Overview
- Head coach Andy Farrell drafted the uncapped Connacht prop to replace Jack Boyle, who suffered a lower-leg injury and is expected to be sidelined for a while.
- Boyle had been in line to start against France on 5 February with Andrew Porter and Paddy McCarthy already unavailable.
- Munster’s Jeremy Loughman and Michael Milne are now the leading candidates for loosehead selection for Paris.
- Munster lock Tom Ahern was withdrawn with a neck issue and Ulster’s Cormac Izuchukwu was added in his place.
- The squad gathered in Dublin before a warm‑weather camp in Portugal, several players remain under assessment, and France have called up Joshua Brennan after Thibaud Flament’s injury.