Quinlan a doubt for Toulon tie

RUGBY NEWS:ALAN QUINLAN faces a race to be fit for Munster's Heineken Cup pool match against Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol on January 16th, after suffering a dislocated elbow during his side's Magners League victory over Connacht at the Sportsground on Monday night.

Quinlan suffered the injury after 47 minutes and was immediately taken to Galway University Hospital where his elbow was put back in place.

He was discharged on the Monday night and returned home. Unfortunately with injuries of this nature there is a possibility that a bone might have been chipped but that can’t be ascertained until the swelling subsides.

Quinlan will miss Saturday’s game against Ulster at Thomond Park, as will replacement prop Dave Ryan who sustained a shoulder injury and was replaced in the final throes of the contest.

The expectation is that Munster coach Tony McGahan will be able to call upon several of his Irish internationals for this weekend’s match.

An extended Munster squad will be confirmed today.

Leinster, who play Connacht at the RDS on Saturday, are expected to welcome back centre Eoin O’Malley, who missed the last two matches because of a rib injury sustained against Clermont Auvergne in the first of the back-to-back European matches at the Stade Marcel Michelin.

Elsewhere, Stade Francais prop David Attoub is set to return to French Top 14 action tonight after serving a mammoth 52-week ban for gouging.

The 29-year-old Frenchman was suspended for gouging Ireland’s Stephen Ferris during Stade’s Heineken Cup match against Ulster on December 12th, last year.

An original ban of 70 weeks was reduced to 52, but Attoub, who could return against bottom side Bourgoin, is still fuelled by a sense of injustice.

“I am very relieved to return to competition. I hope to help the team to recover quickly from our current ranking.

“Everything was hard, especially the way the British treated me and how it went.

“Now it’s happened and I want to see the future with the team. This was an injustice. I found it a bit excessive.

“Now I can play again in Top 14 after one year of suspension, but still not in the European Cup.”

Stade, coached by former Leinster boss Michael Cheika who largely inherited the playing personnel, are struggling in ninth position in the Top 14 after six wins from 13 games so far this season, but Attoub is confident that they can start to climb the table.

“Our new game system is quite attractive.

“We are all frustrated with our ranking and I hope we will have a very strong second half of the season.”