LEINSTER LOOK LIKELY to be able to call on Rhys Ruddock and Aaron Dundon for Sunday’s clash with Castres in the Heineken Cup, although Fergus McFadden is still a week away from returning to fitness.
Doubts had emerged earlier in the week regarding the former pair, with Ruddock having picked up a calf problem in the win over Connacht last weekend, while back-up hooker Dundon sustained a shoulder injury .
However, Leinster head coach Matt O’Connor said both players had progressed well this week, without definitively confirming whether the duo will be involved. Ruddock has developed into a key man for the province this season, meaning his inclusion would be a boost ahead of what will be a demanding confrontation at Stade Pierre-Antoine.
“[They're] not too bad. We’ve got a good bill of health and we’ve had a good training week so we’ll make assessments closer to the match,” said O’Connor at Leinster’s UCD base this afternoon.
However, the Australian did rule winger McFadden out of contention for the trip to Castres, with the fractured hand he suffered playing for Ireland in November still not 100% healed.
Fergus trained this week. This week is probably a week too early for him, but we would expect that he’ll be in the mix for selection next week [against the Ospreys].”
One man Leinster have already accepted will not be in that pot for the next few months at the very least is Sean O’Brien. O’Connor said the powerful flanker’s surgery had been successful, but the nature of it meant a longer time on the sidelines for the Tullow native.
“Seanie, as you know, had surgery last week and he’s probably [out for] months as opposed to weeks. It was a little bit more serious in the sense that they couldn’t do an arthroscopic procedure, they had to do an open surgery, which probably adds another month to it.”
Arthroscopic procedures involve the use of a small lens and lighting system to explore the injury inside a joint, requiring only a small incision for the surgery. O’Brien’s recovery period would have been shortened if that method had been possible, but O’Connor has moved on from the disappointment and is planning a win in Castres on Sunday.
