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Leinster issue Healy injury update before Champions Cup final rematch
By Josh Raisey
Leinster are sweating over the fitness of Cian Healy ahead of their Investec Champions Cup quarter-final against current holders La Rochelle on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.
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The Ireland veteran replaced Andrew Porter shortly after half-time in the round of 16 victory over Leicester Tigers at the weekend, but failed to see out the end of the match with a leg injury forcing him from the field in the final ten minutes.
In an injury update ahead of the most eagerly anticipated match of the weekend, the Irish province confirmed that the 36-year-old will be assessed as the week progresses before a final call on his availability is made. The same applies for centre Garry Ringrose, who is recovering from a shoulder injury.
Centre Charlie Ngatai and winger Jimmy O’Brien will also be assessed later this week as they continue to recover from a calf injury and a neck injury, respectively.
Leinster also confirmed that the Irish cohort of Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, Andrew Porter and Ciarán Frawley all came through the 36-22 win over Leicester unscathed having recently returned from various injuries.
Elsewhere in the squad, James Ryan, Tommy O’Brien and Alex Soroka remain out of action.
Healy will be a significant loss to Leinster should he fail to recover in time to face Ronan O’Gara’s side. Leinster have fallen to La Rochelle in the last two Champions Cup finals, with the Top 14 outfit pulling away in the final quarter on both occasions.
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The Leinster bench will be crucial in trying to neutralise the effectiveness of the La Rochelle pack in the final stages of the match, and Healy would be expected to spearhead that resistance.
Though Leinster were able to get the better of the reigning champions in the pool stages in December, a different beast is expected on Saturday fresh from a historic win over the Stormers, becoming the first visiting side to ever win in South Africa in the Champions Cup.
