Johnny Sexton could be fit to lead Ireland in Six Nations opener

Leinster head coach Leo Cullen offered a positive prognosis when suggesting that Johnny Sexton could return in time for the Six Nations Championship, following surgery on a facial injury sustained in a clash of heads with Connacht’s Jarrad Butler at the RDS on New Year’s Day.

Cullen addressed the issue in the aftermath of Leinster’s 24-19 United Rugby Championship victory over the Ospreys in Swansea. He explained: “Johnny Sexton won’t feature next week [end],” a reference to the province’s Heineken Champions Cup pool match against Gloucester at Kingsholm on Saturday (1pm kick-off).

[ Bench boost sees Leinster recover from sluggish start to see off the Ospreys ]

He continued: “You are only talking weeks, it’s all about how it settles down and how he [Sexton] heals. It’s reasonably minor, a few weeks, but next weekend will definitely be too soon.”

Leinster then play their final European pool match against Racing 92 at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday week.

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Ireland’s opening fixture in the Six Nations Championship is in 26 days against Wales in the Principality stadium on Saturday, February 4th.

The Irish squad head for a seven-day training camp in Portugal on the week before the opening match and will fly directly from there to Cardiff on the Thursday, two days out from the opening fixture.

It’s more than likely that Sexton will go to Portugal irrespective of whether he is ready to play against Wales or not. The original prognosis was that the outhalf might be sidelined for six weeks, missing the Welsh and French Six Nations games but Cullen’s upbeat update suggests that the Irish captain may be fit in time to start the tournament.

From a Leinster perspective, though, Ross is likely to win the battle of the Byrne brothers to start ahead of Harry for the Gloucester match, in a role reversal from the win over the Ospreys where Harry started, and Ross came on to steer the team home.

Cullen said: “I thought Harry Byrne was good in his first start of the season and it was good for him to get through 55 minutes.

“Ross Byrne then came on after he wasn’t involved the previous weekend because Johnny played. We have started three different No 10s in our last three games, and similarly at number nine.

“It’s all about people getting genuine opportunity and ensuring everyone is ready for the big games when they are called upon. That’s what we’ve been focusing on in the last three weeks and it has been particularly pleasing to get two big wins away at Munster and here.”

Meanwhile Munster have been linked with signing South African hooker Malcolm Marx who would be available to join the province after helping the Springboks defend their World Cup title in France in the autumn.

French Top 14 club Clermont Auvergne were reported to have expressed an interest in the player, but they recently agreed a deal with Australia’s Folau Fainga’a.

The story was broken by Rugbypass.com at the weekend who claimed that Munster have “tabled a sizeable deal” to try and persuade one of the most sought-after forwards in the global game and a former world player of the year nominee to join the province.

The 28-year-old Marx has spent the last two years in Japan, the most recent of which with Kubota Spears.

Munster’s current hooking options are home-grown, led by Irish international Niall Scannell (30), Diarmuid Barron (24) and Scott Buckley (22) while Irish-qualified Chris Moore has yet to make a senior appearance for the province since joining from Exeter University last summer.

The IRFU would have to approve the move – Munster might consider private investors to help finance any contract – but the fact that there are no non-Irish qualified players in that position in the other three provinces will be in Munster’s favour.