IT WILL PROBABLY be tomorrow before Leinster fans will know if Brian O’Driscoll will be fit to face Clermont on Sunday week.

The Ireland captain suffered a suspected fractured jaw in the win over Argentina at Lansdowne Road, making him a real doubt for the Heineken Cup double header with the French outfit.

The centre let his Twitter followers know that he is feeling the effects of a bruising encounter with the Pumas this morning. He wrote:

My jaw is rather sore this morning. Makes it a little easier to take after yesterday’s win. Much appreciated support throughout November!

The skipper was replaced by Keith Earls with 12 minutes remaining and was sent for an X-ray to determine the extent of any damage.

The Ireland coach Declan Kidney revealed that O’Driscoll wasn’t overly bothered by the knock, according to the Irish Independent and  indeed, he asked to stay on the field.

The Daily Mail quotes Declan Kidney as saying:

He’s going for an X-ray and could have a crack in the jaw, the treatment for which we’re not sure yet. If it’s just a crack, he might be able to avoid surgery and having a plate inserted; we’ll just have to wait and see what the story is there.

He felt okay; it just felt prudent to get him off when we did. Brian felt comfortable himself, he asked for a few minutes but the medics said he had to come off.

Even if O’Driscoll undergoes minor surgery, it would probably rule him out of action until the new year. A nightmare scenario for Leinster fans.