James Ryan is set for a return to action for Leinster in their Guinness PRO14 semi-final with Munster.
The Ireland second row appeared bound to miss the rest of the provincial season having sustained a dislocated shoulder at the start of the month.
Ryan's progress has backed the optimistic assessment of senior coach Stuart Lancaster who claimed three-weeks ago that "if things go well, I think he can get towards the semi-finals and final stages [of the PRO14]".
Both Ryan and long-term absentee Dan Leavy took part in the warm-up ahead of Saturday's 28-10 victory over Ulster at the Aviva.
Head coach Leo Cullen has confirmed that both have recovered from their respective injuries, "but that they will both be assessed further this week in training before a final decision is made".
Leavy hasn't lined out for the province since suffering a serious knee ligament injury during their Heineken Champions Cup quarter-final win over Ulster in March of 2019.
The 26-year old has been gradually working his way up to a full training load in recent weeks.
Rhys Ruddock suffered no ill effects after returning against Ulster from a quad injury.
Tadhg Furlong will have a back injury assessed this week, but it seems this Friday's game at the Aviva may come too soon for the tighthead.
There's renewed hope that Fergus McFadden may receive the swansong he deserves, with Leinster saying he's started running again as he recovers from a calf injury.
Vakh Abdaladze (back), Dave Kearney (hamstring), Conor O’Brien (hamstring) and Adam Byrne (hamstring) all remain out of action.
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