Munster face anxious waits on O’Mahony and Ryan ahead of Toulouse European showdown

Munster will have a nervous week ahead of their Heineken Cup home quarter-final with Toulouse as they wait on the fitness of captain Peter O’Mahony for the European showdown.

With Donnacha Ryan a major doubt to face the four-time champions due to a foot injury suffered nine days ago against Treviso, there were further ripples in the Munster selection pool on Saturday night when O’Mahony was forced to withdraw from the RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Leinster due to a recurrence of the hamstring issues that forced him to miss Ireland’s Six Nations win over Italy earlier this month.

Due to play his first game since helping to win the championship against France in Paris a fortnight ago, O’Mahony made it as far as the coin toss with rival captain Jamie Heaslip at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, only to withdraw shortly before the pre-match warm-up.

“We don’t know what the core problem with Peter is, it’s a hamstringy-ish thing,” head coach Rob Penney said, “but it may be nerve-related. It’s one of those ones, obviously there were reports coming out of the Six Nations that he had that going on, that’s public knowledge, and he’s been fine but it just flared up so we were just being very cautious with him.”

CJ Stander proved a capable replacement at blindside flanker but Penney admitted losing O’Mahony, as well as Ryan, would be harmful to his side’s chances of overturning French powerhouses Toulouse at Thomond Park on Saturday.

“You always want your big players available, it could be potentially damaging. That’s one of the reasons we rotated and I thought CJ did a magnificent job stepping in at the last minute and doing the job that he did, especially without a lot of 80-minute performances of late. Great credit to him and if he has to do it next week, or whoever, I’m sure we’ll get a great response from them.

“I’d love to think we’ve done the right thing by Pete to make sure he’s available next week. It will be very disappointing if the injury lingers. I’d be very surprised if it did but you just can’t guarantee these things.”

Asked specifically about Ryan, whose foot injury came just three games into a comeback from the second of two lengthy lay-offs due to knee problems, Penney agreed the second-row was a major doubt.

A medical bulletin issued Friday said the lock would be monitored from week to week having seen a specialist but when asked if Ryan would definitely miss the Toulouse clash, Penney said: “Don’t know.”

No such concerns for Leinster, at least publicly, surrounding Brian O’Driscoll’s readiness to face Toulon when the three-time winners visit the defending champions at Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday. O’Driscoll, who scored the only try of the game in Leinster’s 22-18 victory over their rivals, took a hit shortly after his 57th-minute score and looked unsteady on his feet as he tried to play on before being substituted in the 67th.

The immediate report was that Ireland’s most-capped player had suffered a “bang on the neck” but suggestions he may have looked concussed were given short shrift by head coach Matt O’Connor.

“Did he? Are you a doctor?,” O’Connor replied to his inquisitor. “(Leinster doctor) Arthur Tanner didn’t think he was. If you know better than him, write that. He got a bang on the neck.” As to the calf issue, O’Connor added of his soon to retire veteran: “He’s old, and he’s got a tight calf. He’ll be fine.”

Tighthead Mike Ross suffered cramp in his calf but O’Connor is confident he will have his full complement of props back for the trip to Toulon, Cian Healy, Marty Moore and Jack McGrath all sitting out Saturday’s match.