Ireland boosted by return of Porter, Baird and Hansen for Nations Championship

The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away. Although the absence of the captain Caelan Doris has been compounded by the injury sustained by Jack Conan last Saturday, Ireland will welcome back a trio of frontline players for the first time in almost a year – Andrew Porter, Ryan Baird and Mack Hansen – when Andy Farrell names his squad for the Nations Championship on Wednesday afternoon.

The three last played for Ireland in the final game of last year’s November series against South Africa. In that game at the Aviva Stadium, Hansen suffered a foot injury that required surgery in December, ruling him out for the rest of the season, Baird fractured his tibia, and did so again in Leinster’s Champions Cup quarter-final against Sale in April, while Porter was twice sidelined due to calf issues.