Sexton to see specialist as injury rules him out of Aviva clash

Not the news Leinster and Irish fans wanted.

Leinster steam-rolled Northampton in a crunch Champions Cup pool game on Saturday away from home, but the worrying highlight was Johnny Sexton iceing his knee after an awkward fall in the second half. The province confirmed today that Sexton is due to see a specialist, and has been ruled out of the return fixture against Northampton at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday. With the opening fixture of the 2020 Six Nations against Scotland less than 8 weeks away, new Head Coach Andy Farrell could be faced with the daunting task of rebuilding the Irish Rugby team without either of his first choice 10s, with Joey Carbery yet to feature for Munster since the World Cup and no update given as to a potential return. Outside back Joe Tomane's injury woes have also continued, with the Aussie ruled out for 6-8 weeks after aggravating a previous hamstring injury. Leinster and Irish eyes will also be following the progress of influential second row James Ryan closely, he's due for further assessment later this week after exiting the field with a head injury late on in the bonus point win at Franklins Gardens. There was some boost for the eastern province, with the news that hooker Sean Cronin has returned to full training after a neck injury that has seen him sidelined in recent weeks. Both Johnny Sexton and Joe Tomane have been ruled out of the game through injury but in good news, hooker Seán Cronin has returned to full training following a neck injury picked up in Japan.