Munster scrum half Tomas O’Leary has been ruled out of Ireland’s final Six Nations clash with England this weekend after suffering a freak eye injury in training.
According to the IRFU, O’Leary was doing some speed training with a sled when one of the straps failed, recoiled and struck him in the left eye.
The accident caused O’Leary’s eye to bleed and it affected his vision as a result. The bleeding has now stabilised and following an ophthalmology review it is anticipated that this will continue to improve.
O‘Leary’s injury will be reviewed on Friday and is expected to keep him out for two to three weeks. The clash with England is the second game of the tournament that O’Leary will miss, having been forced out of the victory over Scotland with a back complaint.
An IRFU statement on the incident read: “O’Leary was undergoing speed training with a sled when one of the straps failed, recoiled and struck him in the left eye.
“This caused a bleed within the eye which affected his vision. The bleeding has now stabilised and following an ophthalmology review it is anticipated that this will continue to improve.
“The situation will be reviewed on Friday and the current estimation is that O’Leary will be at least 2-3 weeks out of training while the condition settles.”
As a result of O’Leary’s injury, Ireland coach Declan Kidney is facing a crisis at scrum half, as it is not yet clear whether Eoin Reddan will recover from the bout of concussion which forced his withdrawal less than a minute into the defeat to Wales at the weekend.
Should Reddan fail to recover in time, his replacement on Saturday, Peter Stringer will likely start against England, with Leinster scrum half Isaac Boss promoted to the squad as cover.
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