Leinster’s Sean O’Brien has hinted that he could be fit to return to action before the end of the season, and could play a role in the PRO12 play-offs.
O’Brien has been out of action since injuring his shoulder last December, missing Ireland’s victorious RBS 6 Nations campaign.
The Carlow man’s recovery was compromised by an infection that saw him lose a stone in weight, but he is now hoping to come back for a potential home PRO12 semi-final on the weekend of May 17th-18th.
“(The play-offs) are a long shot but if things went really well this week and the next two weeks, who knows?” O’Brien said.
“No one can really tell at the minute until I start doing more and more stuff, whether that be hitting pads or what not in a month’s time.
“As I said a while ago, I was ahead of schedule and it has come on a lot and it’s feeling pretty good at the minute. At the same time I don’t want to rush back and have a set-back.”
O’Brien says that the next two weeks will also be crucial in determining whether or not he makes Joe Schmidt’s squad for Ireland’s trip to Australia this summer.
“I don’t know what Joe’s plans are (for Argentina) or anything like that,” he said. “I will have to speak to him about that and see what he’s thinking if I am fit. I am presuming he is going to rest some lads going over there to keep them fresh for next year.
“I’m into my second week now of hard training. I’ll know where I am in two more weeks. I’ll probably know then exactly when I’ll be coming back.
“I’ve just been doing a lot of running and strength and conditioning, trying to get back into reasonable shape to give myself the best chance of getting back at some point, either at the end of this year or in the summer.”
