Munster have confirmed that Joey Carbery fractured his elbow in last weekend’s victory against Wasps.
The fly-half is facing another spell away from the pitch due to injury and will undergo surgery on Thursday before he begins to recover from his latest setback.
The former Leinster man has spent the majority of the last two years in the treatment room with injuries, including a 13-month ankle problem that plagued the talented Irish international.
Carbery was replaced by outgoing head coach Johann van Graan following the tackle that caused the injury, with his jersey being used to protect the fragile elbow.
Carbery adds to an already lengthy injury list for the province, with Calvin Nash, Rowan Osborne and RG Snyman all ruled out of Saturday’s second round Champions Cup tie with French side Castres at Thomond Park.
There is some good news for the 2006 and 2008 European champions, however, with Chris Farrell, John Hodnett, Roman Salanoa and Jonathan Wren all returning to help Munster overcome Wasps as the 2021/22 Champions Cup campaign kicked off over the weekend.