henshaw lasted a little longer. Just after halftime, he powered home for his second try of the game. However, an awkward landing resulted in a nasty-looking shoulder injury.

The stretcher came out, but it wasn’t required. He received Oxygen and went off the field with his arm in a sling. The crowd in the Aviva Stadium gave him a standing ovation as he made his exit.

According to Schmidt, Furlong is ‘ok’. However, we’ll have to wait and see about the fate of Henshaw.

“It’s probably come at a bit of a cost. Robbie’s shoulder is very sore. He’ll get a scan tomorrow.”

“Yeah, there’s always a chance (he misses the rest of the tournament) because he’s in a degree of discomfort. Until he gets the scan, we won’t be able to make any assessment.”