Leinster and Ireland were dealt a blow as winger Jimmy O’Brien is set for a long spell on the sidelines with a neck injury, the province have announced.
It comes as Connacht’s Mack Hansen has also been ruled out of the tournament through injury. O’Brien is set to be out of action for a “number of months”.
In other injury news, Leo Cullen has said James Ryan will be further assessed this week before a decision is made on selection against Stade Français in the Aviva on Saturday (5.30pm KO).
Martin Moloney joins O’Brien on the sidelines after picking up a bicep injury. Alex Soroka picked up a foot injury in training and will be unavailable this week. There are no further updates on Charlie Ngatai (calf), Cormac Foley (shoulder), Ross Byrne (arm) and Jamie Osborne (shoulder).
The Counter Ruck: the rugby newsletter from The Irish Times
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Jimmy O’Brien has eight Ireland caps and was included in Ireland’s Rugby World Cup squad. He has made 76 appearances for Leinster, scoring 114 points.
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