CONNACHT ARE HOPEFUL that the shoulder injury that ruled Jake Heenan out of last weekend’s loss to Munster will abate in time for Saturday’s interprovincial clash with Leinster.
The Kiwi flanker’s presence was sorely missed at Thomond Park as an experimental Munster side had too much for Pat Lam’s men. The match was the first the 21-year-old has missed since his summer arrival from New Zealand.
Leinster dominated Ulster at the breakdown in their 19-6 win at the RDS and Lam would be keen to pitch his talented openside into battle against the likes of Shane Jennings, Dominic Ryan and Rhys Ruddock.
Connacht must plan for the Pro12 encounter without Frank Murphy. The Cork native got a rare start, against Munster, ahead of Kieran Marmion at scrum-half but sustained a concussion. Versatile back Gavin Duffy [shoulder] also left the field of play during the loss but is still in contention for another start.
There is positive news on the injury front for the western province, however, as Sean Henry, Ronan Loughney and Michael Swift have all resumed full training. The trio are all in the mix to face their interpro rivals at the Sportsground. Connacht will be seeking to emulate their comprehensive home win [34-6] over Leinster last season.
