Injuries to Heenan and Henry mar build up to Connacht’s big clash with Leinster

With the game close to a 7,500 sell-out, and Connacht having come agonisingly close to victory in both encounters between the provinces last season, there promises to be a cracking atmosphere at the College Road venue.

But Connacht’s build up to the game has been marred by the news that key forwards Jake Heenan and Sean Henry face several months on the sidelines after sustaining serious injuries in the province’s opening two games of the season against the Dragons and Edinburgh repectively.

The result was more important than the performance when Connacht edged out a scrappy game against Edinburgh last Friday night, the 14-13 win ensuring that spirits have been high in training as Pat Lam’s prepare for the visit of the Pro 12 champions.

Connacht came from behind in the closing ten minutes to win out a mediocre contest against Edinburgh at Murrayfield, holding their discipline after Willie Faloon registered a late try.

The superb work-rate of Denis Buckley in the scrum, Jack Carty, Dave McSharry and full-back Darragh Leader made a huge difference for the only Irish province to win both of their opening fixtures.

Connacht dominated most of the first half in Murrayfield, and enjoyed their best spell in the third quarter, before Falloon was sin binned for stamping in a ruck. Falloon returned to the fray and there were only five minutes remaining when he scored the vital try.

Lam’s side will have to plan for Leinster’s visit without hooker Henry, however, as the 26-year old is set to be sidelined for up to six months as a result of the knee injury picked up in the second half of last Friday’s game.

That leaves Dave Heffernan, who started the opening two games, as a virtual certainty to start against Leinster, as Jason Harris-Wright is still a couple of weeks away from full match fitness and Tom McCartney has yet to conclude his 2014 campaign with Auckland.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.