Ireland have been dealt a blow ahead of the final two rounds of the Six Nations, with news that Andrew Trimble and Ultan Dillane are to miss the rest of the tournament.
In a a statement released by the IRFU on Sunday afternoon, they confirmed the Ulster winger and Connacht second-row will miss the potential title run-in.
"Andrew Trimble sustained a hand injury against Benetton Treviso at the Kingspan Stadium on Friday night and has been ruled out of the final two rounds of the RBS 6 Nations Championship."
.@andrew_trimble & @Ultan_Dillane to miss rest of @SixNationsRugby #TeamOfUs https://t.co/HnyiooT4mp pic.twitter.com/xKc2nHpgzV
— Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) March 5, 2017
"Ultan Dillane will undergo surgery this week for an ongoing shoulder issue. He will be ruled out of action for eight to ten weeks."
Trimble only returned to the Ireland team for the win over France last weekend after missing the first two rounds of the tournament with a groin injury.
Dillane played in the opening two rounds of the competition against Scotland and Italy, but he missed the win over France.
After naming the squad earlier this week for the final two rounds, the IRFU have confirmed that Tommy Bowe has been added to the squad, after he returned to Ulster last month. The Monaghan star came off the bench in Ireland's loss to Scotland on the opening weekend.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.