Between then, Manchester United and Ireland have 26 senior players out of action.
There must be queues for the treatment tables at Carrington and Carton House following nothing but poor injury luck in recent months.
Two high-flying teams cut down and facing a season of failure due to the fickle nature of sport, and the brittle nature of bodies.
But who has it worse? We asked Rob Redmond and Pat McCarry to state their case, play their violins and ask for your vote.
Rob Redmond says Louis van Gaal and Manchester United
Both Manchester United and the Irish rugby team have a team of players missing. Joe Schmidt’s side have 15 players doubtful for the rest of the Six Nations’ campaign, and chances of retaining the championship look increasingly remote.
Whereas Louis van Gaal has 11 players missing, and the chances of salvaging anything positive from an already miserable season grows shorter by the game.
Just when you think United have recorded their worst result, or performance of the season, or that the team’s options can’t become any more limited, they lose to Danish minnows on their winter break, lose their best player to injury, in the form of David de Gea, and their captain Wayne Rooney.
While Ireland, after the disappointment of the Rugby World Cup, and the disastrous performance of the provinces in European action, are being denied the chance to build up some momentum in their first Six Nations campaign post-Paul O’Connell.
On the surface, both teams, and managers, are in the same position: a team of players are missing through injury, meaning their plans are being hampered, and their campaign aims are being significantly reduced.
However, the stakes are higher for United because, whereas the media coverage of, and fan reception to, Ireland’s Six Nations campaign will be understanding and relatively kind, Louis van Gaal and United will be pilloried.
The 2015/16 season for United will be remembered as one where Van Gaal’s team drove fans and spectators to near-insanity with perceived boring tactics.
Very few, if any, will reference the glut of injuries that robbed the team of Luke Shaw, who’d been United’s best player until his horror injury back in September. Or a rejuvenated Wayne Rooney, or, potentially, David de Gea.
United’s have being decimated in the full-back positions, even back-up and youth team players, such as Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, and Guillermo Varela, are currently unavailable to Van Gaal.
However, it’s not even the number of injuries, or to whom exactly has been injured, that makes United’s crisis worse than Ireland’s.
Joe Schmidt’s team will be given the benefit of the doubt. Few will reference his, at times, questionable tactical decisions, or expect more from a coach who is meant to be amongst the best in his profession.
Injuries were deemed an acceptable excuse following failure in the World Cup, and the same excuse will swallowed when Ireland’s Six Nation’s campaign ends.
Because of the different perceptions of the two teams, and the contrasting attitudes to their crises, United’s injury losses are worse.
There’s also the fact that there will be another Six Nations next year, Ireland have won the tournament twice in the last three years, and will get another shot at it in 2017.
Whereas United’s injuries have contributed to another mediocre campaign, that will have long-term repercussions if they miss out, as it seems likely, on a place in the Champions League.
The stakes are just higher for United.
Pat McCarry says Joe Schmidt and Ireland
In over a century of frantic, fervent competition, no country has ever won the Six (or Five or Home) Nations championship, outright, on three successive occasions.
History beckoned for Ireland in 2016 but a cruel run of injuries look set to deny them glory.
13 major injuries and another four players that may still miss the away date in Twickenham.
Looking at the matchday 23 for the France game, 14 would have expected to be selected had everyone been fit. That means 40% of the first-choice squad was missing.
Yes, Manchester United have been beset by injuries for most of the season but they have had two transfer windows to strengthen their squad and have not done so. If anything, Louis van Gaal has weakened his squad by selling proven stars.
Joe Schmidt, on the other hand, has limited resources he can call on.
The reserves on offer are ready and willing but are they able? Would Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, Jack Donoghue or Garry Ringrose – all in their early 20s – have delivered a famous away win in Paris? Highly unlikely.
Van Gaal’s starting XI against FC Midtjylland still cost over £155m. The Dane’s team cost less than £6m yet they ran rings around United.
Complain about injuries all you like, and LVG is, but his side should still have the quality to challenge for the Premier League’s top four and beat Danish minnows.
In rugby, the game is decided on split-second decisions and inches. Experience and streetsmarts are almost as good as points and Ireland have hemorrhaged leaders.
Had Ireland Peter O’Mahony or Sean O’Brien in Dublin, they could have beaten Wales. Had Ireland either Mike Ross or Marty Moore in Paris, they would have beaten France.
As France demonstrated, a strong bench can win you a game. Ireland were forced to call on Tadhg Furlong, Donnacha Ryan and Fergus McFadden. Had everybody been fit, none of those players would have been in Paris.
It is a 23-man game these days, such is the attrition rate. At this stage, Schmidt will be lucky to cobble together 23 fit Irishmen by the end of the summer.
Make no mistake either, the pressure is on Schmidt and it is on Ireland.
The players are desperate to make up for a poor World Cup, where injuries blighted them again. Their coach is having his playing style criticised and his chances of the Lions job are diminishing.
What he wouldn’t give for a fit O’Mahony or O’Brien right now.
