Munster lose Bok prop to injury
Munster will have to make do without the services of Springbok prop BJ Botha in the opening rounds of the Pro12 season.
Botha suffered a grade two medial ligament injury to the right knee on Friday night against London Irish and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of four weeks.
The news comes as a cruel blow ahead of Munster’s Pro12 opener against Edinburgh this weekend but head coach Rob Penney said it presents an opportunity for the younger props in the squad to make a name for themselves.
"We're lucky that we have some good young talent coming through and it's exciting that these younger players will get a chance to show what they're worth," said Penney, who indicated that a number of returning internationals should be available for consideration this week.
Ivan Dineen, who was a late withdrawal from Friday’s squad after taking a knock to his calf, returned to full training on Wednesday as did Keith Earls, who took part in full contact training following on from his recovery from a shoulder injury.
Andrew Conway, who sustained a dead leg against Gloucester, will continue his recovery for the remainder of the week while James Downey continues to rehab his quad tear – both will not be available for Saturday’s encounter.
Felix Jones (shoulder) and Luke O’Dea (wrist) continue with their rehabilitation while Conor Murray, Paul O’Connell and Simon Zebo advance with their pre-season training.
