Munster must face up to injury headaches

PAUL O’CONNELL’S decision to commit to Munster until the end of the 2013/14 season is about the only bit of good news to come the province’s way over the last few weeks.

When word filtered through to Thomond Park on Saturday that Denis Leamy would join Doug Howlett on the sidelines for the rest of the season, you could almost sense the collective groan within the squad.

Injuries have a massive part to play in the fortunes of every professional side, with an average of 25% of your playing personnel on the treatment table at any point in time. Is it any wonder the teams with the greatest resources at their disposal invariably are the one’s challenging for honours at the end of the season?