Former Lions skipper Brian O’Driscoll will be back in action sooner than first thought but Rob Kearney has not been so fortunate.
O’Driscoll sustained a jaw injury in Ireland’s 29-9 win over Argentina last weekend and was forced to leave the field at the Aviva Stadium after just 12 minutes.
The triple Lions tourist was rumoured to have broken his jaw and was expected to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
But Leinster have now indicated that the injury is not as bad as at first feared, although the province are yet to confirm when they expect their star centre to be fit for action.
O’Driscoll will continue to receive medical treatment but it now seems possible that he could be available for selection for one or both of the Heineken Cup clashes with Clermont Auvergne later this month.
Leinster travel to France a week on Sunday, before hosting the return fixture in Dublin the following Saturday.
But while news on O’Driscoll is a major boost for Leinster and for Ireland ahead of the Six Nations, news of Kearney’s injury situation is far less encouraging.
The man who started both the second and third Tests for the Lions in South Africa 18 months ago is now looking at an extended spell out of the game.
Kearney has undergone knee surgery and could miss the entire Six Nations campaign, as well as the majority of the remainder of the domestic and European seasons.
"After his surgery last week, Rob Kearney seems set to sit out the next few months on the sidelines," read a Leinster statement.
