Sean O'Brien will miss Ireland's November internationals and could be out of the Six Nations as well after being ruled out of rugby for up to six months with a shoulder problem.
Leinster coach Matt O'Connor said Thursday the 27-year-old backrower would undergo an operation in London on Friday.
British and Irish Lions flanker O'Brien has an infection in the shoulder reconstructed after Ireland's dramatic 24-22 defeat by world champions New Zealand in Dublin last November.
One small consolation for O'Brien is that, if the surgery is successful on this occasion, he should be fit in time for next year's Rugby World Cup in England.
O'Brien returned to action for Dublin-based Leinster in their Celtic League match with Glasgow at the start of September, only to suffer an ankle injury.
That proved not as bas as first feared but, unfortunately for O'Brien, Leinster's medical staff discovered he had not mae a full recovery from his previous shoulder operation.
"There was a little bit of a complication with the previous surgery due to the infection," said O'Connor.
"So they're going to have to redo that reconstruction, which is a five to six month time frame.
"It's a nightmare. He's incredibly frustrated."
Six Nations champions Ireland face South Africa, Georgia and Australia in November with Ulster's Chris Henry set to continue in the back-row after coming in for O'Brien last season.
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