More worries for Rowntree as injury list grows ahead of Connacht trip

GROWING INJURY LIST: 

Graham Rowntree faces an anxious wait to hear from the Munster medics as he attempts to pick a team for the New Year’s Day URC trip to Connacht next week.

Munster fell 9-3 to arch rivals Leinster in an attritional St Stephen’s night dogfight at Thomond Park on Tuesday and also lost forward trio Diarmuid Barron, Edwin Edogbo and Dave Kilcoyne as well as centre Alex Nankivell to injuries.

Rowntree is already without longer-term casualties in South African locks Jean Kleyn and RG Snyman while former captain Peter O’Mahony has not played since his first game back for Munster following Ireland’s World Cup campaign but is having a shoulder injury sustained on November 18 assessed on a week-by-week basis and could return to face Connacht.

Academy lock Edogbo, who turned 21 last week, appears to be facing a lengthy spell away from the action, though, the Cobh forward going down with an tendon injury midway through the second half “It’s an Achilles injury there. It doesn’t look good,” Rowntree said of a player who also sustained a similar injury at the start of the 2022-23 season.

“Dave Kilcoyne, shoulder. Diarmuid Barron got a foot injury, Alex Nankivell as well. It’s quite a lengthy list there.

“We are already thin on the deck. We are thin squad wise, availability wise. We will see what we can muster up on Thursday, see what the injury report presents itself because we have got another big game at the Sportsground. We drive on.” 

On his side’s defeat, by three Harry Byrne penalties to one from Jack Crowley, and played out in constant driving rain at a sold-out Thomond Park, Rowntree said: “Tough, tough. Frustrated with the result. I'm proud of the lads, they stuck in there when things weren't going our way. We coughed up a couple of good opportunities to establishes phases from lineouts in their 22 in the second half of the game.

“That was a battle, the ruck was a street-fight at times. We'd come through a tough game there on the wrong side, so I'm frustrated with the result but am proud of the lads' endeavour.

“I’m honest with the lads. The lads are an honest group. We will look at that in the cold light of day and see what we can do better.

“Tough conditions, tough ruck, a street fight of a breakdown that wise.”