Guinness Pro12: A draw will do for Leinster when they take on Edinburgh

Team will work with what they’ve got, says assistant coach

Leinster assistant coach Richie Murphy: “Our squad is our squad.” Photograph: Ryan Byrne/INPHO
Leinster assistant coach Richie Murphy: “Our squad is our squad.” Photograph: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Leinster can't seem to get away from reminders of their travails in this season's Guinness Pro12, the latest being their lack of representatives on the team of the season. Ulster's Craig Gilroy, Rory Best and Franco van der Merwe, Munster duo Tommy O'Donnell and CJ Stander and Connacht's Robbie Henshaw and Denis Buckley are thoroughly merited inclusions.

There is still a little business to be attended to from a Leinster perspective when they travel to Murrayfield this Saturday to take on Edinburgh, knowing that a victory – a draw would suffice – will copperfasten fifth spot in the league table without recourse to other results.

Neck surgery

Leinster assistant coach

Richie Murphy

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offered an update, such as there is at this point, on the neck surgery that

Cian Healy

underwent last week: “The operation went well. He’s had some pain relief already and they’re really happy with that. The process would suggest that he will be fit and fine for the

World Cup

. He should play some part in those games [World Cup warm-up matches in August] as well. It depends, once he starts rehab, we will get a better idea of where he is.”

Murphy confirmed that Shane Jennings should be fit to play against Edinburgh in what would be his last appearance in a Leinster jersey as he retires at the end of the season, but with Gordon D’Arcy and his wife Aoife expecting their first child, he may be excused a trip to Edinburgh.

Darragh Fanning requires a minor wrist surgery procedure. “All the major ones are done. The reports are that they are all progressing well with the rehab,” a reference to Marty Moore, Sean Cronin and Luke Fitzgerald.

No major arrivals

Leinster weren’t expecting any major new arrivals to bolster the squad either now or when they’ll have to watch up to 20 of their squad depart for the

Rugby World Cup

. “Our squad is our squad. There might be one or two guys you might be able to call on from outside to bolster it.

“That’s why you have an academy and a strong academy. Those guys are going to have a lot of pressure on them early season when they are going to have to play games. I don’t think there is going to be a massive amount of people [coming in] from outside.

“A lot of those lads have spent time with us over the past couple of weeks. Although they aren’t getting game time at that level we are trying to integrate them into our squad and our way of thinking in what we are trying to do.

“The likes of Garry [Ringrose], Cian Kelleher and Ross Moloney, these guys are in regularly with us and attending the senior meetings. That’s the process we are going through at the moment.”

Pro12 Team of the Season

15 Liam Williams (Scarlets), 11 starts, 6 tries, 800 mins played

14 Tommy Seymour (Glasgow), 11 starts, 1 rep, 4 tries, 888 mins

13 Robbie Henshaw (Connacht), 11 starts, 1 try, 874 mins

12 Peter Horne (Glasgow), 19 starts, 6 tries, 15 con, 13 pens, 99 pts, 1,274 mins

11 Craig Gilroy (Ulster), 15 starts, 2 reps, 11 tries, 1,258 mins

10 Dan Biggar (Ospreys), 13 starts, 1 rep, 3 tries, 29 con, 27 pens, 154 pts, 945 mins

9 Rhys Webb (Ospreys), 11 starts, 2 reps, 10 tries, 804 mins

1 Denis Buckley (Connacht ), 20 starts, 1 rep, 1 try, 1443 mins

2 Rory Best (Ulster), 11 starts,1 rep, 2 tries, 822 mins

3 WP Nel (Edinburgh), 13 starts, 8 rep, 1 try, 1,159 pts

4 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), 11 starts, 2 reps, 902 mins

5 Franco van der Merwe (Ulster), 19 starts, 1 rep, 2 tries, 1,459 mins

6 CJ Stander (Munster), 17 starts, 1 rep, 8 tries, 1,350 mins

7 Tommy O'Donnell (Munster), 11 starts, 2 reps, 1 try, 770 mins

8 Josh Strauss (Glasgow), 16 starts, 4 reps, 3 tries, 1,297 mins

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan

John O'Sullivan is an Irish Times sports writer