O'Mahony an injury doubt for November, others closing on Munster comebacks

Munster head coach Graham Rowntree said O'Mahony should be out for "weeks, not months".

Wed, 09 Oct, 2024 - 09:13

Simon Lewis

Ireland captain Peter O’Mahony is an injury doubt for the start of next month’s Autumn Nations Series after Munster boss Graham Rowntree said he expected the veteran flanker to return from a hamstring injury during November.

O’Mahony, 35, injured his hamstring in his first game back in Munster colours last Saturday against Ospreys and was on Tuesday declared unavailable for this Saturday’s URC derby against Leinster at Croke Park.

The head coach also ruled the flanker out of the two-week tour to South Africa which begins next Monday with the province playing the Stormers in Cape Town on October 19 and the Sharks in Durban a week later, naming O’Mahony in a group of players he expected to see back in action next month.

Ireland open their Autumn Nations Series at Aviva Stadium against New Zealand on Friday, November 8, then welcome Argentina seven days later, Fiji on November 23 and conclude the Test window against Australia on the 30th.

Asked for a timeline on O’Mahony’s recovery, Rowntree said: "I don't know… It's not months.

“We've had him scanned, there's a strain there which he's never had before. Typical O'Mahony! Weeks, not months, I can see him back in November."

Rowntree did predict comebacks from early-season knocks for full-back Mike Haley, centre Alex Nankivell and back-rower Ruadhan Quinn, while Sean O’Brien will boost backline options after being released from the Emerging Ireland squad ahead of Wednesday’s final tour game in South Africa and lock Tom Ahern is set for his first appearance of the campaign after an ankle problem forced him out of last season’s URC play-offs.

"Tom's back in the mix, Nanks, Billy (Burns) although I'm not going to push that too much. He's not too far off, Billy, but I don't want him to get another bang on that shoulder.

"But that's what I'm thinking at the moment. Mike will be all right, Rory Scannell, Shane Daly, Paddy Patterson will all be just around the corner for round five (against the Stormers).

"If you think about the injuries we've accrued in the last few weeks from the likes of Diarmuid Kilgallen, he was a bit further back, Liam Coombes, Thaakir Abrahams, Pete, they'll be around November.

"Roman Salanoa will still be December-ish, but that's pretty much everyone back on deck within the next few weeks in my mind, and I'll hang onto that, and I've guys back this week and Tom is a big one and Ruadhan, who has passed all his HIA protocols.

"But then you pick up Oli Jager at the weekend with his neck, we're still waiting for more opinions on that. I don't think we'll see him until we get back from South Africa.

"Josh Wycherley has got a neck injury as well, Mark Donnelly, suddenly you're hit in the prop department so we'll find out a bit about the younger props. We still have two diesel engines doing a great job for us, Steve (Archer) and John Ryan.”