Leicester skipper Geordan Murphy suffered a dislocated shoulder against Bath back in September © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Geordan Murphy

Tournaments/Tours: Heineken Cup | Guinness Premiership

Teams: England | Leicester Tigers

Whatever the outcome of their make or break Heineken Cup tie against Ospreys at Swansea on Saturday, Leicester fans will still have something to look forward to with the return of skipper Geordan Murphy from a long injury lay-off.

The brilliant, versatile Irishman, who injured his shoulder in a Premiership match against Bath in September, could be back in action for the Tigers next month. "It should be no more than another two or three weeks," he told ESPNscrum. "I was hoping I might get back for the [Anglo-Welsh] Cup match against Bath next week, but it looks at the moment as though it may be the Northampton match the weekend after."

And if he'll be slightly disappointed to wait another week, that is nothing beside the relief of knowing that he is close to full fitness again. "It has been incredibly frustrating," he added. "It is only the second time that I've missed a big chunk of a season like this, but it could also have been worse as it did seem possible at one time that I'd miss the whole season."

During his absence he has been kept in touch by coaches not only at Leicester, but with the Irish national team. "I've been talking to them regularly and it isn't impossible that I might get some involvement towards the end of the Six Nations, which would be great," he said.

Not least of the frustrations of his absence has been missing the Tigers' entire Heineken campaign so far. The stakes are immensely high at the Liberty Stadium on Saturday. If the Tigers win they are all but certain to progress. Lose, and in a three-way group they will be denied even the newly-instituted consolation prize of a shot at the European Challenge Cup. "It's a huge game for us. We've only previously missed out on the play-offs in the seasons after World Cups - still disappointing, but understandable given how many of our players have been involved - so missing out this time would be a real blow."

Ospreys are old rivals. This is the third time they've met the Tigers in five pool stage seasons - and there were clashes with Swansea and Neath, the clubs on which the franchise is based, before that. Tigers have had the edge, but Murphy is well aware of the threat they represent. "They're a very, very strong all-round team. They've got power, pace and quality. They're a bit of an enigma, but we know how much they want to succeed in Europe. They want to be a top team and they've got the means to do it. They like to play an attacking game and that terrific playing surface at the Liberty allows them to do it."

Looking beyond this weekend, his likely return to action represents excellent news for Declan Kidney and the Irish coaching panel, his versatility as a player of genuine international quality at either fullback or wing a vital addition to their options.

"We know it will be tough. We've got two particularly difficult away games, against England and in France, where we've always found it tough," added Murphy. "Every year we say that the Six Nations is getting tougher, but it's true. Aside from those two matches we know that Wales are going to be highly competitive and there were signs in the autumn that Scotland are on the way back."

Winning the Championship along with a first Grand Slam for 61 years after so many near-misses in recent seasons was, he recognises 'a monkey off our back'. "it will take a little pressure off us, but we're certainly not going to get ahead of ourselves," he said.

It is, as the cliché has it, tough to repeat. But Ireland's chances of taking another trophy to add to last year's collection have got a little better with the news of his impending return.

Geordan Murphy was speaking at an event organised by Nordoff Robbins music therapy charity