Munster’s Tommy O’Donnell is facing up to three months on the sidelines following the knee injury he sustained against Zebre last weekend.
The 26-year-old, who won two caps for Ireland during the summer tour of Canada and the United States, is due to visit a specialist this week to discover the full extent of the injury but the initial prognosis is not good for the Tipperary man.
Munster have said O'Donnell will be out of action for between 10-12 weeks, a timescale that would see him not only miss a large chunk of the Pro12 season but also the opening two rounds of the Heineken Cup and Ireland's November internationals against Samoa, Australia and New Zealand.
Ian Nagle, who suffered strained tendons in his foot against Zebre, is likely to be out for the next fortnight but there was better news for Andrew Conway who had to be helped from the field last Friday but is in contention to start against Benetton Treviso this weekend.
Felix Jones, meanwhile, appears to be on the mend following his shoulder operation in July and has been given the all-clear to resume contact work in training this week.
