Easterby sidelined for six weeks

The Llanelli and Irish scrum-half Guy Easterby sustained a broken leg when briefly appearing as a replacement for his club on Saturday and has been ruled out of the forthcoming internationals against Japan and South Africa over the next two weekends. It is anticipated that he will be sidelined for six weeks.

Easterby came on in the 72nd minute of Llanelli's Welsh/Scottish League win by 3128 at home to Neath, and within eight minutes suffered a fracture in a bone just above his right ankle when his studs caught in the muddy Stradey Park surface as he attempted to turn.

This constitutes the second act of an extraordinary jinx on the Easterby brothers, the younger of whom, Simon, damaged his Achilles earlier in the season. He went back into hospital this week for an exploratory operation and it looks like his season is already over.

There was also a slight scare concerning Ronan O'Gara after the Munster outhalf strained his ankle in the warm-up on the back pitch to Friday night's interpro against Leinster, and prevented him from being able to take any part as a replacement. But O'Gara said the injury is "not as bad as I first feared." and shouldn't jeopardise his fitness for the game. "I might have to miss training on Monday but if the recovery is as good as it has been overnight then I might be alright."

The elder Easterby's position in the 24man squad which assembled in Greystones last night before Saturday's first Test of the season against Japan has been taken by Brian O'Meara, who has been promoted from the under-25 team to play the Japanese in Ravenhill tomorrow night.

In the ensuing ripple effect, Tom Tierney has been promoted to the under-25 starting line-up with the young Old Belvedere and Leinster scrum-half Simon Keogh called up to the bench. The under-25s have been hit by a couple of other withdrawals from the original selection, namely wingers James Topping (virus) and Anthony Horgan (thigh strain), and as replacement winger Sheldon Coulter (dead leg). Kieron Campbell (London Irish) and the Munster flanker cum-winger Colm McMahon have been named in the starting line-up, while Bryn Cunningham has been added to the bench.

The team to play Japan will be announced tomorrow.

Revised Under-25/Development Selection: G D'Arcy (Leinster); C McMahon (Munster), J Kelly (Munster), S Stewart (Ulster), K Campbell (London Irish); J Staunton (Munster), T Tierney (Munster); M Horan (Munster), P Smyth (Leinster), S Best (Ulster), B Casey (Leinster), M O'Driscoll (Cork Con and Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), T McWhirter (Ulster, capt), D Wallace (Munster). Replacements - S Keogh (Leinster), M McHugh (Leinster), B Cunningham (Ulster), J O'Connor (Connacht), L Cullen (Leinster), M Cahill (Connacht), R Weir (Ulster).