Leinster Reveal Doris Requires Shoulder Procedure
Leinster captain Caelan Doris is pictured during the post-match press conference following last Saturday's Investec Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton Saints ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber has his fingers crossed that Caelan Doris’ shoulder injury is ‘not as bad as we think it is’ after it was revealed that he will undergo a procedure this week.
Doris captained Leinster during their Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints, scoring an early second half try but then coming off injured towards the end of the third quarter.
An injury update from the Leinster Rugby camp today confirmed that he will miss next Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship match against Zebre.
With Leinster looking to end their campaign with URC silverware following their Champions Cup disappointment, and the British & Irish Lions squad announcement taking place on Thursday, it remains to be seen if the season is over for Ireland’s 2025 Triple Crown-winning captain.
‘The full extent of the injury, and implications for the summer, won’t be known until after the procedure’, according to the province. The talismanic number 8 was shortlisted for the Investec Player of the Year award, alongside team-mates Jamison Gibson-Park and Jordie Barrett.
Asked about the injury to Doris and what it might mean for his Lions hopes, Nienaber commented: “Caelan saw a specialist and I think there’s some further investigation that needs to be done. Fingers crossed that things aren’t as bad as we think it is.
“But in the last couple of months that I’ve worked with Caelan, he’s not a guy that comes off the pitch with injury, so when I subjectively saw him coming off the pitch on Saturday, in my mind I thought this must be quite serious.
“We’ll probably know more at the back end of the week but my gut, and it’s only my gut, says that I think it might be serious. Fingers crossed it might not be.”
If Leinster make it through to the URC final, their season will conclude on Saturday, June 14. Andy Farrell’s British & Irish Lions play Argentina in the 1888 Cup clash at the Aviva Stadium the following Friday.
The Lions kick off their schedule of games Down Under against Western Force on Saturday, June 28, building towards the three-Test Series against Australia between July 19 and August 2.
Nienaber added: “A shoulder injury depends on the structure, the damage, it can be anything between six weeks to two months versus a four to six-month thing so depending on the amount of damage within the shoulder joint and all the structures involved.
“We’re not 100% sure, we know there’s damage. Like I said, Caelan, as a person, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him leave the pitch with an injury that wasn’t serious.”
Meanwhile, in positive injury news for Leinster, James Ryan and Rob Russell will both take part in training this week. Ireland lock Ryan has not played since the final round of the Six Nations due to a calf injury.