Sexton now a major doubt as Ireland’s woes grow

Ireland’s 2013 RBS 6 Nations campaign received a further blow yesterday when fly-half Jonny Sexton was confirmed as a doubt to face Scotland in 12 days and prop Cian Healy was cited for stamping on an opponent during the weekend’s defeat by England.

Irish hopes of a Grand Slam campaign were smashed in Dublin on Sunday as they were beaten 12-6 by the English in a game that saw Munster wing Simon Zebo break the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and Sexton carried off with a right hamstring strain in the first 30 minutes.

Zebo’s injury required surgery yesterday and he now faces an eight to 10- week recovery period that looks set to rule him out not just of the rest of the Six Nations but also Munster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final at Harlequins on April 6.

Yesterday’s medical bulletin from the Irish camp confirmed there is now the real possibility that Ireland will go into the February 24 game at Murrayfield not just without Zebo but also first-choice fly-half Sexton as well as lock Mike McCarthy.

Sexton’s hamstring problem was confirmed by a scan while McCarthy added his name to the second-row casualty list already featuring Paul O’Connell and Dan Tuohy when he strained the medial ligament in his right knee in the England game. The Leinster-bound Connacht lock is considered doubtful for the Scotland game but is scheduled to see a specialist this week “for further review”.

It does not end there. Lineout leader Donnacha Ryan will also need to see a specialist this week to assess the back problem which saw him substituted after 66 minutes while outside centre Brian O’Driscoll suffered further punishment to his right ankle and he too must see a specialist in the next couple of days.

Neither Ryan nor O’Driscoll have been ruled out of the trip to Edinburgh yet and Ireland yesterday reported that full-back Rob Kearney was recovering well from a dead leg and he and flanker Sean O’Brien, who came off with a tight hamstring, will be monitored throughout the week.

Those Irish players still standing are set to report back to camp at Carton House on Thursday, by which time Healy will have learned his fate after yesterday being cited by the independent citing commissioner, Alberto Recaldini of Italy, for stamping on an opponent at the Aviva Stadium. Healy was shown by television replays to have made contact with the outstretched foot and ankle of England tighthead prop Dan Cole and now faces a hearing in London tomorrow in front of Professor Lorne Crerar, chairman of the Six Nations Disciplinary Panel.

If found guilty of the alleged act of foul play, contrary to Law 10.4(b), International Rugby Board sanctions allow for a suspension anywhere between two weeks for a low-end offence, five weeks for mid-range and a top end of nine-plus weeks.

All of which could make for a nervous wait on the steps of Carton House on Thursday morning as Kidney and his staff wait for the arrival of the fit and available.