Jennings out of Irish training camp

IRELAND back row Shane Jennings will miss the Ireland squad pre-season camp in Spala, Poland with a thumb fracture. The Leinster player undergoes surgery today and will be out of action for up to six weeks.

He picked up the injury in the second test against Argentina during Ireland’s summer tour and had an X-ray and an MRI scan of the thumb on his return to Dublin. The x-ray was clear and the scan merely showed a small amount of bony bruising with no break.

Upon return to preseason training, the thumb injury flared up again and a repeat scan revealed a small fracture. This requires surgery to fix the fragment of bone. Following the operation, the thumb will be put in a cast for the duration of recovery and will limit Jennings’ participation in the Ireland pre-season conditioning programme.