Munster head coach Graham Rowntree is open to the possibility of signing a loosehead as a medical joker amid a growing injury crisis at prop.
Jeremy Loughman was the latest loosehead to suffer a setback during their URC defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town, requiring a scan to ascertain the damage to his knee.
It remains to be seen if Loughman will be fit for Saturday’s trip to Durban to face the Sharks or if he will join fellow props Josh Wycherley (neck), Mark Donnelly (ankle) and Dave Kilcoyne (ankle) on the absentee list.
Veteran tighthead John Ryan may be required to cover at loosehead, while Academy prop Kieran Ryan (22) is another option.
Asked if he had considered bringing in short-term injury cover, Rowntree said: “Of course, I have. Yeah. That’s an urgent thing to be getting on with. We’ll see how that unfolds.”
Rowntree was speaking on Tuesday from Munster’s Cape Town base before they travel to Durban on Friday for the encounter with the Sharks.
And the Munster boss did not downplay the importance of picking up a win before the international break.
“It’s a huge game for us now, considering what’s happened in the last couple of weeks in particular,” he said.
“But what we can do, get our game on the park as I keep saying, is prepare for it. We’ve analysed them. We’ve got some things to fix from Saturday, the Stormers game, which we’ve owned, and we’ve certainly prepared very well today.
“You know, there’s always a big game near enough, isn’t there? It’s a big game. It’s pretty much a Springbok pack waiting for us Saturday in the heat in Durban. What gives me comfort is we’ve done it before.
“They (Sharks) can play as well. They have certainly got a ’12’ (André Esterhuizen) who likes carrying a ball close to the back of their line.
“Lots of threats. Yep. So a lot of our game, we’ve got to get better as well.
“It’s not all about the Sharks, but it’s quite obvious, we can’t give them access. And I keep saying about these South African teams, you can’t be giving them penalties around the set-piece because they’ll just maul us. So there’s a lot of power to respect there, but I’ve seen us deal with it before.
“You know, it was a taxing game, the Stormers game, on the back of a taxing week for one reason or another,” Rowntree added.
“But the lads, importantly, we’ve given them enough time to recover emotionally and physically. But we’ve had a good day’s training today. What gives me comfort in all of this is we’re playing, right?
“We’re playing. We’re missing opportunities. We’re missing two-on-ones against Leinster. Our accuracy around lineout was poor against the Stormers. I thought we deserved a four-try bonus point at the weekend.
“We’re an inch away from taking another lineout, potentially mauling them over. And let’s agree, we gave them two tries as well. You know?
“I’m seeing us play, that’s what gives me comfort. I have seen this group come through moments like this.”