BLUES EDGE A NIP & TUCK HOME CLASH
JAMIE HEASLIP and Rob Kearney would have to see their recuperation go “incredibly well” to be back in time to feature in Leinster’s Pro12 semi-final in three weeks’ time according to head coach Leo Cullen.
Neither player has featured since the Six Nations having had surgeries on back and bicep issues, and Cullen is not holding out too much hope that they can feature again this season.
Leinster already have a home semifinal secured, but likely being without two of their most experienced players for the game will be a huge blow.
“The timeframe originally on those injuries whatever it was, say 10 to 12 weeks. That takes you to the end of the season,” said Cullen.
“It goes incredibly well they might get back inside that, but if it’s not gone incredibly well then it’s getting very, very tight to play a semi-final or final having not played for 10 or 12 weeks.”
Cullen had the comfort of retaining just two starters from last weekend’s Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Clermont, and he is likely to experiment with his line-up once again next week when they take on Ulster.
He may choose to recall some of his more experienced players, but Cullen will have his focus on having his side primed for their home semi-final.
“It’ll be a bit of a mix clearly. Some guys that didn’t play this week will be in the mix next week and for the semifinals. We’ll just manage it and assess the guys.
“We’ve still got a competitive group. We know we’ve got Ulster here next week and we’ve got a semi-final on the Friday night. We just need to make sure everyone stays the course until the end of the season.
“There’s always distractions at this stage of the season. There are various dinners and awards balls, etc. so we have to make sure our players stay focused now and that we finish the job.
“We’ve worked hard to get to this point so it would be a shame to waste the opportunity we have in front of ourselves.”