Butler suffers injury blow

The fallout from defeat to Edinburgh intensified for Munster last night when it emerged back row Paddy Butler would be ruled out for at least eight weeks.

Butler, who had stood in as blindside flanker at Murrayfield with captain Peter O’Mahony rested, was substituted after 55 minutes in the Pool 6 opening game on Saturday.

Head coach Rob Penney did not include the Tipperary man in his post-match injury report following the 29-23 defeat but an update issued last evening revealed the 22-year-old, who was making his 40th appearance for Munster on Saturday, had suffered a fracture in his right thumb and had undergone surgery in Limerick yesterday.