DURBAN, South Africa (AP) — Ireland ruled out hooker Dan Sheehan and scrumhalf Craig Casey from the second rugby test against South Africa this weekend after they were injured in the first.
Connacht's Dave Heffernan and Ulster's Nathan Doak replaced them and joined the squad in Durban on Monday.
On Saturday, Sheehan suffered a left knee injury making a tackle and was replaced at halftime of the 27-20 first-test loss to the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld.
The extent of the injury wasn't revealed by Irish officials but Irish media suspected it was a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, which would put him in doubt of playing in the 2025 Six Nations.
Ronan Kelleher would be expected to start the second test on Saturday at Kings Park Stadium with Rob Herring promoted to the reserves. Heffernan's seventh and last cap was in 2022 against New Zealand.
Casey was concussed in the second half when he was tackled and his head slammed into the ground. He was taken off on a stretcher.
Doak was uncapped but has been around the senior squad for 18 months. He'll give coach Andy Farrell an option beside Conor Murray, who finished the first test, and Connacht's Caolin Blade, who has two caps.
Ireland officials said there would be an update later in the week on other players injured in the test, including Robbie Henshaw, Jamie Osborne, Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Andrew Porter.
Six Nations champion Ireland already came south without Jamison Gibson-Park, Hugo Keenan, Iain Henderson, and Jack Conan.
___
AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby