IRELAND'S JOHNNY SEXTON FACES A RACE AGAINST TIME to be fit for the 2023 Six Nations championship opener against Wales in February.
The Leinster skipper tackled Connacht back-row Jarrad Butler in Sunday's 41-12 win in the RDS Arena.
It's now been reported that Sexton has suffered a cheekbone injury from the tackle, confirmed Leinster via their website on Tuesday
"Sexton suffered a cheekbone injury during the game against Connacht Rugby and will have a procedure today and be further assessed then," Leinster said in a statement
Sexton, who has been integral for Ireland and Leinster now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines and will miss Leinster's URC game against the Osprey's this weekend.
Leo Cullen has issued an injury update ahead of Saturday's trip to Ospreys
📒: https://t.co/QWgXaXNdnD#OSPvLEI #FromTheGroundUp pic.twitter.com/ajxPfLUBiA— Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) January 3, 2023
Ireland and Sexton's opening Six Nations game against Wales and the campaign is also in serious doubt. Ireland have a number of out halfs, but none as influential as Sexton.
Sexton has won 109 caps for his country, but has picked up a fair share of injuries over the years.
Last month, the Leinster man missed two of Ireland's three Autumn Nations Series Tests against Fiji (dead leg) and Australia (calf) in November because of injury.
He also missed the huge clash against France in round 2 of the 2022 Six Nations campaign, where Ireland suffered their only defeat of the campaign in Paris.
Ireland, the world-ranked No 1 team, visited Wales for their Six Nations opener on February 4, before welcoming France to Dublin in a potential title-defining match in Round 2 on February 11.
