In their weekly Monday briefing, Leinster Rugby are due to provide an update on the injury that led to Ciarán Frawley’s early exit in the 17th minute of their 33-12 victory over Connacht at the Sportsground. The Ireland International player had to step off the field cautiously, following a tackle by David Hawkshaw which happened during the build-up to Leinster’s second try by Liam Turner, when Frawley’s foot was temporarily stuck under the centre of Connacht.
As Leo Cullen, the head coach of Leinster said,”I’m unsure whether the injury is to his foot or ankle, we aren’t fully certain yet.” The spotlight in the dressing room was on the two debutantes, namely 20-year-old hooker Stephen Smyth and centre Hugh Cooney who is 21,”we will understand the situation better on Monday,” remarked Cullen.
After Frawley’s departure, Ross Byrne stepped in and secured Leinster’s fifth bonus point in five matches, spearheading the BKT URC standings by seven points., They now lead Ulster by 10 points, Connacht by 12 points, and Munster by a whopping 14 points following their blunder-infested 34-19 defeat to the Stormers at Cape Town.
It was doubtful that Frawley would have taken part in the forthcoming match against the Lions at the Aviva Stadium the following Saturday due to his injury. The Lions are currently the second-ranked team with an unscathed record and an extra match in hand compared to Leinster. Sam Prendergast is expected to make his comeback in this match.
However, Frawley’s chances to be a part of the squad for Ireland’s initial Autumn Nations Series fixture against New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium on Friday, November 8th, might be uncertain after his match-winning drop goals in their recent match against the Springboks in Durban.
Commenting on the victory, Cullen said, “We are thrilled with the win, it was a particularly challenging match to play in Galway and the weather conditions were difficult to navigate as well.” Cullen praised the team for yet another strong start, stating, “our performance throughout the past several weeks has been consistently of high calibre from the start”.
“We managed to score two successful tries and missed a few other chances. Connacht then proceeded to get back into the game, despite the challenging task of playing against a strong wind. They managed to secure a good try, which made us worry that our lead wasn’t sufficient. Scoring right before half-time, however, provided us with a wider margin on the scoreboard.
As the second half picked up, we faced persistent opposition from Connacht. After they scored an impressive try, we braced ourselves for a tense final quarter of an hour. However, Andrew Osborne’s remarkable try after Ross’s kick-off eased our minds and may have put a dent in Connacht’s momentum. We are extremely pleased with the overall performance, especially that of our five academy players, with two among them making their maiden appearances. There are many positive aspects to take away from this.
It is becoming increasingly challenging to believe that Gus McCarthy is still among our academy players. The 21-year-old hooker, who previously led Blackrock College to victory in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup and the Under-20s Ireland team to win the Six Nations and reach the World Cup finale two seasons earlier, made his third appearance of the season for Leinster. He had also played in Emerging Ireland’s victorious match against Western Force, prior to being called back home for the latter part of the previous week’s match against Munster in Croke Park.
This is due to Rónan Kelleher, along with Dan Sheahan who has been out for long, added to the list of injured players following an ankle surgery. The duo is expected to miss the upcoming New Zealand match and possibly more. Given that Rob Herring and Tom Stewart of Ulster haven’t turned out this season, Dave Heffernan appears to be the most likely to start the upcoming All Blacks match. However, it’d be premature to rule out McCarthy whose performance at the Dexcom Stadium, including three clear breaks, has sparked conversations of him being featured.
Cullen celebrated Gus’s performance, stating “He’s been terrific. He showed up at many pivotal junctures in today’s match. Just last week, I spoke about our hooker trio from pre-season, and he had been a part of that discussion.” ”
It was a momentous occasion to witness Stephen Smyth return from his time with the 20s and get off the bench to make his remarkable debut. There’s no doubt he’s an upcoming talent to look out for in the future.
As for Gus, his performance in the pre-season was commendable, competing with the likes of John McKee and Lee Barron. His kickoff in the opening match against Edinburgh was followed by a brief South African tour where he featured in two games, as opposed to our single one, before rushing back for the Croke Park match last week.
Without a doubt, the first five rounds have been nothing short of spectacular, including an unforgettable tour to South Africa — an excellent opportunity for him.