Injury Concerns For Leinster Ahead Of Munster Match
Leinster have a number of injury concerns arising from their derby defeat to Connacht, as they begin their preparations for next Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 showdown with Munster at the Aviva Stadium.
Rob Kearney (back) and Gordon D’Arcy (ribs) are major doubts for the province and they will continue to be assessed ahead of Friday’s team announcement.
South African second row Quinn Roux suffered a shoulder injury during the first half of the Connacht game and is expected to miss this weekend’s derby match.
Meanwhile, Shane Jennings should shake off the ill-effects of an ankle injury which he sustained on the hour mark in Connacht, though it is likely to curtail his on-field involvement in training this week.
It is hoped that club captain Leo Cullen (arm) will also return to the panel either this week or next, while Isaac Boss (arm) is getting closer to a return to action.
Leinster are expected to be boosted by the return of the likes of Jamie Heaslip, Kevin McLaughlin, Brian O’Driscoll, Eoin Reddan, Jonathan Sexton and Richardt Strauss to the squad this week.
There are two significant imminent landmarks for the province with Cian Healy, who turns 25 on Sunday, in line to make his 100th provincial appearance, while Heaslip’s next appearance will be his 150th.
Ticket sales for Saturday’s interprovincial game have passed the 40,000 mark and are on sale online here. They are also available from the Leinster Rugby Store (Donnybrook) and Spar (Donnybrook) as well as Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.