A potential six months for O'Brien
Sean O'Brien will miss Ireland's autumn Test series with shoulder trouble
©PA
Sean O'Brien will miss Ireland's autumn Tests and is a major doubt for the RBS 6 Nations after being ruled out of action for six months.
Leinster boss Matt O'Connor has revealed the British and Irish Lions flanker will undergo shoulder surgery in London on Friday.
The 27-year-old has suffered an infection in the same shoulder he had reconstructed after Ireland's 24-22 defeat to New Zealand in Dublin in November.
Bullish flanker O'Brien will be central to Ireland boss Joe Schmidt's World Cup 2015 plans, but now faces another setback just as he was eyeing his international return.
O'Brien made his long-awaited Leinster return in the Guinness PRO12 clash with Glasgow at the start of September, only to pick up an ankle problem.
Leinster medics were relieved to deliver the news the ankle issue was not as serious as first expected, but later discovered O'Brien was still suffering after-effects from last year's initial shoulder surgery.
"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."
Ireland face South Africa, Georgia and Australia in their autumn Guinness series, and just 12 fixtures before launching their World Cup bid against Canada in September 2015.
O'Brien has marked himself out as among the best flankers in world rugby through his gritty, physical style.
The 30-cap back-rower was expected to form a dangerous partnership with Peter O'Mahony and Jamie Heaslip for Ireland this autumn.
Now head coach Schmidt may well turn to Ulster flanker Chris Henry, who deputised impressively last term as Ireland claimed the Six Nations title.
