Ireland's preparations for their final two Six Nations games have taken a blow this weekend, with confirmation that both Andrew Trimble and Ultan Dillane have both been ruled out through injury.
After recovering from a separate injury which kept him out of Ireland's first two game against Scotland and Italy, Trimble returned off the bench in the win against France last week.
However the winger suffered a broken bone in his hand in Ulster's Guinness Pro 12 win against Treviso on Friday night, ruling him out of the upcoming trip to Cardiff, as well as the finale against England at the Aviva Stadium.
Trimble's place in the squad is now taken by his Ulster teammate Tommy Bowe.
Ultan Dillane is also going to miss the rest of the tournament. The Connacht second row earned a recall to the squad on Thursday, having been dropped for the win against France.
However an ongoing shoulder problem means he's now set for surgery. And it could prove costly for his province, with a timeline of between 8 and 10 weeks set on his recovery.
