Leinster have confirmed Ireland prop Paddy McCarthy has been ruled out for the remainder of their season after sustaining a foot injury in last weekend’s Champions Cup final defeat by Bordeaux Begles in Bilbao.
McCarthy will be absent for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship play-off quarter-final against the Lions at the Aviva Stadium (20:00 BST), as well as any semi-final or final that the Irish province may contest in the competition.
The 22-year-old could also be a doubt for Ireland’s Nations Championship campaign this summer, with their opening fixture against Australia in Sydney scheduled for 4 July, just two weeks after the URC final.
The loose-head was forced to retire hurt just six minutes after being introduced as a replacement in the European showpiece and was seen on crutches after the game.
The Ireland forward was making his first appearance since January, having just returned from an unrelated injury to his other foot. McCarthy also missed the entirety of this year’s Six Nations.
A squad update published by Leinster on Tuesday indicated Joshua Kenny and Brian Deeny have returned to full training and are available for selection this weekend.
No further updates were provided on the fitness of Ryan Baird, Jack Boyle, Will Connors, Hugh Cooney, RG Snyman and Charlie Tector.
