O’Connell set for six-week layoff

PAUL O’CONNELL will miss Munster’s trip to Brive for Saturday’s Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final, but the outlook on his ankle injury may not be as bad as first feared.

The inspirational skipper is now looking at “weeks, not months” on the sideline, according to well-placed sources, with one estimate putting his recovery period in the region of four to six weeks. However that may still signal the end of his season with Munster and rule him out of the province’s twin assault on Magners League and Amlin Challenge Cup.

There were initial fears that O’Connell had broken an ankle or worse, ruptured his achilles tendon, but an initial x-ray revealed no break, only severe swelling in the area. That suggests ankle ligament damage that will certainly rule him out of this weekend’s action and probably an Amlin semi-final, were Munster to progress.