RUGBY:LEINSTER FORWARDS coach Jono Gibbes was playing the squad card yesterday. The turnaround of a couple of days ensured Leinster had less anxious faces than they did when a string of players hobbled off during their Magners League semi-final against Ulster on Friday night.
Heineken Cup final week brought a smile on the faces at the RDS and although Brian O’Driscoll, Richardt Strauss and Isaac Boss did not train, there was confidence that all three would be central to plans by tomorrow.
In addition, Leinster’s most capped Heineken Cup player, Shane Horgan, who did not feature in the Ulster game, is expected to take part in full training. With 27 Heineken Cup tries, Horgan is just three behind O’Driscoll. Still, with a spirit of positivism sweeping the ground, Gibbes stuck to his more cautionary view.
“Obviously the first couple of days will be just letting it settle down and get the inflammation out of it,” said Gibbes on O’Driscoll’s problematic right knee. “He’ll do non-weight -bearing sort of stuff Wednesday, Thursday and I would think at captain’s run they’ll have a look at him.”
That seemed less convincing than the all-clear smiles around the training session, including that of the outside centre. Best then to keep Northampton guessing, and although the English side were injury-free after a battle against Leicester at the weekend, England flanker Tom Woods’ recovery from a back injury looks now, extremely doubtful.
“Drico’s probably the one that it’s going to be a bit more wait and see,” added Gibbes. “Positive with everyone else and as the week progresses I think they’ll all get a hell of a lot better. Drico’s going to take the most time and is the most concerning of the lot. One of the positive spin-offs is that we’ve got guys like Ferg (McFadden) and Eoin O’Malley that can slot in and do a job if need be.”
The roll call went Boss (hamstring), Strauss (hip), Seán O’Brien (cut above eye), Mike Ross (shoulder) all good to go. And in truth Strauss had been causing as much anxiety as O’Driscoll. Back-up hooker, 22-year-old Jason Harris-Wright, has started only three matches this season and behind him is the less-experienced Clontarf man, Aaron Dundon.
A more serious injury to Strauss would have left the frontrow cover exposed. And the scrum, as Gibbes acknowledged, is again going to be a hugely competitive area, with Northampton’s wrecking ball loosehead prop Soane Tonga’uiha particularly impressing this season.
Leinster have successfully structured their season around rotation and injury and will do everything to field their strongest players, even if, as Jonny Sexton was last match out, only 90 per cent fit.
“Yeah, for most of the year that is the policy because we’ve got a squad and we have to use them,” explained Gibbes. “I think you have to balance that with this being a special one-off game, so there’s a bit of latitude there. But you have to be battle ready, especially because of who we’re playing against.”
