One comes in as another heads out to the treatment room.
Simon Zebo is set to miss the next four Guinness PRO12 games and Munster’s first two Champions Cup fixtures.
Zebo fractured a rib in grounding a grubber kick beyond his own tryline. He got an accidental knee to his ribs for the effort and damaged it further when taking contact about eight minutes after.
Munster confirmed the fracture, this morning, and estimate that Zebo will miss the next five weeks of action. He may return for the second of Munster’s Champions Cup fixtures, against Glasgow Warriors on October 22, if all goes well.
The injury will hopefully not affect his chances of being involved in Ireland’s November Tests.
Munster also confirmed that hooker Kevin O’Byrne is out for three months with an elbow injury. There was better news, though, in the province securing the services of 25-year-old Springbok centre Jaco Taute on a four-month deal.
Taute, who can cover fullback too, joins from Super Rugby’s Stormers. He has three caps for South Africa and was brought in due to recent injuries to Francis Saili and Sammy Arnold.
Taute may miss out on PRO12 action this weekend but should be good to go from Round 3.
Some silver lining there for the western province.
The GAA Hour Hurling Show relives Tipperary’s sensational All-Ireland victory with Paidí Maher. Listen below or subscribe on iTunes.
