There were some anxious faces from both Munster and Leinster fans and players alike when Keith Earls crumpled to the ground midway through Sunday's inter-provincial derby and didn't move. There was a lengthy stoppage to allow Earls to be treated, and he was carted off the pitch and straight to hospital.
The good news is that Earls was released from hospital and well enough to make an appearance in the Munster dressing room following full-time in the game:
Good to see @KEITHEARLS87 back in the dressing room walking around post-match. #MunVLei pic.twitter.com/ODfaYkUml1
— Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) December 27, 2015
Munster head coach Anthony Foley elaborated on Earls' condition further:
He’s back from the hospital so that’s good, and he’s walking around. After he offloaded the ball, he fell and connected, I think, with a leg and had a bit of a shock through the body. That was looked after.
Foley played down fears that Earls's issue was another concussion given his recent history with head injuries:
No, it’s a neck, neck. When he fell to the ground and his head hit the back of somebody’s ankle, as he fell to the ground, he felt a pain in his chest and in his back. He was taken to hospital, he’s been released from hospital with no concerns.
It's unclear if Earls will be risked ahead of next Saturday's clash with in-form Ulster, with three must-win European games coming up in a row following that clash. The winger isn't the only injury worry that the southern province will have to deal with, with promising prop James Cronin and Conor Murray casualities from the day. Cronin was seen on crutches after the game, while Foley confirmed that Murray had an issue with a hip pointer that he damaged against Leicester, and that's why he was pulled from the line-up.
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Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
