HE COULD be set for another spell on the treatment table, but Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde has insisted Jonathan Sexton’s latest setback offers an ideal opportunity for his would-be suitors to show that the province can remain a potent force in his absence.

Having previously been sidelined with a calf injury sustained in the warm-up to Ireland’s autumn international triumph over Australia on 19 November, Sexton was making his first Leinster start in more than two months against Connacht at the RDS on New Year’s Day. The 37-year-old was enjoying a seamless reintegration into the provincial system until a collision with Connacht back-row Jarrad Butler led to him being replaced with a facial injury in the 64th minute.

Leinster confirmed in a press release issued yesterday that Sexton had undergone a procedure on his cheekbone, but while he is ruled out of their United Rugby Championship trip to the Ospreys this Saturday, it is unclear at the moment how long he is expected to be out for.

In addition to being a serious doubt for Leinster’s forthcoming Heineken Champions Cup bouts with Gloucester and Racing 92, the Dubliner is expected to be in a race against time to be fit for Ireland’s Six Nations Championship opener against Wales in Cardiff on 4 February. Whereas Munster duo Joey Carbery and Jack Crowley are his most likely international deputies, the Byrne brothers — Ross and Harry — will be vying for his starting berth in Leinster.

“He has had a procedure, I can’t tell you what that procedure was, but he has had it on his cheekbone. I don’t know when he will be back fit or anything, but it’s done and it’s over to the medical team now to try to put a timescale on it,” McBryde said at a Leinster media briefing in UCD yesterday.

“As with any injury to any player, you feel it for the player involved, but it’s the nature of the sport. These things happen, but the flip side of that is someone else has been given the opportunity to step in and take that role. We are blessed to have plenty of cover in that area so it’s an opportunity for those players to step up and make the most of it.

“A player like Johnny commands respect and it goes without saying how successful he has been and he’s a leader through and through. A winner through and through. It’s an opportunity for someone to step up into that void now.”

This is by no means new territory for Leinster, who have been forced to make do without the services of Sexton on a number of occasions in the past. Of the 13 games Leinster have played across the URC and the Champions Cup thus far this season, Sexton has featured in just five of them with two of his appearances coming as a replacement.

It was a similar situation in previous campaigns, when niggles, rest periods, and international duty often prevented him from donning the blue of Leinster. Although McBryde acknowledges his presence alone will be missed, he has called on the rest of the team to get on with the task at hand in Swansea this weekend — and beyond if necessary.

“Because of Johnny’s nature, he’s a winner and very vocal. It will put a little bit more pressure on other people to step up and take over the leadership role. It’s more of a shared workload, I don’t mean that in a bad way. We just need to step up.

“What’s happened has happened, we just need to move on now. You have to be that ruthless. You can’t dwell on anything, you have to say ‘right’ and move on.”

Following Sexton’s departure last Sunday, Leinster registered 17 unanswered points to eventually secure a 41-12 win over Connacht and their 11th consecutive URC victory of the campaign. The expectation is that it will become 12 on the bounce on Saturday, but McBryde believes a recent upturn in form makes the 12th-placed Ospreys a dangerous proposition.

“They’ve turned a corner, haven’t they? They’re very good set-piece-wise. I think their scrum is a very big weapon for them. They’re very big, they’re very physical as well. They’ve had some great wins recently. Montpellier on the road [in the Champions Cup].

“The two Welsh derbies, they’re always nip and tuck anyway, but to win away at the Blues [was impressive]. The Blues have shown a bit of form recently as well. To come away from there with a victory was great. They’ll be buoyed by all those results. They’re going to be a big test for us on the weekend,” McBryde added.