Summer tour fears for injured O’Connell

Paul O’Connell will undergo a scan on his injured knee within the next 24 hours to assess his chances of touring New Zealand with Ireland next month.

There are real fears that O’Connell, who hobbled off early in the second half of Munster’s victory over Ulster in the RaboDirect Pro12 at Thomond Park on Saturday night, will be ruled out of the month long tour and some concern he may even have to face surgery. However, Munster insiders played down that fear last night.

The iconic skipper has been ruled out of Friday's semi-final clash against Ospreys and Damian Varley, with a less worrying ankle injury, is also out of the equation, draining Munster’s already over-stretched resources. Ronan O’Gara should be fit to play after recovering from a dead leg but Saturday’s injuries overshadowed Munster’s victory.