Internationals to sit out Celtic League ties

Leinster’s Brian O’Driscoll, Munster’s Ronan O’Gara and Ulster’s Gary Longwell will all sit out this weekend’s Celtic League fixtures after picking up injuries in the friendly against Romania on Saturday.

O’Driscoll strained his quadrocep, O’Gara suffered a cut to his ear and Gary Longwell injured his Achilles tendon.

However, all three are expected to recover quickly and have been included in Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan’s 26-man squad for the World Cup qualifier against Russia on September 22.

Munster’s Peter Stringer and Leinster’s Girvan Dempsey have also been named in the squad, but will miss the Celtic League action this weekend as O’Sullivan has decided to rest them ahead of the meeting with Russia in Krasnoyarsk.

All the other players are free to play for their provinces at the weekend.

O’Sullivan will name his starting line-up for the Russia qualifier after training in Greystones on Tuesday of next week.