MUNSTER HAVE CONFIRMED that out-half JJ Hanrahan will miss this Saturday’s RaboDirect Pro12 clash with Connacht at the Sportsground.
The 21-year-old limped off in the first half of the province’s 22-5 defeat to Glasgow Warrior last weekend, visibly in some pain. An MRI scan earlier today in Limerick revealed that Hanrahan has suffered a groin tear.
No time frame for recovery has been revealed yet, with the skillful playmaker set to meet a specialist later this week. Munster expect that appointment to identify “the full extent of the injury” and tell them how long Hanrahan will be sidelined for.
This is not the first groin issue the youngster has had to deal with this season, as he has struggled with osteitis pubis in recent months. That particular problem is caused by bruising of the pubic bone, which fellow out-half Ian Keatley has also had to manage during this campaign.
Munster now face the dilemma of whether or not to play Keatley against Connacht, just over a week before they meet Toulon in their Heineken Cup semi-final in Marseille.
Meanwhile, tighthead prop BJ Botha sprained an ankle against Glasgow last weekend, although Munster describe it as a “mild” injury. The South African front row will be monitored for the remainder of the current week, before a decision on his involvement against Connacht is made.
