Robbie Henshaw will go through return-to-play protocols after suffering a brutal head knock during Leinster’s bruising Investec Champions Cup semi-final victory over Toulon.
The Ireland centre was knocked unconscious in a sickening collision early in the first half at the Aviva Stadium, leaving players and supporters stunned as medical staff rushed onto the field.
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The match was halted in the 14th minute after Henshaw was left motionless on the turf following an attempted tackle on powerful Toulon back-rower Mikheil Shioshvili.
🦬 Misho « le découpeur de Tbilissi » Shioshvili dans ses œuvres !
Sacré caramel sur Robbie Henshaw on ne s’en lasse pas
(On espère rien de grave pour Robbie Henshaw ceci étant dit et nous lui souhaitons un bon rétablissement)
(
rugbytvgeorgia sur IG) pic.twitter.com/SNOifIajmL
— L’ÉCHO DE MAYOL (@EchodeMayol) May 2, 2026
Referee Luke Pearce immediately stopped play while medics treated the 77-Test midfielder for several minutes before he was taken from the field on a medical trolley.
There was relief around the stadium when Henshaw raised his arm to supporters as he was taken off, while he later returned to the pitch after the match to celebrate Leinster’s dramatic 29-25 win.
Leinster boss Leo Cullen revealed after the match that Henshaw and flanker Josh van der Flier had both suffered head knocks.
“Robbie and Josh got two head knocks,” said Cullen.
“They’ll go through the graduated return-to-play protocols as standard. The two of them are OK there now. Listen, we’ll get them checked out and make sure everything is OK.”
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Cullen also provided updates on injured duo Jack Conan and Tommy O’Brien after both were forced off during the high-intensity clash.
“Jack obviously hobbled off with his knee. He’s pretty bullish in there, saying he’s fine. Again, we’ll get him checked,” Cullen said.
“Tommy went off as well. I think he’s cramping is what’s going on there. That’s the majority of it, I think.”
“Generally, I think the lads are not bad. A game of this magnitude, everyone has thrown themselves into the contact area. Nobody is leaving anything out there. It’s all out there.”
Photo: Cathal Mcnaughton/Reuters
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