Munster and Ireland full back Felix Jones has been ruled out of contention for Ireland’s June Test series against New Zealand with the 24-year-old due to undergo shoulder surgery next week.
Jones sustained the damage to his shoulder in Munster’s 45-10 defeat at the hands of the Ospreys last Friday and his upcoming surgery looks set to keep him sidelined for at least four months.
The news comes as bitter blow for the former Leinster man who missed the majority of this season due to an ankle injury he picked up in a World Cup 2011 warm-up encounter against France.
Jones isn’t Munster’s only casualty at the end of a disappointing season, Johne Murphy who sustained an ankle injury against the Ospreys will be out of action for three months as will Damien Varley who picked up an ankle injury in the RaboDirect PRO12 clash with Ulster on May 5.
Meanwhile young prospects Dave Foley and Ian Nagle, who are both recovering from shoulder operations, are expected to be back training around August.