Paul O' Connell Injury Update - No Fracture

Munster Sports Nutrition

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/8878.php

Sport101

Good news hopefully, he looked in agony at the time.

Hippo

Good news indeed, it looked bad at the time. Buckley should be horsewhipped for dropping him.

Quint2010

As I said last night-he would not have been able to walk on it if it was broken. He limped off but was still able to put some weight on it. A bad sprain with torn ligaments most probably

Sport101

Hippo wrote: »

Good news indeed, it looked bad at the time. Buckley should be horsewhipped for dropping him.

You're going to need a bigger whip.

DDC1990

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/magnersleague/2011/0403/oconnellp_munster.html

O'Connell likely to miss remainder of season

Sunday 3 April 2011
reports indicate the Munster second row has snapped his Achilles tendon or damaged ankle ligaments

Paul O'Connell - reports indicate the Munster second row has snapped his Achilles tendon or damaged ankle ligaments

Paul O'Connell is unlikely to play for Munster again this season as a result of the ankle injury picked up during the province's win over Leinster at Thomond Park on Saturday night.

O'Connell was withdrawn six minutes into the second half against Leinster, after landing badly from a line-out.

Initial reports suggest he has not suffered a break, but doctors have to wait for bad swelling to reduce before a final examination is possible.

It appears likely that O'Connell has either snapped his Achilles tendon or damaged his ankle ligaments.

Munster will face Brive away in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup next Saturday afternoon, a game O'Connell is sure to miss. Mick O'Driscoll is likely to deputise in the second row.

Achilies is bad. Almost as bad as a break you fear. Still, rest up and be ready for the WC Paulie!

Quint2010

Snapping your achilles is the worst injury you can get in that area-worse than a foot break or ankle break. It means six months out. Its the same injury that kept Beckham out from last years world cup. He was operated on on 15th March and didnt play again competitively until 11th september.

Munster Sports Nutrition

Whatever the outcome, hopefully he will recover well from it. Not nice to be sidelined again all the same.

tricky D

Quint2010 wrote: »

Snapping your achilles is the worst injury you can get in that area-worse than a foot break or ankle break. It means six months out. Its the same injury that kept Beckham out from last years world cup. He was operated on on 15th March and didnt play again competitively until 11th september.

It's six months until you can play again and a good bit longer until full function returns. Was chatting with a friend last night who snapped his a year ago and he reckons it'll take him another year to recover fully.

Colm_OReilly

Not good to see at all, dude looked in severe pain. If he's snapped the achilles you may forget the WC probably, which is a damn shame.

CouchSmart

Not looking good. You'd be better off breaking something than doing ligament damage. 4 months until the WC warm-ups, let's get some horse fetuses on that leg asap!

handsomecake

Ali Williams snapped his twice.out for 9 months plus each time and lost a serious amount of conditioning. Carter was out for a good while when he did his at Perpignan

Deedsie

I think it depends how close to the heel the break was. That will determine how long it will take to recover. A damn shame though. His form was coming back.

Quint2010

Fingers crossed its not a ruptured achilles. The fact it hasnt been diagnosed yet is probably a good sign. They are usually diagnosed pretty quickly.

profitius

He has a broken ankle from what I hear and they must do further tests to see if anything else is wrong.

Cpt_Blackbeard

I still haven't seen all of the match, but he looked in an awful way hobbling up the tunnel into the dressing room. Hopefully he makes a quick recovery and finds top form straight away again.

If he is out for the WC we will be lucky to get out of our group.

Cpt_Blackbeard

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

If he is out for the WC we will be lucky to get out of our group.

Though I feel he is easily the best lock in the country when he's at the top of his game, this kind of statement belongs in the red top Sunday newspapers.

If Ireland were a one man team, I'd support AN Other versus them.

Lock is somewhere where we actually have decent cover, and the average lock's impact on the game is fairly small these days anyway.

POC
DOC
Cullen
Tuohy
MOD

GerM

profitius wrote: »

He has a broken ankle from what I hear and they must do further tests to see if anything else is wrong.

X-rays have already confirmed there's no break. He'll be in the sports clinic in Santry tomorrow for a full scan to see the extent of the damage.

Would have to worry for him. He's entering the latter stages of his career and an injury like this could see him really struggle in terms of making a full recovery. Absolute nightmare to get the achilles tendon right again if it has snapped. A hell of a lot of physio and care will be required.

GerM

Just watching the replays of it now. I would think Tony Buckley is getting a bollocking off someone regarding his lifting. He has to shoulder a significant chunk of the blame. Getting the player up there is one thing but the lifter has a responsibility to bring him back down. Buckley just releases him as he nears the top of his jump leaving him to return to ground with the full impact coming down on his ankles.

Quint2010

Cpt_Blackbeard wrote: »

I still haven't seen all of the match, but he looked in an awful way hobbling up the tunnel into the dressing room. Hopefully he makes a quick recovery and finds top form straight away again.

If he is out for the WC we will be lucky to get out of our group.

You know I am inclinedto agree with this statement. POC is such a huge presence and a marvellous leader. He is the captain of the forwards and would be a massive loss. I think our games against Oz and Italy will be tight and having him there could make all the difference

irishbucsfan

To say we won't make it out of our group without POC is a huge overstatement. He's a marvelous player, but he will be replaced by Cullen who is a good player and who is also a great leader (current Leinster, ex-Leicester captain).

POC will be hugely missed but he is replaceable, as is everyone else in our squad (maybe not Mike Ross).

Lets hope he'll be in NZ though.

Podge_irl

Hope the injury isn't too serious, though it looked awful at the time.

The loss of O'Connell will affect the team, but to suggest that he's the difference between winning and losing against Italy is a bit silly (actually it's a lot silly).

Aidric

Quint2010 wrote: »

POC is such a huge presence and a marvellous leader. He is the captain of the forwards and would be a massive loss.

This is where a huge part of his loss would lie. His presence in the dressing room is greater than that of O Driscoll's.

CouchSmart

Aidric wrote: »

This is where a huge part of his loss would lie. His presence in the dressing room is greater than that of O Driscoll's.

Undoubtedly, but O'Driscoll's impact on the field remains so vital to every team he plays for. His commitment in defense and attack is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!

While POC would be a loss, I can't imagine us struggling to get out of our group in his absence alone.

TheRevolution

I am completely gutted about this. I thought he was starting to come into incredible form just before the injury and was playing as good as he was at his peak. Who was lifting him??? I have a hazy recollection of the person literally just throwing him up and then letting him drop. Even though I was in a pub full of Leinster supporters you could literally hear a pin drop when O'Connell was holding his knee. Obviously I wouldn't expect cheering or anything but the eerie silence that followed was so out of place in such a busy pub that it could only point to one thing, a huge show of respect for someone who is such an incredible player, its a massive blow.

GerM

Buckley and DOC. Neither held onto him. Buckley was the main lifter. I've been dropped in the line out which led to me snapping ligaments. It's something that is often neglected in the game and players often fail to return their jumper to terra firma but it's rare enough to see Buckley's style where he actually released POC before he was even at the top of his jump. POC had a massive amount of pressure coming down on that ankle. If you look at how he landed, his leg bounces back off the turf like a recoil. Certainly looked like something popped or snapped. RuggieB has posted a video of it on YouTube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oK7yZyv9V64

TheRevolution

Aidric wrote: »

This is where a huge part of his loss would lie. His presence in the dressing room is greater than that of O Driscoll's.

I would echo this in the sense that his motivational and rousing speeches are probably the best of any player in the game but I think O'Driscoll's presence in the dressing room cannot be understated in the sense that he is probably the best of any player in the game to coldy analyze whats going wrong or what could go wrong, how he wants the game to be played and spotting areas for exploitation (More or less a direct quote from a Irish player).

Theres a reason why two current Irish players are former Lions captains and we're incredibly lucky to have both. I really don't think people realise how much POC and BOD alone have projected this team to achieve what they have achieved.

GerM

I know I'll probably be castigated for this but if anyone has seen the Lions DVD from the last tour I wasn't overly impressed with POC's pre game speeches. They left me somewhat cold to be honest. Someone like Vickery spoke with more passion and was a far more rousing motivator for me. He certainly isn't up with the likes of Johnson or Jason Leonard in terms of pre game talks. I think his strength lies in his ability to tap into people's minds on certain occasions in a backs to the wall environment (such as the English games) but generally as a motivational talker I wasn't hugely impressed by himself or BOD.

almighty1

Looking at that again that looks like a broken ankle. His twisted that ankle incredibly bad as he slightly caught McLaughlin as he was coming down. Both Buckley and O Callaghan are to blame for not helping him come down.
He was lifted or jumped at an angle which didnt help either.

danthefan

Suggesting we can't beat Italy without POC is one of the daftest things I've read on this forum.

thomond2006

Oh dear, that looked horrible.

I wish him a speedy recovery, he is vital for Munster and Ireland.

tolosenc

If his Achilles is gone, any appearance at the WC would be a miracle. Generally, a return to training after that type of injury happens 4ish months post surgery. It's 6 months till the quarter finals, 5 till the first group game.

thebaz

Deleted User wrote: »

T

Lock is somewhere where we actually have decent cover, and the average lock's impact on the game is fairly small these days anyway.

in fairness POC is a bit special - posted this before , but if this couldn't fire you up , check your pulse

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhgt2pnSywI

Trimble said it, how important he is - to have a serious WC , we need a fired up POC -

speedy recovery big man

Why did you delete the part of my post where I said that POC was easily the best lock in Ireland???



Also, as a team captain, regardless of his ability to play, he'll be in the dressing room at the WC.

profitius

tolosenc wrote: »

If his Achilles is gone, any appearance at the WC would be a miracle. Generally, a return to training after that type of injury happens 4ish months post surgery. It's 6 months till the quarter finals, 5 till the first group game.

Those rules only apply for ordinary humans.

thebaz

Deleted User wrote: »

Why did you delete the part of my post where I said that POC was easily the best lock in Ireland???



Also, as a team captain, regardless of his ability to play, he'll be in the dressing room at the WC.

cause for me, POC brings far more to the team than his rugby ability - I've said before , for me he is more a leader than BOD - when Ireland play well, invariably so does POC

and , this is nothing against BOD, who is equally important, if not more so , but in a different way - in essence we need both of them at their prime, for one final assault in autumn

phog

I hope he gets good news today, he has had some terrible lay offs and whatever about Munster needing him for the final rounds of the M/L and Amlin Cup, I'd give both of them up now to see Paulie fit for the W/C.

Roomic Cube

they were saying 2 months on the radio thismorning that there was no break or achillies damage......so hopefully that's true!

andrewdcs

:eek: Achilles!?!
Godspeed recovery, he's had an awful year. Echo below, pretty much the worst injury you could pick up like that, he's not a winger so hopefully wont be "career changing" but christ that's bad luck. Sending out the good vibes.

clsmooth

andrewdcs wrote: »

:eek: Achilles!?!
Godspeed recovery, he's had an awful year. Echo below, pretty much the worst injury you could pick up like that, he's not a winger so hopefully wont be "career changing" but christ that's bad luck. Sending out the good vibes.

Where did you hear this?

JustinDee

clsmooth wrote: »

Where did you hear this?

Probably from the same gossips who started rumours of Paul O'Connell having cancer when last out injured.

or possibly from the RTÉ.ie link that was given yesterday.

clsmooth

Deleted User wrote: »

or possibly from the RTÉ.ie link that was given yesterday.

Or what about this one?

Everything is just speculation at the moment.

Yes I'm fully aware it is speculative, I'm just providing a citation, after it was asked where the comment came from.

It's not idle gossip if it's reported by our national media imo.

Spudmonkey

Roomic Cube wrote: »

they were saying 2 months on the radio thismorning that there was no break or achillies damage......so hopefully that's true!

Were it his achilles, they would know immediately. It would have caved in. What was Buckley and DOC thinking???

phog

Spudmonkey wrote: »

Were it his achilles, they would know immediately. It would have caved in. What was Buckley and DOC thinking???

Buckley probably thought I'm out of here anyway and DOC is probably fed up with all the attention O'Connell was getting. :rolleyes:

Monty Burnz

Achilles would be pretty obvious as his calf muscle would be in a bunch up by his knee...a partial rupture is possible I guess. Ligaments seem the most likely thing at this stage.

GerM

Monty Burnz wrote: »

Achilles would be pretty obvious as his calf muscle would be in a bunch up by his knee...a partial rupture is possible I guess. Ligaments seem the most likely thing at this stage.

I was thinking the same although I have heard of cases where the calf hasn't shifted north. Regardless, the Munster medical team would have been able to identify it fairly quickly and I reckon they'd have him on the way to Santry immediately had they suspected a ruptured achilles rather than going for an x-ray locally.

thomond2006

O'Connell Injury Update
4 April 2011, 3:33 pm
By The Editor

Further medical examination earlier today revealed that Paul O'Connell had suffered some ligament damage to his ankle in last Saturday's game against Leinster at Thomond Park Stadium.

The full extent of that damage is not yet known and the Munster captain will need to be re-assessed in ten days time before it can be determined how long he'll be sidelined for.

O'Connell had an X-Ray in Limerick Regional Hospital on Saturday evening that established he hadn't suffered a fracture and this morning he was in the Sports Injury Clinic in Santry for further tests.

Munster management were not prepared at this stage to speculate on the length of his rehab.

http://www.munsterrugby.ie/news/8885.php

GerM

Firstly, excellent that it isn't achilles tendon damage although that was always unlikely. Aside from that, it's an unusually vague release. No indication really with regards to how bad it is. If it was just badly strained ligaments I expect they'd have said as much. Hopefully he hasn't completely torn ligaments. Regardless, he should be available well in time for the WC I would think.

rrpc

GerM wrote: »

Firstly, excellent that it isn't achilles tendon damage although that was always unlikely. Aside from that, it's an unusually vague release. No indication really with regards to how bad it is. If it was just badly strained ligaments I expect they'd have said as much. Hopefully he hasn't completely torn ligaments. Regardless, he should be available well in time for the WC I would think.

AFAIK, it's difficult to assess the damage until the swelling has gone down. Ligament damage almost always bruises badly with fluid collecting around the base of the ankle, so any assessment would have to wait until that's dissipated.