Injury jinx strikes Horgan

The injury jinx which has blighted Anthony Horgan's (photograph) career struck again with the cruellest timing of all yesterday when the Munster winger suffered a double break in his right hand in a freak training accident.

Not only has he been ruled out of the European Cup final tomorrow, but also the forthcoming tour of New Zealand, in which he was the only uncapped player in the original selection of 26.

During the warm-up for training in the Welsh Rugby Union's all-weather indoor pitch at the Vale of Glamorgan Hotel where the Munster squad is based, Horgan merely brushed past a teammate. But he was immediately in some degree of pain and was then taken to a local hospital where an x-ray confirmed the double break.

The loss of Munster's joint leading try scorer in the history of the competition leaves Declan Kidney with another ill-timed selection conundrum; his options being John O'Neill or Mike Mullins, or perhaps converting Rob Henderson into a wing.

Having already lost Denis Hickie and Shane Hortgan, it also obliges Eddie O'Sullivan to make another amendment to his squad for New Zealand, with Tyrone Howe and Gordon D'Arcy seemingly the leading candidates.