The big news this morning is that Leinster are possibly lining up Brad Thorn as a solution to their serious problems in the second row. With Leo Cullen out of the picture for at least two months recovering from an achilles tendon operation and Stephen Sykes heading home to South Africa, Leinster’s experienced lock stocks are wafer thin. Leinster are playing down the reports but if they want to have any chance of retaining their title they’ll need him. Thorn has had one of the most remarkable rugby careers of the past two decades having reached the pinnacle in both codes. He’s a genuine hard man, a fantastic tight-head side scrummager, and along with Richie McCaw was key to getting the All Blacks across the line against the French in the dying minutes of last year’s World Cup final, when their less experienced team mates were wilting left, right, and centre.
Leinster will need the agreement of his side, the Fukuoka Sannix Blues. They’ll need Eddie Wigglesworth and co. at the IRFU to give them the nod too. Given what’s gone on in the last few weeks with the new rules about non-Irish qualified players you could see them knocking the request back just to spite Joe Schmidt. Thorn is a bona fide rugby legend. It would be an honour to have him play in the blue jersey.
