Munster back row forward Denis Leamy will miss the Six Nations and potentially the rest of the season due to a long-term hip injury.
The versatile Tipp native has been suffering with the injury for months and is now set to undergo surgery that is expected to sideline him for four months.
As a result, Leamy will play no part in the upcoming Six Nations and faces a race against time to play any part for Munster this season considering that he is expected to return in April at the earliest, by which time the Heineken Cup and RaboDirect PRO 12 will be entering their final stages.
Speaking about Leamy’s injury last week, Munster coach Tony McGahan said: “He’s had a long-term hip injury which has certainly limited his training for the last six or seven months.
“He was too unwell to play over the last two weeks and he’s not in a position to train or take part in this weekend’s game (against Treviso) at least.”
Once a mainstay of the Irish back-row, Leamy has fell down what is quite a formidable pecking order behind the likes of Sean O’Brien, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip and Stephen Ferris in recent times and has also had to fight hard for his place at domestic level due to the form of James Coughlan, the versatility of Donnacha Ryan and the emergence of Peter O’Mahony at Munster.
Leamy had been showing signs of a return to his best form this season, however, and the injury will come as a big blow for both Munster and Ireland, as Leamy is highly-rated by Declan Kidney and company at international level.
As far as Ireland are concerned, however, it is the one area of the field where strength in depth is not a problem (we seem to be particularly adept at producing strong and athletic back-row forwards), so hopefully his absence won’t be too keenly felt.
