Munster Await Update On Murray’s Knee Injury
The Munster squad completed an overnight camp with a pitch session in Thomond Park today having gathered in Limerick yesterday to prepare for the upcoming GUINNESS PRO12 final against Glasgow Warriors.
A number of players reported bumps and bruises/soreness following last Saturday’s dramatic semi-final win over the Ospreys. Munster captain Peter O’Mahony, Paddy Butler, Eusebio Guinazu and Andrew Smith all sat out today’s training session but are expected to take part in preparations as the week continues.
Missing from the camp were Simon Zebo and Conor Murray, with Zebo following the return-to-play protocols after sustaining concussion during the second half of the Ospreys game. Murray will meet with specialist Ray Moran in Santry tomorrow following the knee injury (medial collateral ligament) he sustained after 16 minutes of the semi-final.
Speaking this afternoon in Limerick, Munster head coach Anthony Foley said: “Conor got a scan yesterday so we’re waiting. He’s going to see Ray and from there we’ll get an assessment and a judgement on the damage done and whether he’s available to train on Thursday or not.
“If he is, he is. If he isn’t, Duncan Williams (who replaced him last Saturday) will step up and Cathal Sheridan will come into the squad as well.
“Duncan has played a hell of a lot of rugby for us this year and he’s played really well. He’s grown into the side and people have grown around him as well in understanding his way of playing. It suits a lot of people.”
He added: “Look, it’s over time as you see the injury, you slow it down, you look at it again and again. You kind of go, ‘there could be a bit of damage there’. It’s not often you see a player walk off the pitch like that early in a semi-final and they get back the following week
“You hope that you get some good news, but if not we’re used to having to make changes. We’re used to having to use our squad and in fairness they haven’t let anyone down this year.”
Foley said that there are a number of tired bodies in the squad after a long season. Some players did not take part in training today with the management team taking a sensible approach regarding player workload in preparing for Saturday’s PRO12 decider.
Regarding skipper O’Mahony’s hip flexor issue, he said: “Peter is looking fine, but we need to see what he looks like after today’s session. We’re minding him at the moment and we’ll see where he is on Thursday.”
The Munster players and management will travel to Belfast on Friday ahead of Saturday’s clash with table-topping Glasgow at Kingspan Stadium (kick-off 6.30pm). Supporters planning to travel can check out more details on how to #MakeKingspanHome here.