O’Leary’s season lies in tatters

Munster 29 Scarlets 10

The fear is that he has suffered a broken ankle and if that proves to be the case, he is out of the Lions tour and, of course, will miss the remainder of Munster’s Heineken Cup and Magners League campaigns. He was taken immediately to Cork University Hospital and the omens were not good.

Should the worst come to the worst, it will be nothing short of a tragedy for a young player who earned recognition by the Lions and a place among the immortals of Irish rugby on the back of a series of outstanding performances for club and country throughout a long and demanding season. Typically, he was just after bringing off a brave tackle on a Scarlets opponent when he fell awkwardly and was clearly in a lot of pain.