Leamy played through the pain barrier towards the end of last season, delaying the operation so he could help Munster win a second Heineken Cup and he also offered his services to Ireland on the summer tour, during which he scored a try against Australia.

Making good headway behind the scenes, he was back training with the Munster squad at the University of Limerick on Tuesday and a return to contact work is expected towards the end of this week.

"I am targeting some kind of game in the first week of November and we'll see how it goes from there," he said.

The Tipperary man, who has 34 Ireland caps to his name, went on an excellent run in the national side last season.

He played in every game at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, all five Six Nations matches earlier this year and he also lined out against New Zealand and the Wallabies on the summer tour.

If things go to plan over the coming weeks, Leamy could be in line for consideration for Munster's home-and-away Heineken Cup clashes with Clermont Auvergne in December.