CONNACHT’S JAKE HEENAN will miss Friday’s Pro14 interprovincial derby against Ulster, but the province are hopeful the knee injury he sustained last week isn’t serious.
The Irish qualified flanker hobbled off after last Friday’s defeat to Scarlets and left the ground in a knee brace, raising fears that the damage is serious.
Heenan underwent a scan today and will visit a specialist later in the week to fully determine the extent of the injury, although Connacht have said they are hoping for good news.
Friday’s game in Wales was just Heenan’s second appearance of the season after recovering from a back injury and any absence would be a setback for Kieran Keane with Naulia Dawai and Sean O’Brien also unavailable.
O’Brien is a long-term absentee after shoulder surgery while Andrew Browne remains a number of weeks from a return following an achilles tendon injury.
More encouragingly, James Cannon, Dawai, James Mitchell, Niyi Adeolokun and Matt Healy have all this week returned to first team training having been sidelined for the first five games of the campaign.
It’s unlikely any will be involved when Connacht make the trip north to face Ulster in the first interpro of the season on Friday [KO 7.35pm, BBC NI].
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