“That’s what every player in the whole world is taught to do.”
On a week that saw a superb young back-row retire from rugby at the age of 27, it was disconcerting to see new angles of the Gavin Coombes leg injury, and images of him in a protective boot as his Munster teammates trained away behind him.
Dan Leavy finally had to stop fighting after what was a three-year battle with injuries and set-backs, stemming back to a ruck clear-out in a Champions Cup game. Leavy was going in for a poach when Ulster’s Wiehahn Herbst thundered in to clear him out. Leavy’s leg had been caught in the ruck and he ruptured both his anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments, in his knee.
While Coombes’ injury sustained, while getting cleared out by Leinster’s Devin Toner in a league defeat at Thomond Park, has not had the same “horrific” consequences as Leavy’s, the Cork native will miss at least two games. There is even a fear his injury could be a season-ender.
On the latest House of Rugby URC [LISTEN from 9:40 below], hosts Greg O’Shea, Lindsay Peat and Jason Hennessy were joined by former Ireland winger Ali Miller. They discussed that Gavin Coombes injury, while Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has weighed in with his opinion.
Gavin Coombes in conversation with head coach Johann van Graan during Munster rugby squad training at University of Limerick. (Photo by Piaras Ó MÃdheach/Sportsfile)‘These things are unfortunate’ – Peter O’Mahony
“The whole issue with side entries into breakdowns is it’s an accident waiting to happen,” argued Jason Hennessy.
“We’ve seen so many serious injuries… somehow that [Devin Toner clear-out on Gavin Coombes] resulted in a Leinster penalty. I’m sick and tired of talking about these incidents, because so many players are getting seriously injured as a result.”
Here's that Gavin Coombes injury. Dev Toner comes in from the side and Coombes (ankle caught) left in a heap pic.twitter.com/qpYN0LeTIB
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) April 2, 2022
Asked about the Gavin Coombes injury, and if he took any issue with the clear-out, Peter O’Mahony commented:
“Look, I certainly wouldn’t be going comparing what Gav’s issue is, to what happened with Dan Leavy. You’re talking about a totally different animal there.”
“Breakdowns are obviously a contentious issue at the moment,” O’Mahony added, “but they are the heartbeat of the game. From a rugby player’s point of view, you’re being picked and dropped by your urgency and accuracy at the breakdown.
“You’ve got to get there and get your job done, or your forwards coach or breakdown coach is going to have a problem with you, do you know what I mean? There are guys urgently trying to get there, to get people out of the way and to get their team quick ball. That’s what every player in the whole world is taught to do. And sometimes you’ve got to take a shortcut, or find a way to sort it out.
“These things are unfortunate. These things happen in a game that we play, that has a fair amount of high velocity contacts. These things are just going to happen. It certainly wouldn’t be an issue from my point of view, and I’m not going to speak on behalf of anyone else.”
O’Mahony did not sound eager to change up too much, but World Rugby really need to get hot on some of these breakdown injuries as the are stacking up by the season.
One hopes, for Coombes’ sake, that the latest injury caused by a clear-out does not have any long-term ramifications.
WATCH HOUSE OF RUGBY HERE:
