Ronan O'Gara hoping hurling gods can help Tawera Kerr-Barlow

Leo Cullen is fully aware that pronouncements from Ronan O'Gara about the fitness of his La Rochelle players are to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Take Will Skelton for example.

In a move that would make a GAA manager blush, the giant second row was written off for the season by O’Gara last Friday, not included in the Stade Rochelais 23 for Saturday’s win over Stade Francais, then named as a late replacement for Eneriko Buliruarua and got a run out in the last few minutes of the match.

"It was interesting Skelton came back from his season-ending injury," said Cullen in jest after Leinster's URC win over Munster.

"Nothing sinister after the game but he did 15 minutes in a slow-paced game," was O’Gara’s reply to how the miracle man did in his cameo.

"But the positive is he didn’t have a reaction. [Monday] was just a clarity session and he was able to walk.

"[Tuesday] will probably tell more and accordingly if it keeps going to plan, we’ll see how much we can get out of him at the weekend."

Still, all’s fair in love and war and in trying to win the mind games ahead of a Heineken Champions Cup final against a team, Leinster, that are 12-point favourites.

This week’s medical update from the former Munster and Ireland out-half includes the news that a scrum-half with two broken bones in his hand is in the running to line out on Saturday at the Stade Melodrome in Marseille.

Last Friday Tawera Kerr-Barlow, according to O'Gara, wouldn't be fit for the final.

"He has two broken bones in his hand but I’m trying to see…I need to get some hurling advice and try and get one of those micro gloves," O’Gara told RTÉ Sport.

"So we’ll see what we can do with that in terms of... I mean you’ve got to explore every possibility.

"Depending on his pain