Paul O'Connell, Anthony Horgan, Anthony Foley and Jim Williams remain major doubts for next Saturday's Heineken Cup final in Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, and possibly in that order. Both the Munster and Leinster line-ups will be announced at a joint press conference in Cardiff at 2.00 p.m. on Friday.
Williams is the only one of the injured quartet to have taken part in a final warm-up game between a Munster selection and an under-21 selection in Coonagh last Saturday, when playing without any reaction to the injury for the first period, and even then it was his first outing of any kind since tearing a calf muscle in the 6-6 draw with Leinster on April 19th.
Foley, who damaged his A/C joint in the same game, has not done any contact work since. Manager Jerry Holland admits that O'Connell, who injured his ankle against Ulster last Friday week, looks the biggest doubt of all, with Foley not far behind, whereas Horgan might just recover in time from the shoulder injury he sustained in the Ulster game.
"We'll see how they progress during the week and we'll give them every chance," admitted Holland. "It's too big a game to not give them an opportunity to prove their fitness though we are obliged to name the side by Friday and realistically they would have to be able to take some contact work by then. If one guy isn't 100 per cent you can't take that chance." Leinster yesterday confirmed that the 26-year-old one-time New South Wales Waratahs out-half Christian Warner has joined them on a two-year contract. Though Warner is regarded as something of a utility back, Matt Williams yesterday made it clear that he sees the 26-year-old as ostensibly an out-half in light of Nathan Spooner being sidelined until November or December due to another shoulder operation.
Based for the last year at Pau in France, moving between outhalf and full back, Warner has played 43 times for the Waratahs, where he worked with Williams for three years, as well as playing for Australia at U-19, U-21 and A levels.
"I've had great faith in Christian over the years and it was great to be able to offer him an opportunity to come to Ireland," said Williams. "The opportunity sold itself. I'm absolutely delighted and I'm sure the Leinster supporters in the next couple of years will be delighted also." Williams admitted that Warner would need to brush up on his goalkicking and co-incidentally, Leinster utilised the expertise of kicking coach Mike Byrne for the first time in Anglesea Road yesterday. An Australian who has had extensive experience in both codes, Byrne has worked with the Waratahs and the Wallabies. Byrne is currently employed by the Scottish RFU and it is expected that he will be employed by Leinster again.
Williams revealed that he doesn't intend to add further to his squad from abroad, even though the departure of Bob Casey and Trevor Brennan leaves the Celtic League and Interpro champions a little thin in the second row. Williams believes this will give opportunities to Niall Breslin, Graham Quinn and Ben Gissing though it is believed Munster's Donnacha O'Callaghan and Ulster's Aidan Kearney are out of contract.
