Medical examination reveals ‘some ligament damage’ for O’Connell

Following a medical examination from a specialist in Dublin today, it has been revealed that that Paul O'Connell has suffered some ligament damage to his ankle.

O’Connell incurred the injury after falling awkwardly from a lineout in the second-half of Munster’s dramatic 24-23 win over Leinster at Thomond Park last Saturday night.

O'Connell underwent an X-Ray in Limerick Regional Hospital last Saturday evening which established that he had not suffered a fracture to his ankle.

The full extent of that damage is not yet known and O'Connell will need to be re-assessed in 10 days' time to determine the duration that the Munster captain will be sidelined.

Munster management today were not prepared, at this stage, to speculate on the length of his rehab.

O’Connell now looks likely to miss the rest of Munster’s season including their Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final clash with Brive next Saturday and the penultimate stages of the Magners League.