Seán O'Brien's injury enforced sabbatical looks like coming to an end as he is expected to play some part in the Ireland Wolfhounds game against the England Saxons in Musgrave Park on Friday night.
The official medical update from the Ireland training is that Dave Kearney, Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan could all be available for selection for Ireland's opening Six Nations Championship match against Italy in Rome on Saturday week.
O’Brien, the Leinster, Ireland and Lions flanker, required further surgery to his left shoulder last October after he picked up an infection in the joint from a similar procedure the previous season. His projected date for a return was in March but he’s cut short that timeframe and having trained flat out all last week with Leinster, he’s also had a full involvement in the Ireland session at Carton House.
The Irish skills and kicking coach, Richie Murphy confirmed: “Seán trained fully today, trained last week in Leinster and has taken part in all the sessions. There is a possibility that he will be available this week. Cian (Healy) is a little further behind but is doing pretty well,” the latter a reference to the Leinster, Ireland and Lions prop, who had originally been ahead of O’Brien in a return to play date.
There was further good news on the injury front with a positive appraisal in regard to Dave Kearney (shoulder) and a cautiously optimistic prognosis in relation to Murray (neck) and Reddan (knee). Murphy first addressed the Dave Kearney situation. “It wasn’t as bad as first feared. He came down heavily on that shoulder, it’s very badly bruised, but they (the medical team) are hoping for a speedy recovery and he should be available for next week, which we didn’t think towards the end of the game (Leinster’s draw with Wasps).
On the issue of the two scrumhalves, the bulletin was also upbeat, albeit tempered by the fact that Murray would see a specialist for a further scan during the week. Murphy explained: “Both guys look like they’ll be fit. Eoin’s knee injury is not as bad as first feared. In the last 24 hours he’s seen a massive improvement.
“We are hoping that both of those guys will be ready for next week and if they’re not it opens up an opportunity for Isaac Boss and Kieran Marmion to come back in.
“He has (Murray) been struggling with it (disc problem in his neck) for a while. He’s going to see someone during the week and we will get a better idea then. He trained today, he’s done a lot of fitness work and we are hopeful that he will be fit for next week. At this stage we have no further update.
Murphy also explained that Munster and Ireland secondrow Dave Foley is "pretty unlikely to be available" for the Italy match after sustaining a wrist ligament injury in Munster's victory over the Sale Sharks. The player will find out if he needs surgical intervention later in the week. Keith Earls shows no ill effects to a tight groin that saw him replaced against Sale and trained fully.
Murphy also suggested that Leinster outhalf Ian Madigan will be given the number 10 jersey for the Ireland Wolfhounds in Cork on Friday night and that the Leinster player faces a straight shoot-out with his Munster counterpart Ian Keatley for the starting role in the match against Italy.
“Well it would be pretty close to that (a battle between the Ians). They are the two 10s in camp with Noel Reid backing them up. It looks like the two Ians will be in competition for that place.”
Madigan’s lack of consistent game time at outhalf is the reason why he’ll be given a chance to run the Wolfhounds team. Murphy explained: “It’s definitely an issue. But when he has played there this year he has been pretty good. Joe (Schmidt) will have to make a decision on that later in the week.
“It might be an opportunity for Ian Madigan to get a little bit of game time at 10. If that comes to pass he is in a little bit better position going forward. Ian Keatley has played loads of rugby at 10; we kind of know where he is.”
Jonathan Sexton, is expect to be given full clearance by his Paris neurosurgeon, to return to contact starting the week of Ireland's Six Nations game against France. Murphy suggested that there was no reason why he wouldn't be considered immediately for selection, even though it would be his first contact work in 12 weeks.
“No, he’s not taking contact (at the moment). He can’t take contact until the three months is up and that would be the week of the French match. Until that time it looks like he is going to be out but he trained today, did all the handling stuff, all the non-contact training and all the fitness work so he’s looking very fit and very fresh.”
Would that preclude his immediate selection for Paris? “Not really because he has been training hard for the last couple of months. It’s not like a player coming back injury where he hasn’t been able to do anything and is thrown in that week. You’d fancy that because he’s been doing all the handling, all the kicking, all that kind of stuff, the contact stuff will fall into place that week.”
The Ireland Wolfhounds team to take on the Saxons will be announced on Thursday.
