LEINSTER HEAD COACH Leo Cullen says Tadhg Furlong should be available for Ireland’s opening November Series clash against the Springboks on Saturday week, but admits it’s ‘case by case’ when it comes to some of the province’s other high-profile injury concerns.

The Leinster tighthead pulled out of Saturday’s URC clash with Munster after rolling his ankle during the week, while Hugo Keenan (abdominal/knee) , Josh van der Flier (ankle) and Jamison Gibson-Park (hamstring) are all in a race against time ahead of the meeting with South Africa at Aviva Stadium on 5 November.

“He should be fine,” Cullen said of Furlong, before stressing the need for caution with a player who has clocked just 40 minutes for the province this season.

“We thought he was going to be fine last week. He rolled his ankle on Thursday, on Friday we thought he’d be okay, Saturday morning, I said to Tadhg on Friday, we were happy to make the call at that point and he was keen to give it another day on Friday.

He is doing his single leg hops to test his ankle joint. Still feels, little bit of swelling, and he made the call, the lads were prepped in terms of Mike (Ala’alatoa) and Tom Clarkson as well. That’s where we’ve left it, he’s in (Ireland) camp this week. I would expect him to be able to train fully, so we didn’t take the chance of him playing a game.

“Does he get through all the training, there are other steps that I’m not even going to be witnessing what’s going on there but I don’t know. The way I understand it, he should be fine.”

Cullen was then asked to provide more detail on Van der Flier and Gibson-Park, after the province stated both players would need to be further assessed by the IRFU’s medical team this week.

“Case by case. Jamison is getting very close but, again, that’s their (Ireland’s) call and what they’re willing to do, what did they see at training. It’s case by case, they’ll all be very close. But that’s their call on what they’re willing to do and what they see at training. It’s case by case but they are all very close. Whether they make it or not I don’t know.” 

Keenan is also due to be assessed in Ireland camp this week but is believed to be close to a full recovery. However, like Gibson-Park, he has yet to feature for Leinster this season so there would be a risk in throwing the fullback in from the start against South Africa.

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is due to to speak to the media later today, where he will likely provide further clarity around a troubling injury list.

Meanwhile, Cullen also reflected on an attritional battle with Munster where the visitors saw two players yellow carded.

Keynan Knox was sent to the line after crashing a forearm into James Ryan, before Jean Kleyn saw yellow following a heavy collision with Jamie Osborne which saw the Leinster winger removed for a HIA, and now set to miss the Scarlets game as a result.

Leinster have contacted URC officials for clarification around the Osborne/Kleyn incident. 

“I didn’t think there was a huge amount in the first one, the Keynan Knox one, in terms of the action, he needs to be able to control the action, you’re talking about contact with the head,” Cullen said.

Jamie Osborne was on the end of a heavy collision with Munster's Jean Kleyn. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

“The second one (involving Kleyn and Osborne), there’s a bit of a split view over that in terms of the referees is the sense I get. I think some people, there’s very differing viewpoints there on the incident is the way I’m getting feedback, it depends which side of the fence you’re on.”

“It’s a yellow card, people say it could have been a sanction up, but I think it’s been dealt with quite well.

“When I look back on that, I think well, at least they’ve dealt with the action, people can debate should it be more or less, but it’s been dealt with there on the day.

“The referees have a bloody hard job there. That’s the respect piece from our point of view, we need to have that as well so that’s the important part for the game, to continue to have that in how we interact because it’s bloody hard for the referee, there’s a lot of moving parts when you’re dealing with certain facets of the game.

“At the breakdown you have players coming in from either side, for a scrum where does a referee set himself up versus the AR on one side messaging in something, someone else from the other side messaging in something, he’s trying to control offside lines, a lineout maul players coming in at the side, players getting bumps in the air or off the ball, there’s so many things going on all the time, so it’s an incredibly hard game to referee.

“So it’s important that we all have that level of respect for the referee and encourage them to keep at their craft as well because you want the best people to be involved in the game all the time.”

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