No Fresh Injury Concerns As Connacht Prepare For RDS Trip
Ahead of the New Year’s Day showdown with Leinster at the RDS, the Connacht medical team have issued a squad update. There are no new injury concerns following on from last weekend’s 44-16 victory over Ulster.
Denis Buckley sustained an ankle injury in the game against Brive and will be out of action for a number of weeks. Dominic Robertson-McCoy will integrate partially into training over the next two weeks and will return to action in early January, while JP Cooney is recovering from his recent hamstring surgery and will be out of action until April.
Pat O’Toole sustained a hamstring injury in training last week and will be out of action for a number of weeks, and Andrew Browne has stepped up his rehabilitation from his Achilles injury and and will return to action in early January.
In positive news for the back row contingent, Jarrad Butler had no ill-effects following his return to action against Ulster, while Eoin McKeon is progressing well in his rehabilitation from a calf injury. He will be out of action until the end of January.
Jake Heenan is recovering from shoulder surgery and will be out of action until April, while Sean O’Brien is also recovering following shoulder surgery and will return to team training in mid-January.
In the backs division, out-half Steve Crosbie will be out of action until the end of January with a knee injury. Rory Scholes has stepped up his rehabilitation from his abdominal surgery and and will return to action in early January, while Cormac Brennan will return in February following shoulder surgery.
Flanker Eoghan Masterson, who crossed for Connacht’s opening try against Ulster, is looking forward to going toe-to-toe with high-flying Leinster as the westerners go in search of their first win in Dublin since 2002.
“(Beating Ulster 44-16) will give us massive confidence but it’s completely different opposition, a completely different venue. We are under no illusions of how big a test that is going to be,” he said, previewing the trip to the RDS.
“It’s a fixture that we haven’t had much success in in the past. But we will enjoy our Christmas, get back together on Wednesday and I’m sure KK (Kieran Keane) will have a good plan for us to go up there and do the best we can.”