Munster's Joey Carbery is a serious doubt for the early stages of the Six Nations after suffering a bad wrist injury in last Friday night's Pro14 clash at Ulster.
The out-half underwent a scan which has revealed he suffered ligament damage and requires surgery.
It's another headache for new Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, who is hoping Jonathan Sexton will make it back in time for the 1 February tournament opener against Scotland. Sexton is currently recovering from a medial ligament tear in his right knee.
It's also an unwelcome addition to the treatment table for Munster ahead of their Heineken Champions Cup pool collision at Racing 92 this Sunday.
Andrew Conway, who came off with a neck problem at Ulster last Friday night, is being monitored ahead of that game.
Niall Scannell is in full training following a bout of cramp at Kingspan Stadium while Kevin O'Byrne, Rhys Marshall and Darren Sweetnam are all involved again this week.
Meanwhile Tadgh Beirne has begun his road to recovery after successfully undergoing surgery on a broken ankle.
Beirne suffered the injury during the Champions Cup defeat against Saracens 11 days before Christmas, throwing his Six Nations into serious doubt.
Though the versatile forward will not make it back to face the Scots, he may yet have some part to play for Farrell in the spring.
