There were doubts over Tadhg Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen heading into round two of the Six Nations championships and the Ireland camp has delivered definitive news on the qua

Back-to-back Six Nations champions Ireland defeated England 27-22 in Dublin last week and travel to face Scotland away in Round 2; Tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong and lock Joe McCarthy will both miss the game due to respective calf and head injuries,

That was followed by Scotland convincingly defeating Italy with a 31-19 scoreline thanks to heroics from Huw Jones. It was the same old story for England, as they gave up a half-time lead to succumb to a narrow 27-22 loss to Ireland.

Ireland interim boss Simon Easterby has warned his Six Nations title-chasers that Scotland are capable of unleashing a formidable attack against them this weekend. Ireland can step up their pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive Six Nations crown when they face Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.

AN EIGHT-DAY turnaround after a bonus-point win on the opening weekend of the Six Nations is just about the dream scenario. The extra day of recovery will help any Ireland player carrying the usual bumps and bruises that come with taking on a fired-up England team.