Revolving door on Munster's treatment room brings fresh headaches for Leamy

The rugby gods have conspired to give with one hand and take away with another as the province's defence coach digested the news that Shane Daly and Oli Jager had been added to the injury list

"It's pretty bad": Denis Leamy has confirmed the prognosis for Shane Daly is not positive. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan

As far as injuries are concerned, Munster have been putting out fires all season long and the flames are continuing to flicker ahead of the resumption of their URC campaign against Edinburgh in Cork on Friday night.

With seven games remaining of the regular season, the province had hoped for only good news in terms of key players returning to action for the run-in to the play-offs. There was some on Tuesday with the announcement of Jeremy Loughman and Alex Nankivell’s returns to full training and potential comebacks at Virgin Media Park this weekend.

Yet the rugby gods have conspired to give with one hand and take away with another as defence coach Denis Leamy digested the news that Shane Daly and Oli Jager had been added to the treatment list following a particularly attritional A international between Ireland and England in Bristol last Sunday.

Tighthead prop Jager had come off the bench on 44 minutes but limped back off with a foot issue 15 minutes while Daly, playing at full-back for Ireland A, left Ashton Gate on crutches following a first-half hamstring injury. Both players will be assessed this week to determine the course and length of treatment required and Leamy said of Daly’s injury: “It looks pretty bad, but we're just waiting on a definite of that.

“It's sure disappointing not to have Shane available this weekend. He's been a brilliant player for us over the last couple of years, you know, URC Man of Steel (for most minutes played) last season. His robustness and his durability is something that has been a real strength of his, so it is a blow, it really is, that we lose someone like Shane for this weekend.

“Unfortunately it’s something we’ve been presented with on a number of occasions over the last period of time. We'll just have to get on with it now and it presents opportunities for people like Ben O’Connor and Shay McCarthy and young players like that.” 

There was optimism though that Ireland loosehead prop Loughman and midfield linchpin Nankivell will make their returns when ninth-placed Edinburgh, six points behind fifth-placed Munster, visit Cork this Friday while hooker Diarmuid Barron has completed the Head Injury Assessment return to play process following his removal after just five minutes of his Ireland A start at the weekend.

Another to come through his HIA protocols, after a head knock sustained during Munster’s URC win at home to Scarlets last time out on February 15, is lock/flanker Tom Ahern while the province confirmed back-rower Jack O’Donoghue will not require surgery on the ankle he injured in the same game.

The returns to action of Ireland loosehead Loughman from a four-month absence and New Zealand Maori centre Nankivell, sidelined sustaining his injury at Ulster in December, are not confirmed but Leamy said: “The boys are tracking well. They’re both back training, showing some good stuff in training and it's just to see how they progress over the next couple of days and how they respond to the heavy load and we'll make a decision on them later in the week.” 

Loughman’s comeback further eases the injury crisis at loosehead which had forced Munster to make a short-term loan signing of Sharks prop Dian Bleuler in November. The South African returned to the Durban franchise at the end of January with Josh Wycherley making his comeback from a long-term neck injury 11 days ago in the home bonus-point win over Scarlets. Senior loosehead Dave Kilcoyne has managed just two December appearances off the bench this season and remains sidelined with a thigh injury but Leamy said: “We're getting back to where would you like to be in terms of headaches around selection and performance.

“Dian did a very good job on a short-term contract. We had Josh Wycherley come back against the Scarlets, who had a brilliant game for a guy just returning after being out for a number of months. His impact on the game was excellent.

“So we're getting back to since the where we'd like to be. Jeremy is a guy who’s hugely experienced. He's played for Ireland over the last few years and he adds a real element of power with what he brings and he’s an excellent scrummager. So to have these guys back and have those selection headaches is great.”