IRELAND HAVE BEEN dealt a severe blow with news that Sean O’Brien is likely to miss most, if not all, of the Six Nations.
O’Brien will need surgery on his injured shoulder and Leinster confirmed this afternoon that he is set to face a significant spell on the sidelines.
The flanker dislocated his shoulder during the second half of Saturday’s inter-provincial against Ulster with initial estimates ruling him out for six weeks. The need for surgical repairs to O’Brien’s shoulder have lengthened the timeframe for his return.
Leinster forwards coach Jono Gibbes told TheScore.ie that the loss of the openside is a huge blow for his province and country. He said:
The timeframe for that has moved it outside of that six weeks. It has not actually been set in stone but it’s significant enough, the surgical intervention, so that means six to eight weeks at a minimum.”
Asked if the back-row would miss most, if not all, of the Six Nations, Gibbes responded, “It looks like that. They are not going to put an absolute line in the sand. They are going to see how it goes.”
Leinster are faced with a tricky set of fixtures over the coming weeks, with an interprovincial clash with Connacht on Saturday and Heineken Cup games at home to Ospreys and away to Castres. “Of course with a guy like [O'Brien], it’d be nice to have him in your team but it is just an opportunity for other guys,” said Gibbes. “That is what we’ve tried to get going at Leinster over these last couple of years.
“Injuries happen, somebody else gets to take their place and the same standards are expected of them.” O’Brien has started just five games for Leinster this season. Shane Jennings has deputised for Carlow native in recent outings while Dominic Ryan will also be in contention for the 7 jersey.
