Dan Sheehan suffers suspected ACL tear and Craig Casey out of second Test as Andy Farrell counts cost of opener

The hooker suffered the injury in the 28th minute while tackling Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth, playing on until half-time and setting up a try for debutant Jamie Osborne while hurt.

It’s a devastating blow for the Leinster man who will be desperate to get back on the pitch in time to earn a spot on the Lions tour next summer. As well as Sheehan, who said his goodbyes to the squad yesterday, Andy Farrell will be without Craig Casey for the second Test after he suffered a concussion in the second half.

Ireland are understood to be unhappy with the lack of punishment for Casey’s former Munster team-mate RG Snyman for his role in the injury, with the powerful lock coming from an offside position, playing his arm before following through after the ball to rag-doll the scrum-half whose head hit the ground with force.

He was treated on the field by the Irish medics before being removed, and when play resumed South Africa restarted with a scrum rather than an Irish penalty.

They forced a penalty and Handre Pollard’s kick led to Cheslin Kolbe’s key try.

The decision of the TMO Ben Whitehouse not to intervene was even more frustrating for Ireland given he had stepped in to rule out James Lowe’s try for a technical offence minutes earlier.

A frustrated Farrell stopped short of directly criticising the officials and now he must deal with a worrying injury list.

The IRFU decided not to issue an injury update as they left Johannesburg for Durban yesterday, but they are expected to confirm the injury today.

However, it is understood that as well as the absence of Sheehan and Casey, Ireland are sweating on Robbie Henshaw, who is following the return-to-play protocols after a 15th-minute head injury that forced him off at half-time, Andrew Porter, who needed treatment on a hand wound, as well as Osborne, who picked up a groin injury.

The debutant later insisted he’d be OK, but Farrell also has concerns over Lowe and Bundee Aki who picked up knocks in an incredibly physical game. The Springboks came through unscathed.

Farrell travelled with a 35-man squad and won’t necessarily need to call anyone up ahead of the second Test. And he believes he can get one last push out of his squad at the end of a long season.

“The obvious one is we never go away,” he said when asked what pleased him about Saturday’s game. “There’s fight there, we always give ourselves a little bit of hope and, with a little bit of luck, it could have been a little bit closer.

“You don’t always win a game even when you play the best, but certainly a few things went against us and that’s just life. We can certainly play better than that and I’ve no doubt South Africa would, no doubt, 100 per cent say the same.

“We roll on to next week and if we can be honest with each other then we’ll attack this in the manner it deserves.”

He expects the players to be ready for a final performance.

“First and foremost, [they need to] make sure they turn up for work in the right manner. Make sure they’re not feeling sorry for themselves, so that they’re open enough to be honest, learn the lessons and put them right,” he said. “Attack the week and enjoy it. It’s our last week of the season, they should be buzzing for that.

“You only get to that point if you’re able to be honest and straight with each other and there’s a few things we need to get off our chests at the beginning of the week and then get on together.”

Captain Peter O’Mahony called for a big performance.

“We’re not going to be roaring and shouting – there’s stuff to be sorted out,” he said. “It’s an honest group. We’ve a Test match in seven days’ time, to go and do something special at the end of our season. A big response is needed, 100 per cent.”