Ireland have suffered a significant blow ahead of the Six Nations, with versatile back Luke Fitzgerald ruled out with a knee ligament injury.

Fitzgerald suffered the injury in training and is set to be out of action for six to eight weeks.

'He was just doing a tackling drill at the Aviva [Stadium] on Friday, his foot got caught in the grass. It was fairly innocuous, but very unfortunate, and he's very unlucky to be out of the Six Nations,' Ireland's team manager Mick Kearney said.

Ireland kick off their Six Nations campaign against Wales on 7 February.

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