Connacht hit by injury crisis for start of new campaign against Glasgow Warriors

YOU would think at the start of a new season that your squad would, at the very least, boast of a clean bill of health but Connacht coach Pat Lam has had no such luck as he prepares the reigning Pro12 champions for their opening league fixture in the defence of their title.

Lam is no stranger to the scenario of shuffling the deck – he has become the master of maximising the resources available to him – but, even at that, one suspects he would have loved nothing more than a full squad to choose from for their first home game against Glasgow at the Sportsground tomorrow, Saturday (5:15pm)

At any rate, there is a plethora of Connacht players right across the board on the treatment table at present and, consequently, will not feature on the champions’ match day squad which is due to be named later today.

In the front row, experienced prop Nathan White is continuing his recovery from a head injury arising from concussion sustained last season and, indeed, the New Zealander is not the only one nursing such an injury with lock Ben Marshall also being treated for concussion.

White’s injury could have presented new signing Conor Carey or Academy prop Conan O’Donnell with the opportunity to feature but this may be a game too early for Carey as he recovers from a shoulder injury sustained with Nottingham last season, while O’Donnell continues to rehab from the foot injury that kept him out of the World Rugby U-20’s Championship during the summer.

Along with Marshall, locks Quinn Roux (hip) and Andrew Browne (thigh) are out following injuries picked up during pre-season – they will be out for two to three weeks – while Academy locks Cian Romaine, Peter Claffey and Cillian Gallagher are also unavailable to the senior coaching team due to injuries.

Connacht’s main injury concerns in the back row currently are Jake Heenan (hand) and Sean O’Brien (ankle) – both undergoing rehab with the medical and fitness team for their injuries sustained in pre-season and not due to return until early October – while Eoghan Masterson (knee) is not expected to return until December.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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