Rob Henderson admits it will be a miracle if he takes the field at Lansdowne Road tomorrow for the inaugural Celtic League final. Munster's squad is so injury-ravaged that Lions centre Henderson has been named by coach Declan Kidney as a possible starter, against arch rivals Leinster, in an all-Irish showpiece.
Yet the former Wasps man is still suffering from a medial knee ligament injury, sustained in training before last week's semi-final against Ulster, from which he had not expected to recover from until the New Year. Henderson, 29, said: "The likelihood of me playing is slim. If I am fit by the weekend it will be a miracle."
"I had the scans looked at again and they revealed the injury was more of a strain than a tear so it's not as bad as we first feared. I had thought I was looking at another six weeks on the sidelines."
The prospect of Henderson going head-to-head with fellow Irish Lion Brian O'Driscoll, at Lansdowne Road, is just one of the possible match-ups which make the final intriguing. Munster scrum-half Peter Stringer, provided he recovers from an ankle injury which left him on crutches following the victory over Ulster last weekend, will come up against Brian O'Meara, his former rival for the red number nine shirt.
Elsewhere, Leinster second-row giant Malcolm O'Kelly will jump against his Irish team-mate Mick Galwey, while the fly-half battle pits Australian Nathan Spooner against Ronan O'Gara.
Filed by John Raftery
