Rugby:Leinster were keeping their cards close to their chest today regarding the well-being of their injury concerns ahead of this weekend's Heineken Cup final. Brian O'Driscoll, Richardt Strauss and Isaac Boss were all expected to be available to train this morning if required after picking up various injuries last Friday night.
Although the rest of the squad were on a rest day, O’Driscoll, Strauss and Boss were due to be assessed after sitting out training earlier in the week. What, if any, part the three were able to play today was not disclosed by the province with a spokesman explaining that no update would be issued before a scheduled press conference tomorrow afternoon.
O’Driscoll suffered a knee injury against Ulster, limping off at half-time, and forwards coach Jonno Gibbes suggested earlier in the week that a final decision on his involvement would not be taken until the Captain’s Run on Friday.
Boss, who felt a twinge in his hamstring, is another doubt for coach Joe Schmidt. And while O’Driscoll and Boss’s absences would be keenly felt by the 2009 winners, it is the potential loss of Strauss that is perhaps the most troubling for the Leinster management team. O’Driscoll has a ready-made replacement in Fergus McFadden while Eoin Reddan has been preferred ahead of Boss in both the quarter and semi-finals.
But against a battle-hardened Northampton pack, the Leinster frontrow would be seriously weakened should Strauss fail to recover from the bruised hip suffered at the RDS. While Jason Harris-Wright and Aaron Dundon, Strauss’s understudies at hooker, are not without their merits neither can be expected to mach the hugely impressive South African’s all-round game.
Northampton, meanwhile, have confirmed that England flanker Tom Wood will play no part in the decider at the Millennium Stadium after he failed to recover from a long-term leg injury in time.
Wood, the English Premiership player of the year, has lost his battle with the hairline leg fracture he sustained against Gloucester on April 19th.
“Tom is out. He trained yesterday with the team but it’s one week too soon,” said Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder.
Wood, who has enjoyed an outstanding debut season at Franklin’s Gardens that included his England debut, had been sleeping in an oxygen tent in the hope of speeding up his recovery.
Mallinder is disappointed to lose the 24-year-old but believes his absence is tempered by an otherwise clean bill of health.
“Tom is not 100 per cent fit. He’s very, very close and I guess if we were a desperate team we could have taken the chance with him,” continued Mallinder. “But it’s not worth it. We have a strong squad who have been playing well and unfortunately he won’t be running out on Saturday. It’s a big blow but when you get to this stage of the season with only one player out, then you’d probably take it.”
Mallinder confirmed that England winger Chris Ashton is fit to play despite requiring stitches after being punched by Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi in Saturday’s Premiership semi-final defeat.
“Chris is fine. He took a heavy blow. He wasn’t concussed or knocked out and carried on playing,” said Mallinder. “It’s been out in the press about his knee injury and that’s been ongoing for a couple of months. That’s not an issue.
“He will be full on for Saturday. He’s sat out contact training — he’d already got a split above one eye before that incident. The doctor was busy at half time, he was busy stitching up both eyes, but Chris is fine.”
