Torn knee ligaments have kept Carlow’s Tom Daly sidelined for Connacht Rugby for the past ten weeks but he’s almost ready to return to action.
Last seasons’s Player’s Player and Supporter’s Player of the year for the province, Daly did the damage in his side’s 36-11 win over Ulster last October and has been on the sidelines since.
While he’s missed some big games since – including a well-fought victory over Munster on New Year’s Day – Daly is expecting to return to action in the next fortnight, all going to plan.
“The injury is going well”, Daly tells Scoreline.
“I tore two ligaments in my right knee, it’s a substantial enough injury but it wasn’t any of the cruciate ligaments or anything like that so it was a fairly straightforward rehab process.
“I just have to respect the healing time.” It will be 12 weeks in total I’ll be out, which seems like a lot, but in the grand scheme of things, it could be a lot worse when you see some lads out for eight or nine months with injuries.
“I’m hoping to be back training with the team next week but I’ll probably have to do a week or two’s training to get my fitness back.”
“We’re playing Glasgow in two weeks time, then Ulster, so hopefully [for] one of those two games I’ll be able to sneak into the team.”
Connacht will line out against Ulster in the URC on Saturday 29 January before meeting Scarlets two weeks later.
Two more years
Daly recently re-upped with Connacht Rugby for another two years.
Joining the province on loan in late 2018, the Carlow man made the move permanent at the end of that season and now resides in Galway. Speaking about Daly at the time, Connacht head coach Andy Friend said “he perfect example of a player who has grabbed his playing opportunities with both hands.”
“I’ve been impressed by him ever since he joined on his loan deal in 2018, and then we all saw last season just how good of a player he’s become. We’re all looking forward to seeing him continue his progression and help the squad to succeed over the next two years.”
