Caelan Doris's season of strife shows no signs of letting up as he suffers another injury blow just two weeks before Ireland's highly anticipated tour of Australia. The talismanic back-row forward was forced to hobble off the pitch after a mere seven minutes of Leinster's URC final romp against the Pretoria Bulls, leaving his team-mates and coaches with a collective gasp of concern.
Having overcome a gruelling knee injury just weeks prior, Doris looked every inch the seasoned pro as he traded tackles with the Bulls' pack. But in a flash, it was all over – replaced by the rugged Jack Conan, who duly slotted into the fray and made an instant impact, scoring one of Leinster's five scintillating tries in their 36-7 demolition job.
The timing of this new injury couldn't be worse for Doris and Ireland coach Andy Farrell. The Nations Championship beckons, with Australia up first on July 1st, followed by Japan and New Zealand in the coming weeks. And with Doris's absence likely to stretch into those crucial matches, it's a worry that will have sent shivers down the spines of fans everywhere.
But despite his own personal setback, Doris was effusive in praise for Leinster, hailing their 'physical dominance' over the Bulls as a key factor in their historic achievement. And he couldn't resist another dig at Toulouse, whose victory in last week's European Champions Cup final had left the province reeling – "We've turned the page and it goes to show that we're not dwelling on what happened," he declared.
Player of the Match Sam Prendergast echoed Doris's sentiments, describing the URC title win as 'pretty special' and paying tribute to the departing players who had motivated Leinster to lift their game. With record try-scorer James Lowe and Luke McGrath among those set to leave, it was clear that this team still had plenty of fight left in them – even if Doris's own injury woes threaten to undermine Ireland's hopes in the Nations Championship.
Source: Premier Sports