THE ROAR OF pain from James Ryan was audible over the ref mic as two players landed down on top of his right arm.
There were 13 minutes left to go and as the Ireland lock received extended attention from two of Ireland’s medics at the next break in play, referee Nic Berry eventually asked them, “What would you like to do?”
Ireland had already emptied their bench and Ryan, despite clearly being in a great deal of pain, seemingly decided to play on.
“We’ll strap his wrist,” said one of the Irish medics to Berry. Having been patched up, Ryan jogged back into action and managed to force a turnover from Finn Russell in the next passage of play.
The Ireland lock was visibly struggling for the remainder of the game but he continued to thunder into contact, wincing on most occasions. As the final whistle blew, Ryan untied his scrum cap and threw it to the ground.
Several of his team-mates checked on him and asked about his injury in the minutes that followed and though there were scenes of celebration all around him as Ireland’s fans filled Stade de France with song, Ryan cut a dejected figure.
Clearly, this new wrist/hand issue is a big concern for him and Ireland. The Leinster man picked up a knock on his other arm in the game against South Africa two weekends ago but had recovered from that issue.
While Andy Farrell decided to go with Iain Henderson in place of Ryan in the starting XV against Scotland last night, with Ryan dropped to the bench, he still had an important role to play.
His energy was evident as soon as Farrell sent him on with just over half an hour left in Paris. Ryan nearly knocked a cameraman over in his haste to get onto the pitch.
There was venom in his contact work and it was obvious how big a plus it was for Ireland to have a lock of Ryan’s quality in reserve. But then Scott Cummings and Josh van der Flier came down on top of Ryan’s right arm in the 67th minute and he had to battle to finish the game.
The update from Ireland camp earlier today was that there was no update but clearly Ryan is just one of the injury worries.
If he is to be ruled out of next weekend’s World Cup quarter-final against the All Blacks or potentially even longer, there are two other lock options in the wider Ireland squad who could slot into the number 19 jersey.
Ryan Baird had a strong end to the Six Nations earlier this year, starting the Grand Slam-clinching game against England in the second row, but he has been used as a blindside flanker so far this season.
22-year-old Joe McCarthy is a different kind of second row to Baird, more of a classic tighthead lock, and Ireland are big fans of his dynamic qualities. He had an excellent game against Romania in Ireland’s World Cup opener.
It would be a major elevation for McCarthy to come into the matchday 23 for a World Cup quarter-final, of course, and Baird has been in far more high-stakes situations, often doing well for Ireland.
Meanwhile, there are obvious concerns for Ireland on the wings after Mack Hansen and James Lowe were both replaced in the Scotland game.
Lowe took a finger to the eye from team-mate Tadhg Beirne while making a tackle in the 24th minute and was in great pain at the time. He managed to play on until half-time but with his eye swelling, he was struggling with vision by that stage.
Already 26-0 up, Ireland weren’t taking any risks and replaced him. Farrell reported post-game that Lowe’s vision was already returning by the final whistle, which was certainly promising news.
Hansen, meanwhile, passed a Head Injury Assessment but then felt a twinge in his calf almost immediately after returning to the field and was replaced without delay. It appeared that Hansen was keen to continue playing but Ireland already led 19-0 and opted to call him ashore.
Ireland fans will hope it was a precautionary measure but any soft-tissue issue the week of a World Cup quarter-final is unwelcome. Hansen will also have to come through the post-game HIAs that are part of that process.
Adding to the issue is the fact that wing Keith Earls was not available for selection for the Scotland game due to a hamstring strain. He was due to run today as Ireland’s medical team assessed his progress, but it’s obviously far from ideal.
Robbie Henshaw is in the same boat in that he’s dealing with a hamstring injury, although his sounded more serious when Farrell said on Thursday that the centre could be out for at least a couple of weeks.
So there are quite a number of injury issues for Ireland, who have managed this kind of stuff very well under Farrell.
It’s worth remembering that they had what was just short of an injury crisis during their Grand Slam campaign and had a genuine in-game crisis in their win over Scotland in March, but took it all in their stride.
Last night, Garry Ringrose and Jamison Gibson-Park slotted in on the wings comfortably, although New Zealand will offer a far sterner test of Ireland’s wide men next weekend.
Farrell will be very hopeful that at least one of Lowe and Hansen will be good to go, which would greatly alleviate any drama in this regard. Given the sheer importance of this game against the Kiwis, every player will be doing everything in their power to be involved.
The versatile Jimmy O’Brien, who can play on both wings, as well as fullback and outside centre, has yet to play in this World Cup but would obviously love an opportunity. He did well when sprung into the mix last November, even if this is a different stage.
Ringrose would also be an option to start on the wing, meaning Stuart McCloskey – who was excellent off the bench last night – and Bundee Aki could pair up in midfield, while Gibson-Park could clearly plug the hole again if required.
If anyone is to be ruled out for the coming weeks, Ireland can obviously replace them in their World Cup squad. Loosehead prop Cian Healy is back available but Ireland might need an outside back.
Ulster wing Jacob Stockdale, Leinster centre/wing/fullback Jamie Osborne, Munster wing Calvin Nash, and Leinster out-half/centre/fullback Ciarán Frawley were all part of the wider World Cup pre-season squad over the summer before being released.
Still, Farrell will be hopeful that a couple of the walking wounded start to break back into a sprint in the coming days ahead of the biggest match of his era in charge.
While it would be cruel if Ryan or anyone else missed out due to the bad luck of injury, Farrell has consistently pointed out that this World Cup road would have many bumps in it. Ireland now have to manage them with poise.
- This article was updated at 7.21am on 9 October to correct a typo in the second last paragraph.
