O'Connell must wait on news

RUGBY:A TENSE, 10-day wait is required before a decision can be made on the severity of Paul O'Connell's ankle injury. The Munster captain attended a sports injury clinic in Dublin yesterday, but the swelling around his right ankle ligaments must subside before a recovery timescale can be announced.

“Further medical examination earlier today revealed that Paul O’Connell had suffered some ligament damage to his ankle in last Saturday’s game against Leinster at Thomond Park Stadium,” the province said in a statement.

“The full extent of that damage is not yet known and the Munster captain will need to be re-assessed in 10 days time before it can be determined how long he’ll be sidelined for.

Although everyone else is sure to, “Munster management were not prepared at this stage to speculate on the length of his rehab”.

O’Connell will miss Saturday’s trip to Brive for the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup and is in a race against time to be fully recovered when Ireland depart for the World Cup in New Zealand just under five months from now.

Mick O’Driscoll looks certain to wear the number five jersey and call the lineout this weekend.

The stand-in captain will be Ronan O’Gara.

Meanwhile, Shane Jennings was back training with Leinster yesterday after a knee problem, but it is not clear if the vice-captain will be fit to face his former club, the Leicester Tigers, at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday.

Seán O’Brien switched to openside wing forward against Munster in Thomond Park, with Kevin McLaughlin at six and Rhys Ruddock chosen as backrow cover ahead of Dominic Ryan.

Another crucial selection for Leinster coach Joe Schmidt is at scrumhalf, where Isaac Boss held off Ireland’s current number nine Eoin Reddan last Saturday.

There seems to be a pattern evolving, with Schmidt preferring Boss for away fixtures against formidable packs – the crucial bonus point defeat in Clermont last December, in Paris against Racing Metro 92 in January and both home and away against Munster this season.

Reddan came on around the hour mark in all four fixtures, while Boss has come in at a similar juncture in the other four European matches this season.

“I want to be playing more and Redser doesn’t want to be giving up those games as well,” said Boss yesterday. “We’d both like it to go the other way, but once we both get on the pitch we are good mates. There is good banter there between us. It’s competitive.”