Harry Byrne dealt injury setback ahead of Six Nations

Harry Byrne's hopes of earning an Ireland recall have taken a blow, with the out-half ruled out of Saturday's Investec Champions Cup Pool 4 meeting with Stade Francais (live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player) due to an ankle injury.

The 24-year-old would have been hoping to catch the eye of Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, who is due to name his squad for the opening rounds of the Six Nations next Wednesday.

With Johnny Sexton retired, and the older Byrne brother Ross currently injured with an arm issue, Harry is among a host of Irish out-halves looking to join Jack Crowley in the Six Nations squad.

Ross' injury presented an opportunity for Harry to get an extended run in the team, but a concussion suffered in the first half of the win against La Rochelle has been followed up by an ankle issue this week, limiting him to just 139 minutes across that period of games.

"He got injured unfortunately in the week, hopefully it's minor enough," Leinster coach Leo Cullen said, after naming a strong starting XV for the meeting with Stade Francais.

Byrne's absence gives Ciarán Frawley another opportunity to audition for the number 10 shirt, while a strong showing from Sam Prendergast could thrust the 20-year-old into contention for a place in Farrell's squad.

"He [Byrne] rolled his ankle, but wasn't in the frame for selection. He's unfortunate, he would likely have been involved."

In better news for both Cullen and Farrell, James Lowe and Tadhg Furlong will make timely returns to action on Saturday.

Lowe will make his first appearance since the World Cup, having been given extra time off to return home to New Zealand before a minor injury delayed his comeback. Furlong is in line for his first appearance since early December, having been stood down