Ireland captain Brian O’Driscoll is a major doubt for Leinster’s crucial Heineken Cup encounters against Clermont Auvergne next month after suffering a suspected broken jaw in the defeat of Argentina on Sunday.
The talismanic skipper was replaced by Keith Earls with 12 minutes remaining yesterday and was sent for an x-ray to determine the extent of the damage.
Ireland coach Declan Kidney revealed that O’Driscoll wasn’t overly troubled by the injury and asked to stay on the field, but was substituted on the advice of the medical team and Kidney is hoping that the 107-times capped centre won’t require surgery.
“He’s going for an X-ray and could have a crack in the jaw, the treatment for which we’re not sure yet,†Kidney said.
“If it’s just a crack, he might be able to avoid surgery and having a plate inserted; we’ll just have to wait and see what the story is there.
“He felt okay; it just felt prudent to get him off when we did. Brian felt comfortable himself, he asked for a few minutes but the medics said he had to come off.”
O’Driscoll has two weeks to prove his fitness ahead of the clash with Clermont Auvergne in France on 12 December and the return leg at the Aviva Stadium two weeks later.
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