‘Everyone has to support Hugo’ – Leinster coach Leo Cullen defends Keenan’s switch to Ireland sevens

There remains a chance that the Ireland full-back could play for the province if they reach the final and the temptation will be strong after they struggled so much under Ulster’s sustained aerial bombardment on Saturday.

Garry Ringrose and Jack Conan will travel to South Africa with the province and Cullen hopes to have both available to face the Bulls this weekend, though there are major concerns over the co-captain’s continued absence from the pitch.

Leinster, though, didn’t pick up any fresh injuries on Saturday.

“I think everyone is OK,” Cullen said. “There is a little bit of tightness and cramps, but I don’t think there is anything major. Garry and Jack should be good to go. The plan is for them to travel.”

Keenan won’t be on board after playing for the Ireland sevens team in the European Championships in Croatia.

“No. Not for the semi-final. One game at a time. He won’t be playing in South Africa,” Cullen said, before being asked if he had a message to fans who might be upset at Keenan’s decision.

“You have to understand for all our fans, the group as well, you want a top-end player like Hugo... he has been an unbelievable servant for Leinster and for Ireland, he is still a relatively young man.

“He gets the opportunity to represent Ireland and to win an Olympic medal. If you look through his lens, it is a difficult choice for him to make; he felt bad, particularly off the back of losing the Champions Cup final. He doesn’t like leaving the group.

“But, again, there is an opportunity there and it is one of those tough choices. Everyone has to support him in making a tough choice.

“There are two amazing opportunities really and you just want to support players because again you want to give them opportunities so in the future when we are playing a match like the Bulls it won’t be in an Olympic cycle.

“You hope when he is up for contract next and has the opportunity to go somewhere else he goes: ‘I want to stay here because of the loyalty and support that everyone has given me.’”

Meanwhile, the Bulls have suffered a major blow for the Leinster clash after wing wonder Kurt-Lee Arendse fractured his cheek-bone in their win over Benetton at Loftus Versfeld.

Jake White is already without Arendse’s fellow World Cup winners Canan Moodie and Marco van Staden, although the Springbok hasn’t been ruled out of South Africa’s summer series against Ireland after undergoing emergency surgery yesterday.

South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus yesterday named 11 new faces in his training squad ahead of the Springboks’ games against Wales, Ireland and Portugal, with the Bulls and any European-based players excluded.

Like Leinster, the Springboks will be in Pretoria for the week as they prepare for a warm-up against Wales at Twickenham in two weeks’ time ahead of the eagerly anticipated Tests in Pretoria and Durban.

Springbok training squad:

Forwards: Phepsi Buthelezi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Joseph Dweba, Ben-Jason Dixon (both DHL Stormers), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Eben Etzebeth (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Neethling Fouche (DHL Stormers), Vincent Koch (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Ntuthuko Mchunu (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (DHL Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nche (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Evan Roos (DHL Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Blu Revs), Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers), Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)

Backs: Damian de Allende (Panasonic Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), Andre Esterhuizen (Harlequins), Aphelele Fassi (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Jordan Hendrikse (Emirates Lions), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (DHL Stormers), Ethan Hooker (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Quan Horn (Emirates Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Suntory Sungoliath) Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Manie Libbok (DHL Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi, Siya Masuku (both Hollywoodbets Sharks), Handre Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Morne van den Berg (Emirates Lions), Edwill van der Merwe (Emirates Lions), Grant Williams (Hollywoodbets Sharks)