Positive Injury News For Leinster
The Leinster squad trained at the RDS this morning as the province began on-field preparations for Saturday’s Heineken Cup final against Northampton Saints.
There were a number of injury concerns arising from last Friday’s 18-3 victory over Ulster which cemented Leinster’s place in the Magners grand final.
Following medicals on Sunday, it is thought that Isaac Boss (tight hamstring), Brian O’Driscoll (knee) and Richardt Strauss (bruised hip) should all be back training by Wednesday and available for selection for the Northampton game.
Sean O’Brien suffered a cut above his eye in the closing minutes of the league semi-final, while Mike Ross (shoulder) was replaced by Stan Wright on the half hour mark as a precaution.
The Ireland tighthead prop has recovered well from the ‘stinger’ injury he sustained in the interprovincial clash.
It is also anticipated that Shane Horgan will be at full fitness and training this week. Horgan is Leinster’s most-capped player in the Heineken Cup (27 tries in 86 games) and he lies three tries behind O’Driscoll who could be set to make his 75th appearance in Europe.
Jonathan Sexton’s six-point haul against Ulster helped him reach a combined total of over 200 points in the Heineken Cup and Magners League competitions so far this season.
Meanwhile, with the province selling out their full ticket allocation for Saturday’s cup decider, it is anticipated that in excess of 15,000 Leinster supporters will travel from Ireland to Cardiff this weekend, with thousands more expected from across the UK and Europe.