The IRFU is likely to give an update on Joey Carbery in the next 48 hours after his Munster coach Graham Rowntree confirmed the out-half suffered a shoulder injury in the 54th minute of their 27-13 defeat by Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday.
Carbery appeared to extend his shoulder when tackling Scott Penny from behind as the Leinster flanker tried to break clear and, appearing in discomfort, was immediately replaced. He and the rest of the squad are due to assemble in the IRFU HPC this evening.
Rowntree said the injury would need to be assessed over the next couple of days, and this adds to the plethora of injury concerns for Andy Farrell, who was among the 45,000-plus attendance.
The net effect is that the uncapped Ciarán Frawley could be thrust into the Irish match-day squad for Ireland’s opening Autumn Series game against the world champions South Africa at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday week.
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In his first ever start at full-back for Leinster, the 24-year-old possibly even became one of the candidates to fill that role were Hugo Keenan, having been sidelined this season so far, ruled out.
Along with Johnny Sexton and Carbery, Frawley is the only other nominated out-half in the Irish squad, but Leo Cullen is in no doubt that the versatile back is capable of performing well at Test level. “Definitely, yeah. Ciarán is a quality rugby player so wherever he ends up playing...and similar to Joey, wherever Joey ends up playing, he played here at 15 primarily and obviously I don’t know the extent [of his injury].”
Frawley also departed with a shoulder injury, but Cullen said: “He had a bang on the shoulder, but he wasn’t too bad.”
Tadgh Furlong was also a late withdrawal, adding to the absence of eight other Irish squad members from this game as well as the eight-strong Ulster contingent who were laid low by an outbreak of gastroenteritis in their squad which forced the cancellation of their game in South Africa against the Sharks in Durban last Saturday.
But Cullen played down Furlong’s absence with an ankle injury after Saturday’s game. “Tadhg is okay. He rolled his ankle on Thursday. When we were here yesterday, I thought he would be okay. He didn’t do the team run, he was pretty confident he wanted to give it until this morning, he was confident he’d be okay.
“He woke this morning and there was still a bit of swelling, so it was the right decision, it wasn’t worth the risk. A different type of game, a different type of year he would have played, that’s my take on things. But we gave him as much time as we could.”
At least Sexton, the Leinster and Irish captain and talisman, came through 80 minutes and looks as well primed as ever heading into another November window.
“Johnny is leading the group well; hungry as ever. That’s what you want. Very good this week. Wears his heart on his sleeve. You see that in the Sharks game where he gets the crowd gong, the whole shebang. Even here today he’s frustrated with the way we’re going in the game, frustrated with some of the decisions that are taking place during the game because it means a lot to him, and that’s what you want to see.”
Munster also saw Jean Kleyn depart with what appeared a rib injury, and Jack O’Sullivan was helped off with an ankle or leg injury, and such is their casualty list in addition to having eight players in the Irish squad that Rowntree did not rule out the possibility of a short-term signing. “Potentially. We’ll dust ourselves down and maybe look at that.”
Munster go into their final game of this opening seven-match block against Ulster at Thomond Park next Saturday in 12th place. Given they are 17 points adrift of Leinster and 10 behind Ulster, it would appear a must-win game, although Rowntree countered: “When is it not a big game? Coming off a defeat as well, of course it’s a big game. We’re at Thomond Park and it will be great for that support playing at home. They’re all big games.
“Momentum wise, we deserve more from tonight and I’ve got to drive that with the lads, because they’re down, they’re young men and they’re down, and I’ve got the experience to pick them up, show them what we’re doing well, show them what we can do better. That’s our jobs.”
Ulster confirmed that 29 players and 13 support staff were unwell whilst in Durban in the lead-up to Saturday’s postponed fixture, adding: “Independent medical testing confirmed both E. coli and Norovirus in tested samples.
“Ahead of the upcoming Round 7 fixture versus Munster next Saturday, the travelling squad is due back in Belfast on Monday lunchtime and will start preparations later this week, together with the wider playing group, for the upcoming URC game.”
