IRELAND CAPTAIN Paul O’Connell and scrum-half Conor Murray will miss the final two games of this year’s RBS Six Nations with knee injuries.
The Munster pair underwent scans to assess knocks which they picked up during yesterday’s drawn game against France, and were immediately ruled out of the visit of Scotland as well as the tournament finale against England in Twickenham.
O’Connell now appears to be a major doubt for Munster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final against Ulster on Easter Sunday, 8 April. The second row was able to play through until the final whistle after twisting his left knee, but today’s scan showed that he has damaged his medial collateral ligament.
He is expected to need three to six weeks to recover, an IRFU injury update said this afternoon.
Murray was helped off the field in the 59th minute after landing awkwardly on his right knee while contesting a high ball. A scan revealed that he has bruised bone in his joint, although there is no significant ligament damage and he should be back in action in three to four weeks.
Murray’s Munster team-mate Tomás O’Leary and Connacht forward Mike McCarthy have been called up to the squad as cover ahead of Saturday’s game against the Scots.