Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Connacht shed Tiers of sadness
CONNACHT’S most experienced player
Tiernan O’halloran is set for another lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a groin injury in Sunday’s bonus point win over Edinburgh.
The 29-year old fullback is due to see a specialist to establish the extent of the adductor injury but it’s feared he could be out for weeks. O’halloran, who made his debut in 2010, suffered a fractured fibula this time last year which kept him out until the Christmas derbies and it’s feared he could again miss several games. He is the most experienced member of the current squad, having played 184 times for his native province. Coach Andy Friend is resigned to being without O’halloran, capped six times for Ireland, for a time but is hopeful it won’t be too long.
“It is a significant injury and he is likely to be out for a period. It’s an adductor, he went into a jackal position and just got caught. We will know more once he has seen the specialist,” he said.
Friend is also waiting to establish the extent of a groin injury picked up by out-half Conor Fitzgerald in the opening half of the 37-26 win in Murrayfield.
“He was having pain in his groin and I think it was a wise decision to get him off at the time. We are going to know more later but certainly by getting him off early it didn’t turn into a nasty injury.”
If Fitzgerald is unavailable, and with Jack Carty on Irish duty, Friend is likely to turn to Carlow native Tom Daly after the former Irish under-20 slotted in there from centre with great success on Sunday.