Ireland's hopes of catching France in the Six Nations title race have been dealt a heavy blow with the loss of Andrew Porter for the remainder of the championship.
Porter suffered an ankle injury in the first half of the nine-try victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium last Sunday, and the IRFU have confirmed this morning that the Leinster prop has been ruled out of the remaining games against England and Scotland.
Following a scan the 26-year-old has returned to Leinster to recover, but it is not known how long he will be sidelined for.
Porter's switch back to loosehead from tighthead last summer, the position where he began his career, was an instant success and, in tandem with the emergence of his provincial colleague Rónan Kelleher at hooker, had helped the Irish front row to become a dynamic force.
But now Andy Farrell must plan without two-thirds of his first choice front row with Porter and Kelleher absent for the Twickenham clash with England on Saturday week, followed by the final round home encounter with Scotland seven days later.
Kelleher was ruled out after suffering a shoulder injury in the loss to France last month.
Veterans Cian Healy and Dave Kilcoyne will compete for the starting slot at Twickenham. Both have seen game time in this championship, with Kilcoyne getting the nod for the bench role last weekend.
Farrell has not called anyone into the squad as back-up following Porter's injury.
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