As Leinster prepare for their Guinness Pro12 opener against Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, much of the build-up has focused on the possible return of former out-half Jonathan Sexton to the province for the start of next season.

It is looking likely the three-time Heineken Cup winner will bring his spell with Racing Metro to a close at the end of the current Top 14 campaign, but in the immediate future, Sexton’s participation in Ireland’s autumn Tests has been put in doubt as a result of a broken jaw sustained against Toulon last Saturday.

Though he initially remained on the field following a collision with opposing hooker Craig Burden, the 29-year-old kicker was eventually withdrawn from the action, and with an estimated recovery period of two months expected, he faces a race against time if he is to feature in the squad that Joe Schmidt assembles for battles against South Africa, Georgia and Australia.

This setback may well delay Sexton’s response to Leinster’s contract offer, and speaking at the squad’s UCD base yesterday, Blues head coach O’Connor revealed the ball is in Sexton’s court.

“He had his jaw wired up. He picked up a knock at the weekend and the initial reports were that it was a shoulder. There was clarity on that. It was his jaw,” O’Connor stated.

“There is a decision for Johnny to make. We’re waiting to see what he does. It’s his call.”

A more pressing matter for O’Connor, however, will be the impending arrival of Wallabies lock Kane Douglas. Under the guidance of former Leinster supremo Michael Cheika, Douglas excelled in the Waratahs’ Super Rugby triumph earlier this month.

That was the New South Wales native’s final appearance before his move to Leinster, but with a recall to the national set-up being mooted a number of weeks back, there were suggestions that Douglas wouldn’t be seen on these shores until December.

As of yet, Wallabies coach Ewen McKenzie (who has a policy of not picking players unless they are based in Australia) has resisted the temptation to bring back the towering Douglas, who has assembled 14 caps.

Because his contract with the Australia Rugby Union runs until the end of the year, he would need to be granted an early release before joining the Leinster ranks, but although it is not an ideal scenario, O’Connor is hopeful an agreement can be reached.

“We’ve had a few positive conversations in relation to that and it will certainly be well in advance of that date [end of 2014].

“There is a release process. We need to get him signed off by them in order to register him. Nothing can happen until that’s achieved. All things being equal, that’s looking quite positive. It will be sooner rather than later.”