Seán O’Brien faces up to six months out after surgery

More bad news. Leinster and Ireland's most combative players – Cian Healy and Seán O'Brien – are now both unavailable until 2015.

O'Brien would be returning ahead of schedule if he featured in Ireland's final Six Nations match at Murrayfield on March 21st as a second shoulder reconstruction in 10 months – with ankle surgery in between – takes place in Manchester tomorrow.

The 27-year-old Lions flanker will be out for “five to six months” according to Leinster coach Matt O’Connor. The latest problem stems from a bacterial infection following last December’s operation. The graft didn’t knit in his left shoulder so it must be done all over again.

Healy tore the hamstring off the bone at training last week.

“Seanie is in the UK at moment, he’ll have shoulder reconstructive surgery tomorrow,” said O’Connor. “There was a little bit of a complication with the previous surgery due to the infection so they are going to have to go in and redo that reconstruction which is about five or six month time frame (of recovery).”

“It’s a nightmare,” O’Connor admitted. “He’s incredibly frustrated.

“The positive thing is the ankle surgery he had a couple of weeks ago was a lot more minor than we thought. This will give him time to recover from that. The shoulder will be as good as new.

“It’s part and parcel of what we do every day.”

O’Brien only played eight times for Leinster last season and missed the entire title-clinching Six Nations campaign when replaced in the Ireland backrow by Ulster’s Chris Henry. Jordi Murphy also profited when recognised at Test level in O’Brien’s absence but he is also injured at present.

With Shane Jennings having picked up a hamstring injury, Rhys Ruddock and Dominic Ryan have filled the Leinster flanking roles of late.

“Rhys demonstrated that for us last season and for Ireland. He had some devastating carries against Cardiff last weekend. That’s something we will need to get with no Seán; we’ll be looking for others to carry the ball. I think Rhys, Jamie and Dominic have done a fairly good job.”

“There is nothing in Rhys’s game that doesn’t indicate he won’t be a world class six.”