Leinster’s injury list does not appear to be getting any shorter, Paul O’Connell is out for the foreseeable future, Dave McSharry struggling for Connacht while Ulster welcome back Ruan Pienaar from the Rugby Championship.
By Declan Whooley
Leinster
Leinster are taking it day by day with their injuries ahead of their opener with Exeter at the RDS on Saturday. With the biggest injury list in his time at Leinster, Joe Schmidt is patiently playing the waiting game ahead of squad and team selections.
Rob Kearney and Kevin McLoughlin are in a race to be fit, while Schmidt has said that Isa Nacewa ‘should be ok’ for the game.
Brian O’Driscoll rolled his ankle but is available for selection while Andrew Conway’s stinger injury gives him a 50/50 chance of selection.
Isaac Boss, Leo Cullen, Gordon D’Arcy and Cian Healy are ‘likely’ to make their returns from their respective injuries.
Munster
Rob Penney has said he doesn’t expect Paul O’Connell to be match fit for Munster’s trip to Paris to take on Racing Metro. The captain was an ever-present in last season’s European campaign, but the Kiwi does not know when the second row will return.
Penney’s other injury concerns are O’Connell’s second row partner Donncha O’Callaghan and Neil Ronan.
O’Callaghan was substituted against Leinster with a hamstring injury while Neil Ronan is also struggling. Mike Sherry is expected to travel after leaving the Aviva on crutches as a precautionary measure while Luke O’Dea returned to action for Shannon at the weekend.
Connacht
Centre Dave McSharry is a doubt ahead of Connacht’s trip to play Zebre on Saturday. The centre has been in outstanding form this season, with a man of the match performance in the recent win over Leinster, but a series of knocks have left him in a race against time to be ready. Midfield options are limited with Danie Poolman and Kyle Tonetti still sidelined.
Up front Andrew Browne has been ruled out with a hamstring injury and back-row forward Eoin McKeon is struggling with a shoulder injury.
Ulster
Ulster coach Mark Anscombe only has a few injury doubts as his side look to continue their unbeaten start to the season. Number 8 Nick Williams, who has had resurgence in form since moving to Ravenhill, was taken off with five minutes to go in the 25-0 win over Connacht with a rib injury.
Roger Wilson is still recovering from a hamstring injury while scrum-half Ruan Pienaar should come back into the squad after returning from South Africa following the Rugby Championship clash with the All Blacks. Back-row Sean Doyle has been ruled out for the next six weeks after a fracture of his fibula playing for Dungannon in the AIL on Saturday.
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