Joey Carbery's Munster career over after thumb injury

Rory Scannell has been ruled out until next season following an injury he picked up at the weekend.

INJURY: Munster’s Joey Carbery's Munster career looks to have played his last game for Munster following a thumb injury. Pic:©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

Joey Carbery’s looks to have played his last game for Munster following a thumb injury ahead of the URC play-offs while Tom Ahern has been ruled out for the season and could miss the chance to tour South Africa with Ireland this summer.

Munster assistant coach Denis Leamy delivered the bad news, and confirmation that centre Rory Scannell has been ruled out until next season, as he looked ahead to this Friday’s Thomond Park quarter-final against Ospreys.

All three players were injured in last Saturday’s final game of the regular season, a 29-24 victory over Ulster that confirmed the defending champions in first place in the standings and top seeds for this month’s knockout stages.

Fly-half Carbery had replaced Scannell on 35 minutes after the inside centre had left the Thomond Park pitch on the back of a stretcher cart following an ankle injury when Ulster prop Eric O’Sullivan fell on top of the joint at a ruck. He will undergo surgery next week.

Carbery, who will leave for French Top 14 club Bordeaux-Begles this summer after six injury-hit years and just 66 appearances at Munster, finished the game but sustained a thumb injury in the process.

Munster’s squad update issued on Monday said the playmaker would be unavailable for the Ospreys clash but a day later defence coach Leamy: “We are just waiting on an update on that, but my understanding is that it’s going to be longer (than one week).” 

Ahern, who has enjoyed his most consistent season for his home province, has in recent weeks been part of an impactful Munster bench that helped the Reds to nine URC wins in a row, eight of them with try bonus points but the Waterford lock/flanker looks to have been ruled out for the rest of the campaign and his hopes of an Ireland call-up this summer now also appear in jeopardy following an ankle/lower leg injury sustained against Ulster, though the 23-year-old finished the game having been introduced on 49 minutes.

“I think Tom is effectively out for the rest of the season,” Leamy said of Ahern. “Now there is a scenario where he maybe would be looked at again but the reality is he’s going to be under the pump.” 

Having spent time with Ireland in training camp during the Six Nations, Ahern was a strong tip for inclusion in Andy Farrell’s tour party for the two-Test series against the world champion Springboks in July but Leamy doubted he would be available.

“I’d guess so too. I don’t know exactly but I think he would be under pressure, definitely.” 

“Tom’s come on hugely around his work-rate moments, his tight game. The nature of injuries is there’s never a good time but this one is particularly unfortunate for Tom.

“We don’t know whether he was in the conversation or not but certainly a lot of what he had been doing was really strong.” Leamy added: “Look, it is really disappointing for us to have to take those three injuries, and unfortunately that’s been our lot this season.

“It’s really disappointing for the lads but we just have to accept it and turn the page as quickly as we can now.” 

Munster will also be without centre Alex Nankivell as he continues his rehab from the ankle injury he sustained in the penultimate round win at Edinburgh, but midfield partner Antoine Frisch returned to training this week after missing the Ulster game with a leg injury, as did hooker Diarmuid Barron, absent since a foot injury sustained against Leinster on December 26.

“Diarmuid brings an awful lot of experience,” Leamy said, “and Diarmuid’s footballing ability, I coached him in Rockwell when he was a Senior Cup player and he’s just a very smart rugby player.

“He really has a great feel for the game, has a really good set-piece so to have him back, and his leadership qualities as well, really strong.”