Updated 13/4/16
Munster fans were overjoyed two weeks ago when it emerged that Peter O'Mahony had made another step forward from his recovery from a cruciate knee injury.
O'Mahony had been unavailable since the World Cup, and seeing him doing some running at training was seen as a sign that he could be back to help Munster in their bid for Champions Cup rugby.
Alas, it looks like Anthony Foley has put a dampener on that idea:
Peter O'Mahony update: Foley said "we don't expect him wearing red this season". His return taking "a bit longer than what we'd expected".
— Sinéad Kissane (@sineadkissane) April 12, 2016
Foley confirmed that medics have said that the earliest he could start playing would be in the PRO12 final, and that a game of that magnitude isn't the place to ease someone in. That suggests that his Munster season is over - and Foley intimated that O'Mahony would not be joining Joe Schmidt's squad for the tour to South Africa, with the new season now seen as O'Mahony's target date.
Munster are currently in the last of the Champions Cup spots, just a point ahead of Edinburgh. They go into a crucial game with Connacht in the Sportsground needing every point in their final three games to avoid missing out on Europe's elite.
Their penultimate PRO12 game is with Edinburgh which should be huge.
See Also: First Photos Of Peter O'Mahony On The Injury Comeback Trail Will Make Munster Fans Rejoice
Picture credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE
