Lions hero Hugo Keenan won’t play again until 2026 while Leinster issue ‘made it worse’ update on star forward
Hugo Keenan was the series-clinching hero on the British and Irish Lions tour that also featured Joe McCarthy (inset)
Hugo Keenan will be sidelined for the remainder of 2025 after an operation following his British and Irish Lions exploits in Australia.
The Leinster and Ireland full-back came up trumps for Andy Farrell’s tourists, scoring the last-gasp try in Melbourne in July that clinched them the series victory over the Wallabies with one match to spare.
However, his post-tour return home to Dublin was followed by the need for surgery to mend a hip complaint, and the rehab required will see him miss Ireland’s four-match Autumn Nations Series – which begins on November 1 versus the All Blacks in Chicago – and the first half of Leinster’s URC/Champions Cup season.
The setback for the 29-year-old wasn’t the only concerning update provided by Leinster boss Leo Cullen at an open training session in Greystones on Tuesday, as he also confirmed that the foot injury sustained by Joe McCarthy on the Lions has suffered a further hitch.
“Had a bit of a setback…”
Cullen told reporters: “Hugo Keenan had surgery post the Lions tour on his hip. He probably won’t feature until the new year. Exactly what point, I’m not sure yet. The other one is Joe McCarthy. He has an issue with his foot.
“He had an issue with the Lions, but he has made it worse anyway. So, he has had a bit of a setback. Whether he is out ’til November (I’m not sure), but he is not going to feature for us anyway in that first block (of matches). It’s early days, and I don’t know (when he will be back) is the honest answer.”
Cullen’s medical bulletin wasn’t all doom and gloom, though, as Leinster and Ireland skipper Caelan Doris, who missed the Lions tour with a Champions Cup semi-final shoulder injury that required surgery, is on track for an early winter comeback.
“In and around November. Whether it’s before, during or after, I’m not 100 per cent sure yet,” explained Cullen when asked about the status of Doris’ return.
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Garry Ringrose and James Ryan, two other Lions tour casualties, have shaken off their concussion issues. It was confirmed that they had been seen by independent concussion consultants, as well as going through their return-to-play protocols.
Leinster trained with a squad of 45 players in Co Wicklow, with the countdown on towards the September 26 start to their new URC campaign away to the Stormers in Cape Town.
They will travel having announced contract extensions on Monday through to the end of the 2026/27 season for senior coach Jacques Nienaber and assistants Robin McBryde and Tyler Bleyendaal.
