O'Connor wants to ensure the 26-year-old is fit for next week's trip to France and is not willing to risk any further injury - despite the huge nature of the game at the Aviva Stadium.
"We know that we have to be really, really good. That's the bottom line," O'Connor told the Irish Examiner.
"We understand how important this [Munster game] is, but we've got to have an eye on what's happening next week as well.
"Cian's not too bad, he's still a little bit sore. We'll make an assessment on that closer to the game and we've got a little bit of focus for what's happening next week."
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