Connacht have been dealt a huge blow, with confirmation that out-half JJ Hanrahan has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The out-half was carted from the pitch in the final quarter of his side's bonus-point win over the Dragons on 27 April, having been shouldered off the ball by Dragons full-back Jordan Williams.
The province have confirmed Hanrahan will undergo surgery later this month, and head coach Pete Wilkins does not expect to see him return until early 2025.
"I think a player of his experience, from different clubs and being around programmes, he’s seen these types of injuries before, he understands the context of it, but when it’s yourself it’s a huge blow.
"First and foremost we have to look after him. If there’s a positive within it, it’s that a good chunk of the weeks he’ll miss will be off-season and pre-season and the injury as well is relatively clean. There’ll be an ACL repair, but there isn't further damage or complications with the knee.
"It’s a blow, JJ’s been terrific for us, and we’ll certainly miss him in the time he’s not with us. Having said that, we'll be tapping into his knowledge and leadership rugby-wise while he’s out."
The 31-year-old Kerryman (below) has been one of Connacht's key players since joining from the Dragons last summer, and had usurped club captain Jack Carty as first choice 10 for Wilkins' side, while also covering as a full-back on occasion.
Hanrahan had played all but two games this season across the BKT United Rugby Championship and European competition, scoring three tries among 137 points.
"We talked about the merits of having Jack and JJ available for us this season, having your club captain step into the breach is pretty good timing, so we’re very lucky in that sense to have Jack available. He’ll pick up the slack," Wilkins added.
That 34-27 win in Newport has come at some cost for the province, who are locked in a tightly-contested race for the URC play-offs.
Cian Prendergast and Denis Buckley have also been ruled out of this Saturday's meeting with Munster, after picking up knocks in the same game. Prendergast is sidelined with a dislocated thumb, while Buckley is set for a few weeks out with a shoulder issue.
Mack Hansen's return from a shoulder injury is still on hold, with the winger unavailable for the trip to Limerick.
The province had targeted this weekend's Round 16 game as a potential return for Hansen, who has been out since their previous derby with Munster on 1 January.
"I would have loved him to be available this week, as he would have as well. There's not been a major setback, it’s really just him ticking those final boxes in terms of returning to contact.
"Until he gets the full range of movement and confidence that comes with that, it’s getting him up to speed technically so he can be tackling, or cleaning rucks effectively and safely.
"It’s a bit of a week-to-week at the moment. It’s a shame he’s not there for this week but I hope we’ll see him at some point.
"We’re not going to take any risks for his sake, but also for Ireland’s as well."
Argentina international Santiago Cordero is continuing to integrate into training after a long-term knee injury.
The wing, who suffered an ACL injury in his first week after arriving in Galway, trained fully last week, and could make his debut in next week's visit of the Stormers to the Dexcom Stadium.
Jack Aungier (neck) and Sean Jansen (groin) continue to be monitored and their availability for Munster will be assessed in the coming days.
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