There will be no fairytale ending for Josh van der Flier’s breakthrough season

You can't be a professional rugby player without knowing the pain and frustration of injury, so perhaps this is a fitting end to Josh van der Flier's breakthrough season.

The young back-rower is unlikely to see it that way however, after his season was ended in a doctor's surgery on Monday. Having injured his ankle in the heavy defeat to Ulster, the 23 year old saw a specialist earlier this week, who advised the flanker he needed to undergo surgery to repair the damage. Van der Flier has damaged the syndemosis, the point where the tibia and fibia meet just above the ankle. The surgery will rule him out for eight weeks, meaning he will miss the PRO12 play-offs and Ireland's Tour of South Africa. The young Wicklow native has made 18 appearances for Leinster this season, including three starts in the Champions Cup, as he all but nailed down a position in the ultra competitive back row. He also made his Ireland debut - starting the Six Nations matches against England and Italy as injuries ruled out the likes of Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Chris Henry. Now, unfortunately, Van der Flier knows how they feel.