Major injury blow for O’Brien

Editor

Leinster and Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien will be ruled out for between five to six months after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.

Leinster and Ireland flanker Sean O’Brien will be ruled out for between five to six months after undergoing a shoulder reconstruction.

Matt O’Connor revealed the new on O’Brien at a Leinster press conference.

O’Brien will undergo surgery in London on Friday in a bid to fix the problematic area, which caused him to miss most of the second half of last season.

The 27-year-old last played for Ireland against New Zealand last November.

And O’Connor admits it’s a huge blow for both O’Brien and his province but he’s optimistic the surgery will have the flanker in top shape for next year’s World Cup.

“It’s a nightmare,” O’Connor said.

“If all things go to plan he’ll probably have shoulder reconstruction surgery tomorrow.

“There was a little bit of a complication with his previous surgery due to the infection and they are going to have to go in there and redo that.

“He’s extremely frustrated but the positive thing is that the ankle procedure he had a couple of weeks ago was a lot more minor than we thought.

“The shoulder will be as good as new. He’s upbeat and positive and just wants to get well and play again.

“There’s a World Cup around the corner and hopefully a few seasons at the top level with us.

“Our medical team are confident he will come back pretty quick. You’ve got a joint where there is a lot of scar tissue, a lot of infection, a lot of disruption so from that end we need to be cautious.”