MUNSTER HAVE DOUBTS over the fitness of captain Peter O’Mahony for their meeting with Toulouse on Saturday afternoon.
The 31-year-old flanker could be absent for the last-16 Champions Cup clash at Thomond Park after he was hurt during his side’s game against Leinster on Saturday.
O’Mahony sustained a deep laceration to his thigh, with head coach Johann van Graan admitting that “it didn’t look good” in the aftermath of the Guinness Pro14 final defeat at the RDS.
In an injury bulletin issued this morning, the southern province said that the Corkman will be assessed over the coming days and a decision on his involvement against the French giants will be made later in the week.
The fitness of Fineen Wycherley will also be monitored as the week progresses, with the 23-year-old lock continuing to rehabilitate a neck injury.
Scrum-half Paddy Patterson is set for a spell on the sidelines after the Leinster loanee underwent surgery on the ankle injury he picked up in the recent win against Benetton.
However, there’s better news for Dan Goggin, who has spent the past two months on the sidelines with a hand injury that required an operation. The 26-year-old centre has now returned to training.
At this moment in time, Jack O’Donoghue might be an upgrade to the back row. Coombes is the one that Munster cant afford to miss time. He was next level on Saturday.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: and I even think Coombes is better at 6 than 8
@Macca1986: better at 8 than 6, sorry.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: agreed, cj, ruddock must be scratching their heads at how Pom got 2 year with the irfu. He was brilliant on his day but that day is too irregular nowadays.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: How J.O.D doesn’t get a starting place in that Munster team is unbelievable. He is a serious athlete and makes a difference every appearance. If he moved to Connaught or Ulster he would be first name on their team sheet
@Will: That you Liam Toland ?
@Will: that you Liam Toland?
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: yeah JOD has had a great year, lots of eye-catching carries. POM looked wrecked at the weekend.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: based on what, it is certainly not form. Add in the fact POM can play 7 and gives a more balanced back row.
Coombes was great at carrying but he needs to hugely improve his defence; 5 missed tackles is too many.
@B Collins: yet he had 1 carry against Leinster and went backwards.
@John Buckley: I dont know what balance he offered in the time he was playing on Saturday. O’Donoghue is more abrasive I’d say. POM really brings value to the lineout but that’s not really a massive USP.
@#JUSTICE4NOEL: it was a lot more ballance than JOD offered and the stats show it. 10 tackles in 49 minutes from a man you constantly state can’t tackle shows you have no clue and are just continuing your vendetta against POM.
@Macca1986: Has to be 8….
@Macca1986: Has to be 8..
@John Buckley: No vendetta. Just say it as I see it. I think you might slightly embellish the impact that POM has. Nevertheless, each to their own.
@Seán Upton: you got me….
Wouldn’t see this as a bad thing as a Munster fan. O’donoghue brought more energy and power in 15 mins than o mahony in 65. O mahony has been out of form for way too long.
@hypebeast: …yeah, to be honest!! One of his biggest fans but looked a shadow of his former self last Sat.
@Michael Murray: as did every munster player
@hypebeast: can you get anything right? POM played 49mins to JODs 31 minutes.
POM made more passes, tackles (10 in 49minutes for the people who say he doesn’t tackle), defenders beaten and carried for more meters than JOD. In fact JOD doesn’t beat him on any stat, so who had the bigger impact?
POM has been in great form this season, it’s a blatant lie if you state otherwise.
Better off without him – his biggest attribute lately is going missing in big games !
Doesn’t matter if he’s injured, the angry face and pashun will do the job.
you’ll probably see munster rise for this game and couldn’t put in a performance last weekend
@Macca1986: Couldn’t or weren’t left put a performance in by a better more physical team. Can’t rise and play with 30% of the ball.
@Alan Noonan: I love pain so re-watched it last night, the amount of missed tackles was horrendous, that is not Leinster being brilliant its Munster being sloppy. The aggression Leinster showed was top drawer, munster lay down too easy and let them walk over us. Shocking level of performance for a final.
@Ronan: Pressure, physicality and tempo leads to missed tackles. Defending for that long also.
@Ronan: Going back over the years Munster have had a habit of doing that the week before a Heineken game and played out of their skins.
Was always a league came though never a final.
Hopefully we can show our best form on Saturday.
@Alan Noonan: Alan a lot of the missed tackles happened in the first 20 minutes. Been a problem all year.