'We’ve just got to give him as much time as we can' - Beirne working with Munster medical team ahead of Leinster... and beyond 

With Andy Farrell set to announce his squad tomorrow for the November Tests, Beirne and scrum-half Craig Casey have been added to the national team head coach’s injury concerns.

INJURY DOUBT: Munster's Tadhg Beirne. ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Munster will not rush Tadhg Beirne back from injury sooner than is necessary after the Ireland and Lions forward was sent for a scan on a groin injury following last Saturday’s victory over the Bulls.

Beirne is one of five players requiring medical scans as a result of a bruising BKT United Rugby Championship encounter at Thomond Park, which saw Munster kickstart their campaign with a 31-17 bonus-point win.

With Ireland boss Andy Farrell set to announce his squad tomorrow for the November Tests against South Africa, Fiji and Australia as well as the A international against a New Zealand XV, Beirne and scrum-half Craig Casey have been added to the national team head coach’s injury concerns.

Both picked up groin issues against the Bulls while academy lock Edwin Edogbo (calf), tighthead prop Stephen Archer (ankle) and Emerging Ireland wing Calvin Nash (thigh) were also injured with a challenging trip to Leinster at Aviva Stadium coming this Saturday. Also a doubt for that game is tighthead Roman Salanoa, who sustained a head injury late on at Thomond Park last Saturday and will now undergo the mandatory return to play protocols.

Centre Antoine Frisch has been ruled out of the Leinster game having suffered a calf injury on tour with Emerging Ireland last week but Munster will wait on the others’ scan results before determining their availability.

“That’s the beauty of going Saturday to Saturday, we get that extra day’s work and time for lads to recover,” Munster forwards coach Andi Kyriacou said on Tuesday. 

“Our medical team is doing a hell of a job trying to get these lads patched up. We’ll see, we will make some decisions on Thursday. We will keep our cards close to our chest on that one and just give the lads as much time as possible so we can get them out on the field."

Asked to elaborate on Beirne’s injury with reference to the weekend and his November Test availability, Kyriacou added: “We’ve just got to give him as much time as we can. I’m sure his body will let us know in good time. We obviously want him out playing for us but I feel that where we are this time of year, rolling into the World Cup as well, we’ve got to give the lads as much of a chance as possible as well to go and play for Ireland.

“So we’ll take advice from the medical team and Tadhg’s body itself and between those two they’ll let us know.” 

Of the round-six derby at Leinster this Saturday, the Munster assistant coach said: “It’s massively exciting to go up to Dublin and I’m sure they’ll go pretty big in terms of selection. It’s a great challenge for us to see where we’re at coming off the back of that physical encounter last week and how well we did in certain areas.

“We just want to keep growing our performances and just transferring the work we’re doing and being consistent in what we’re doing. That’s what we’re striving for with our performance on the field.”