Leinster admit ‘alarm bells’ ringing over Tadhg Furlong but Ireland back returns after nine weeks on the sidelines
Tadhg Furlong has become a Leinster injury doubt in the week that James Lowe, inset, has returned to training
Leinster have been given another headache at prop with Tadhg Furlong now a doubt for next Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup semi-final, along with Andrew Porter.
The duo has been Andy Farrell’s respective first choice picks for Ireland at tighthead and loosehead for quite some time, but the injury frustrations that both experienced in the recent Six Nations have now resurfaced at Leinster.
Porter, who didn’t play at all in Ireland’s Triple Crown-winning campaign, has been sidelined since playing for his club in their round of 16 win over Edinburgh on April 5.
Furlong, who returned at Test level as a second-half sub versus Italy in round two before starting the next three matches, suffered his latest setback last Saturday at Benetton.
“Tough when you’ve got a history of injuries…”
Leinster lost that United Rugby Championship encounter in Treviso 29-26 after conceding 10 points in the closing 10 minutes, long after Furlong had exited the fray in the first half.
There was no specific update about Porter in the club’s latest injury update on Monday, but it stated that Furlong “is due to be further assessed” before a decision is taken on his availability to take on Toulon.
Porter was replaced by Alex Usanov for Leinster’s quarter-final against Sale, but Usanov was injured early in that match, replaced by Jerry Cahir and isn’t an option for next weekend. Thomas Clarkson, meanwhile, has been providing cover at tighthead for Furlong.
Speaking about the Furlong situation, assistant coach Robin McBryde told RTE Sport: “It’s tough when you’ve got a history of injuries. Alarm bells are going to ring pretty quickly at the slightest feel of anything. We’re going to have to assess that and see how he goes. Hopefully, it will be nothing too bad.”
In happier news, Leinster confirmed that James Lowe was back in training, having not played in nine weeks since limping out of Ireland’s February 21 win over England. A Leinster statement read: “James Lowe, Diarmuid Mangan and Jordan Larmour all return to training this week with further assessment required ahead of the weekend.
“Tadhg Furlong is due to be further assessed for an injury he picked up against Benetton on Saturday, and a decision will be made on his availability later in the week. Charlie Tector is not available for selection after sustaining a shoulder injury on Saturday. There are no further updates on Ryan Baird, Jack Boyle, Paddy McCarthy, RG Snyman and Alex Usanov.”
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