No money for 'medical joker', admits Lam

Connacht head coach Pat Lam says there is no money to bring in cover during the Pro 12 champions' current injury crisis.

Jack Carty is Lam's only recognised out-half, following injuries to Marnitz Boshoff, Craig Ronaldson and Shane O’Leary.

Boshoff, 27, has been ruled out for at least three months as he requires surgery to the shoulder he injured in the Pro 12 win over Benetton Treviso on 3 December.

Ronaldson is sidelined until mid-January with a thigh injury, while O"Leary is still recovering from concussion.

"There is no medical joker because you have got budgets," Lam admitted.

"You need money, we don’t have money to do that so we just have to work out what we can do. All the players who are injured, they still have to get paid. Jack is the last out-half still standing. We will look at options but we just to need to do a job this week and get on with it."

Cian Kelleher is out for four weeks with a hamstring injury, while centre Stacey Ili (ankle) and flanker Jake Heenan (ankle and knee) are unlikely to be available for Saturday's Champions Cup tie against Wasps at the Sportsground.

However, Bundee Aki and Tiernan O’Halloran are likely to be fit for the return tie despite suffering thigh and hip injuries respectively in Sunday’s 32-17 defeat to Wasps at the Ricoh Arena.

“We are down on numbers," Lam continued.

"That’s what I wanted, I wanted competition and have the opportunity because we go six-day turnaround, six-day turnaround to Ulster. And then a seven-day turnaround to Munster and then Ospreys.

"Big games and we need as many on deck as we can. It is what it is and that’s the adversity that you face and the challenge and we just have to face it and we will."

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