Leinster's Brian O'Driscoll could yet play a part in the latest installment of Heineken Cup action.
O'Driscoll sustained a jaw injury in Ireland's 29-9 win over Argentina last weekend and was forced to leave the field at the Aviva Stadium after just 12 minutes.
The 2009 Heineken Cup winner was rumoured to have broken his jaw and was expected to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
But Leinster have now indicated that the injury is not as bad as at first feared, although the province are yet to confirm when they expect their star centre to be fit for action.
O'Driscoll will continue to receive medical treatment but it now seems possible that he could be available for selection later this month.
With his previous record of recovering from injuries remarkably quickly, the 31-year-old could defy previous expectations and return for one or both of the Heineken Cup clashes with Clermont Auvergne.
Leinster travel to France a week on Sunday, before hosting the return fixture in Dublin the following Saturday and O'Drsicoll's presence would be a major boost for the Pool 2 leaders.
But while news on O'Driscoll is a massive plus for Leinster, fellow Lions and Ireland international Rob Kearney's injury situation is far less encouraging.
Kearney has become a permanent fixture in the Leinster first XV in recent years and was a central figure in their first-ever Heineken Cup winning season in 2008/09.
Kearney has undergone knee surgery and will be out of action for the foreseeable future, with Leinster still unable to set a return date for the full back.
"After his surgery last week, Rob Kearney seems set to sit out the next few months on the sidelines," read a Leinster statement.