Brian O'Driscoll is set to return to action for Leinster on Friday after missing all of Ireland's Six Nations campaign.
The veteran centre has returned to full contact training with Leinster ahead of their PRO12 match with Ospreys on Friday night.
O'Driscoll has been out of action since Ireland's Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to Wales in October of last year, after which he needed shoulder surgery.
"His reputation precedes him as a fast healer," Leinster coach Joe Schmidt told the Irish Times.
"This is the very earliest we felt we'd have him back. The prognosis was he'd return a month or six weeks later but things have gone really well for him in his rehabilitation.
"For us, if he was to be in contention for some of the big games coming up, he'd want to get at least a bit of time under his belt this Friday."
O'Driscoll has been capped 117 times for Ireland and scored 45 international tries.
