Ireland star Sam Monaghan is racing against time to be fit for next year’s Women’s Six Nations, with coach Scott Bemand confirming the second-row player is recovering from a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament.

Monaghan was injured during the Gloucester-Hartpury Women’s Rugby Premiership Final victory over Bristol in June and the Ireland co-captain will miss the upcoming WXV1 tournament in Vancouver.

However, the question remains whether Monaghan will return to next year’s championship, which starts at the end of March, as a resurgent Ireland look to improve on last season’s third-place finish.

“Unfortunately, it is a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament,” Bemand confirmed yesterday.

“Will he miss the Six Nations? It will depend on how long the rehabilitation takes and how the process goes.

‘It’s more of a step-by-step process than time. It’s not certain yet, but we’ll see how the next few months go.

“Injuries happen, that’s the nature of our sport, but it gives someone the chance to step into that space, develop and own it. We all said we needed a very competitive 45-year-old before the World Cup.

“While it’s not a great situation for us or Sam, it’s another opportunity to strengthen the squad so that when we get to the World Cup we have three players in every position.” Bemand is currently preparing his squad for the Test match against Australia in Belfast on September 14, before the national team travels to Canada for matches against New Zealand, Canada and the USA.

The Ireland manager is facing a number of key players without injury concerns, with Béibhinn Parsons, Aoibheann Reilly, Katie Corrigan, Natasja Behan and Sadhbh McGrath all sidelined.

However, Bemand has been boosted by the return of several Olympic seven-pin stars such as Stacey Flood and Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe.