Ireland’s quest for elusive victory on South African soil dealt major blow

It looks like Ireland will be without one of their key players for the upcoming Springbok Tour.

Johnny Sexton is set to miss the three-test series due to a shoulder injury, according to a report in the Irish Independent on Thursday morning. The fly-half injured his shoulder on Saturday in Leinster's defeat to Connacht in the Pro12 Final, and is understood to have undergone surgery on the injury which could rule him out of action for 12 weeks. Sexton played the full 80-minutes, but a couple of major hits during the match saw him require treatment in the first half. It is believed that he suffered the injury at some point during this period where he was tackled by Tom McCartney or when he put a big hit on John Muldoon. The loss of Sexton will come as a massive blow for Ireland's hopes of glory on their first tour in South Africa since 2004. They will be hoping to secure their first Test victory on the tour after losing both their matches last time around. Ulster's Paddy Jackson is expected to fill the role of first choice  number 10 in Sexton's absence with Ian Madigan the front-runner to come into the squad as back-up.