LEINSTER AND IRELAND flanker Sean O’Brien visited a specialist this morning in an attempt to add clarity to his ongoing inner ear problem, vestibular impairment.
O’Brien has not played or taken full contact training since being replaced after a head injury assessment during Leinster’s Champions Cup loss to Wasps three weeks ago.
Since being diagnosed with vestibular impairment, the condition- which can present symptoms of vertigo, imbalance and distorted vision – has left Leinster unable to provide a time-frame for the openside’s return.
“Not full contact (training), he’s doing everything bar,” said defence coach Kurt McQuilkin about the Tullow man’s programme today.
“He’s training, but it’s still the inner ear issue. He had to go see the specialist this morning to see… it has improved, it’s just whether it’s improved enough for him to step out on the track at the weekend.”
Toulon on Sunday would appear to be an extremely optimistic return date from a sensitive issue that requires specialist consultation, however.
As you can imagine, Sean is a guy that wants to be playing rugby. So we’re hoping we’ll get good feedback from the specialist this afternoon at some stage.”
As the weekend clash with Glasgow Warriors was called off due to Storm Desmond, Leinster at least have no new injury concerns to add to the list. Instead, the existing issues for scrum-half Luke McGrath and centre Noel Reid have turned out to be ‘worse than expected’.
Having initially ruled him in contention to face Glasgow and then Toulon, McQuilkin now adjudges McGrath to be ‘a couple of weeks’ away from a return to fitness following a medial ligament strain in his knee.
There is also ligament damage in Noel Reid’s ankle after he rolled the joint in the win over Ulster. The 25-year-old will not return to the field until the New Year.
Jack O’Donohue may as well go to France, along with Carty. What is Lowe doing in there still?
@Richard James: whatever about the other 2 O’Donoghue needs to oust O’Mahony at 6 for Munster if he wants to get back into the Irish fold. Unlucky man out for me would be Paul Boyle in that backrow.
@Cian O’Toole: he is now a better player than POM in my eyes, but POM brings a X-factor like few can. POM is also lucky to be there but he keeps doing the extraordinary bits.
@Richard James: What is X factor!? He’s either a better player for the team or he isn’t. I actually think he is better than O’Mahony, or certainly would be if he wasn’t being shoehorned into playing 7 all the time which he simply isn’t. Pity as I think he could be a very good 6.
@Richard James: i believe the primary reason Carty turned down Clermont was for a shot at Ireland. (Same with Marmion and Saracens). Sure that’s probably that.
@Richard James: Lowe is a shocking call… rees-zammit tearing down the wing at Lowe is a try 10 times outta 10
@Cathal Carr: do you honestly believe either of those 2 would be first choice at either of those clubs? Get more money to sit on the bench or stay and play at home?
@Chris Mc: I do. Because Mark McCall confirmed as such in Marmion’s case, when Aled Davies was announced a few months after.
Give me Kevin Maggs and 14 Dricos
@Sam Murray: the lineouts might be a potential weakness
Dan Sheehan is a serious underdog. The lads a beast and seriously quick.
I’m surprised the42 hasn’t mentioned that the urc refs review has come down in favour of cloete’s try the other day and reckon that beirne was onside after all. Like a lot of Irish media outlets they were very quick to back Andy friends outburst and join in the kicking of Busby and the tmo when even at the time it looked an incredibly tight call. The hypocrisy around slating rassie for anti-ref opinions and lauding friend sticks out to me
@Tim Magner: they are referring it to World Rugby as they aren’t certain. So maybe hold fire there. The statement read as an attempt to find some way to justify the decision. But to me the laws are clear. A player who is in front of the kicker must retreat to either behind the kicker or behind a player who was onside when the ball was kicked. Beirne very clearly did neither of those things. This “the only part of his body that was touching the ground when the ball was kicked” guff is simply that. If a player tried that on try line defence do you think it would be allowed? Of course not.
@John Molloy: it’s funny cos the whole gist of it after the game was that he was a mile offside
@Tim Magner: it wasn’t reviewed that is the point but Connachts disallowed try was for 2 minutes. It’s called consistency and fairness that’s all anybody wants.
@bullfrogblues: precisely, it’s the inconsistencies that are peeing off Friend and what he actually complained about. And Connacht historically have borne the brunt, and especially so in Interpro’s…
@Tim Magner: Outburst you say?, Hahaha, good one. Friendy is probably the quietest spoken bloke in Rugby, totally un-Australian. The reason the officials were rigthly criticised was they didn’t even review what you admit was at least an obviously very tight call..
@Sea__Point: friend said nothing about anyone reviewing anything. He’s quoted on this site as saying ‘to me, that try and the missed offside, that’s inexcusable’
@Tim Magner: tim the urc backing its officials is one thing but do you in all honestly believe he was onside?
@Chris Mc: I really have no idea, it’s incredibly tight & could have gone either way. The fact the ref gave onfield try negates a lot of the controversy for me. There’s definitely not enough there for a tmo to get him to reverse his decision
@Tim Magner: Yup, he was in-line, doesn’t matter no one wants to hear it. Connacht missed a golden opportunity with Munster offering it to them on a plate. They should be mad at themselves.
The thing we keep seeing is we are not looking at the next world Cup, we are looking at the here and now. As soon as the world Cup is over New Zealand looks at the squad and age profile and starts building, we keep picking players who are hanging on because of what they did in the past instead of bringing through the next players for this and the next world cup
NO.
BOX.
KICKING.