Leinster are hopeful on Irish duo
Captain Leo Cullen is expected to return for Leinster's Heineken Cup game against Saracens at Wembley this weekend.
Unfortunately, Brian O’Driscoll is unlikely to play, but the Leinster management has refused to rule out the Irish captain after he picked up a hamstring injury in Leinster’s 38-22 win over Racing Metro on Saturday, October 9.
Forwards coach Jonno Gibbes said, “Yeah, we all saw the stress he was in and the discomfort, certainly after the game. He’s dealt with hamstrings before and he had a bit of a gut feeling about this one. But the scans have revealed a bit more positive news
but there’s no definitive answer.”
The centre is not expected to be risked, but the management will wait for as long as possible before deciding if O’Driscoll, who is an instrumental figure, in the Leinster team can play.
“He had a scan and that revealed a more positive outlook than we expected,” said Gibbes.
“It’s still not a definitive answer but we’ll let it settle down over the next couple of days and get a clearer idea at the end of the week, but the positive thing is that he hasn’t been definitively ruled out,” added the Leinster forward coach.
Leo Cullen has recovered from the shoulder injury which has ruled him out of competitive action since the end of last season.
The lock has trained for the past few weeks, but only returned to physical contact training last week and there has been no reaction to the injury so far.
Cullen’s lack of match practice will be a concern for Leinster, but without O’Driscoll, the team will need the leadership of Cullen in what will be a difficult away game.
Devon Toner has played in Cullen’s position this season and the 24—year—old is expected to drop to the bench.
Leinster will be eager to have both Cullen and O’Driscoll on the field in what will be an important away fixture.
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