Ireland centre Will Addison looks set to follow in Dan Leavy’s footsteps and miss the Rugby World Cup in Japan later this year after undergoing back surgery.
The 26-year-old moved from Sale over the summer to declare for Ireland and made his debut in the November internationals, impressing at 13 against Argentina after Robbie Henshaw was a late withdrawal.
But he missed out on the Six Nations through injury and now has been forced to go under the knife to correct a back problem.