The talismanic lock landed awkwardly at a lineout and was left clutching his ankle. He was assisted off the Thomond Park pitch by the Munster medical staff and taken to hospital for an X-ray.

A statement from Munster Rugby confirmed that the X-ray showed 'no fracture', but the leg will need further assessment before the full extent of the injury is known.

The province face Brive in a mouth-watering Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final next Saturday, with Mick O'Driscoll, who replaced Paul O'Connell in the win over Leinster, likely to start in the second row.

The Munster statement confirmed: "Paul will travel to Dublin tomorrow (Monday) to have further medical examination carried out to establish the full extent of the injury.

"At this stage it is not known how long he will be out of action for."