Leinster have confirmed that loosehead prop Paddy McCarthy will miss the rest of the province's season with a foot injury, and the 22-year-old now looks like a doubt for Ireland’s Nations Championship campaign this summer.
The 22-year-old lasted just six minutes after coming on as a replacement in the 41-19 defeat to Bordeaux-Begles in Saturday's Champions Cup final, before departing with an injury to his lower left leg, and was seen on crutches after the game.
The Ireland international was making his first appearance since January, having just returned from an unrelated injury on his other foot.
The province’s latest medical update has confirmed he will mess the rest of the URC campaign, and with Ireland taking on Australia in Sydney just two weeks later in the first of three games this summer, the four-cap prop looks a real doubt to be available having also missed the entire 2026 Six Nations.
"I feel for him because he's such an incredible player and such a great guy to have around the building," fellow loosehead prop Andrew Porter said.
"And to see all the work he'd put in to get himself back for, for the final, incredibly cruel for Paddy.
"I suppose it’s the way sport goes sometimes it's, it's cruel. But yeah, he is an incredible, incredible guy on and off the pitch.
"I know how hard he worked to get himself back fit."
The province will have to park their Champions Cup disappointment fast, with a URC quarter-final to come against the Lions this Saturday at Aviva Stadium, as they look to finish the season with some silverware.
Head coach Leo Cullen will have a decision to make around the out-half jersey, for what he hopes will be three more games this season.
Ciarán Frawley was arguably the province’s best player when he came on at 10 in the second half, but the 28-year-old is leaving for Connacht at the end of the season, ironically as he looks to get more gametime in his preferred out-half position.
Harry Byrne has been the starter for Leinster’s big games in the second half of the season, but endured a difficult afternoon on Saturday, sending a restart dead after Bordeaux’s opening try, before throwing an intercept pass before half-time, and was replaced by Frawley on 43 minutes.
Sam Prendergast had started the campaign as first choice 10 for both Leinster and Ireland, but didn't make the matchday squad for Saturday’s final.
Attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal kept his cards close to his chest when asked about who their first choice 10 would be for the remainder of this season.
"I'd say Harry [Byrne, above] was disappointed to be taken off the field, but we felt we needed to inject some freshness with that scoreline," he said.
"And I think Frawls [Frawley] came on, as did the other substitutes, and added some good energy.
"But to say what the future is going to be for the 10s, it's going to be competitive. I think there's three guys there, all being involved with Ireland.
"Which combinations we go with, that's to be seen. But I think they all have their own strengths, and they've all performed well for us. That's all I can say really."
The New Zealander disagreed with the suggestion that his side overplayed in possession, particularly during the first half, where they fell 35-7 down by half time.
Instead, the Leinster attack coach (below) admitted his side came out second best in the kick-battle, which Bordeaux took advantage of.
"There was a passage of play between minute eight and 26, where there was a few box-kicks from both teams. And we didn't win one, or we didn't chase one, or sometimes we didn't get to launch our attack off them," he added.
"So I think every time a contestable box-kick goes up, there's an opportunity to kind of flip momentum. We just weren't quite able to do that often enough.
"It's just the outcomes of them, or can we attack better off the ones we did get? Or can we force more scraps? Or can we get more pressure?
"So it's just an observation. We just didn't win possession off all of them. And we didn't really cause errors or cause scraps off all of them either."
