Leinster hopeful of Healy return for Glasgow game

Having coped without his services in France last Saturday the Leinster management are hopeful of a return to action for Cian Healy ahead of Sunday’s Heineken Cup Round 2 clash against the Glasgow Warriors in the RDS (12.45pm).

Following Saturday’s 16-16 draw in Montpellier, aside from the usual bumps and bruises Leinster have no major injury concerns.

Sean O’Brien retired from the game midway through the second half with a cut above his eye but he returned and finished the game which saw hooker Sean Cronin touch down for his maiden try in Leinster colours on what was his Heineken Cup debut.

The Leinster ‘A’ side’s bonus point 32-18 victory over Esher in the opening round of the British & Irish Cup came at a cost, however, with skipper Dominic Ryan suffering an ankle injury. He will be scanned and see a specialist in the next 24 hours to determine the extent of any damage.

Commenting on this weekend’s game, Leinster Coach Joe Schmidt admitted that the draw left the players and management with conflicting emotions.

“It was a bittersweet mood in the dressing-room afterwards because we feel as though we had opportunities to win the game, but we weren’t as clinical as we needed to be,” he said.

“Credit to Montpellier who displayed real aggression throughout the game and competed for everything. They were a real handful at the breakdown and scrambled very well in defence. They’re a good side who are likely to have a big say in the Pool alongside Glasgow and Bath who were impressive on Sunday afternoon.

“Glasgow is a vastly improved side who have now won 5 games in a row and we know that we’ll have our work cut out. We know them well and they’ll travel to the RDS on Sunday with confidence having defeated us here earlier this season in the PRO12. They’ll take great heart from their rousing late victory over Bath where they displayed great heart to fight back and get the win.

“They have a lot of international experience within their ranks and have certainly benefited from the return of their World Cup players like Richie Gray, Alistair Kellock and Graeme Morrison.

“They also have a strong back-row unit and with Rob Dewey and Troy Nathan they would have a fair bit of insight regarding Leinster from their times with Ulster and Connacht respectively.

“There is always a threat whenever you face teams from your own league because of the familiarity between each other, so we’re expecting another big challenge. But with another bumper crowd expected in the RDS on Sunday lunchtime it’s a game that we’re all hugely excited about and we know that our supporters will again play a major role.”