O’Connell To Miss First Half of Season.

International lock Paul O’Connell has been ruled out of Ireland’s RWC qualifiers and Autumn internationals after undergoing surgery earlier this week on a back injury.

O’Connell (22) has been hampered for some time by a damaged disc in his lower back and had the corrective surgery on Monday. It means however that he will be out of action for a minimum of four weeks and will miss the RWC September qualifiers against Russia and Georgia and the November friendlies against Australia, Fiji and Argentina.

In addition, Irish team coach Eddie O’Sullivan must plan for those games without David Wallace who left the Blackrock Clinic last Monday having had surgery for a troublesome shoulder. Medical opinion is that Wallace’s recovery will be even longer – six months – in which case he will not be back in training until the New Year.