Easterby Suffers Broken Nose

Ireland flanker Simon Easterby

Llanelli flanker Simon Easterby may miss Ireland’s autumn internationals next month after breaking his nose in the Scarlets’ Heineken Cup opener on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Llanelli captain played little part in the Welsh region’s 50-28 pool loss to Toulouse at the Stade Ernest Wallon after sustaining a sickening blow to his nose after eight minutes.

Easterby departed the scene with blood streaming from his badly broken nose and was immediately taken to a local hospital to be operated on.

The Lions Test flanker returned home to Wales on Monday and along with Munster’s Paul O’Connell, is due to undergo a fitness test ahead of next month’s autumn internationals.

Easterby is joining his elder brother Guy, who sustained a broken jaw in action for Leinster against Ulster on October 1, in the Ireland sick bay.

“It was a nasty break,” said Scarlets director of rugby Gareth Jenkins.

“I don’t know exactly what happened, but when he came off it was clear that Simon was in a really bad way.

Munster and Ireland flanker Alan Quinlan is definitely sidelined for next month’s permanent tsb series matches. The Shannon forward badly injured his knee and was replaced early on in the second half of the province’s 27-13 Heineken Cup Pool One loss to Sale on Friday.

Quinlan, who had an initial scan on the injury in Cork on Saturday, is expected to have a scope put in his knee today to pinpoint the extent of the injury.