Caelan Doris and Rónan Kelleher ruled out of Wales clash

Ireland captain Caelan Doris has been ruled out of Saturday's Guinness Six Nations clash with Wales.

The skipper was considered a doubt after picking up a knee injury in the recent victory over Scotland, and it was confirmed today that he would not feature in Cardiff.

Jack Conan looks set to come into the pack in place of Doris as Ireland look to maintain their perfect start to this year's campaign.

Rónan Kelleher is also ruled out with a neck issue, while Tadhg Furlong will not be risked as he continues his return to full fitness.

It is hoped that all three will be available for the subsequent game with France on 8 March in Dublin.

"We're hoping they’ll be available for France. They’re just going through their processes that they do with the physios, but they’re all making good progress," said attack coach Andrew Goodman.

The loss of Doris means Ireland will have a new captain for the visit to the Principality Stadium and Goodman believes they are blessed for options.

"There’s some good leaders in the squad. The leadership group’s been growing well over the past couple of years and there’s a number of players who have captained their provinces, so we have some good options there," he said.

Follow a live blog on Wales v Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday from 2.15pm on rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app. Listen to live commentary with Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.