Irish title charge hits roadblock with Caelan Doris one of three out

Ireland captain Caelan Doris has been ruled out of their Guinness Six Nations round three contest against Wales on Saturday with a knee issue.

The No.8 was flagged as a concern heading into this week, and Ireland confirmed on Tuesday that he will be unavailable for the trip to Cardiff.

He will be joined on the sidelines by hooker Ronan Kelleher and tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong.

Kelleher, who has started both of Ireland’s contests alongside Doris, will miss the match with a neck complaint, while Furlong is still battling a calf issue that has dogged him this season.

Fixture

Six Nations

Wales

18 - 27

Full-time

Ireland

All Stats and Data

Utility forwards Iain Henderson and Cormac Izuchuku have already been ruled out of the match, but Simon Easterby has been boosted by the returns of Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy to training this week.

A hamstring injury forced Hansen to withdraw from the squad that triumphed over Scotland in round two, while the lock has not featured yet this Championship due to a head knock.

Ireland remain the only unbeaten team left in the Championship and are on course to secure a historic third title in a row.

They will take on a Wales side that are still yet to win a Test since the 2023 World Cup and have seen a seismic change since round two, with head coach Warren Gatland leaving his role and Cardiff boss Matt Sherratt forming a new-look coaching set-up for the final three matches of the tournament.

Following their visit to the Welsh capital, Ireland will host France in round four which not only promises to be the deciding match in this year’s tournament but could well be one of the Test matches of 2025.

Les Bleus will be looking to bounce back this weekend from a narrow loss to England at Twickenham’s Allianz Stadium when they face Italy in Rome.