ANOTHER GAME FOR Leinster, another significant injury. If nothing else, Rhys Ruddock’s broken arm means that Matt O’Connor doesn’t have to definitively name his first choice back row because he has always been shorn of one or two throughout this season.
Ruddock was forced off against Harlequins at the Aviva on Saturday night and it didn’t look good, with the flanker’s arm in a sling on the sidelines.
Leinster manager Guy Easterby confirmed the break today, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for Leinster with three consecutive inter-pros on the fixture list starting with Connacht on Friday.
Leinster are having probably their worst season of injuries in the professional era and Easterby almost sounded relieved to have only picked up the one major injury on Saturday.
“The only one that was significant was Rhys Ruddock,” Easterby said.
“He’s broken his arm and will be out for 4-6 weeks.
“Last year we had a really good year where we didn’t pick up as many injuries as we had this year, that is just the way it goes sometimes. Absolutely it is frustrating – frustrating for the players, frustrating for the coaches. It is a really difficult time for players when they are in that phase.”
With Ruddock out for the foreseeable future, Leinster could really do with getting some of their other crocked back rows fit again. Photos of Carlow Cannonball, Sean O’Brien, jogging around the Aviva pitch on Saturday got many hopeful that he may be set for an early return, but Easterby said Leinster are going to be very cautious with how they bring the destructive flanker back.
“It is probably too difficult to tell at this stage,” Easterby said.
“His recovery is going well but the significant injury that he had, it is not something we are going to rush because it is something we want to get right. If that means we are very conservative with it then that makes sense because we have to look at the long-term picture with Sean.”
One positive ahead of Leinster’s three consecutive inter-pros (home to Connacht, away to Munster and home to Ulster) is that Shane Jennings should be available for selection barring any late problems.
“Touch wood, we will see how he [Jennings] reacts to training but he should be involved this weekend,” Easterby said.
