The timing of the operation means the 22 times capped hooker will miss the opening matches of this season’s Six Nations championship.
He will definitely miss Wales’ matches against Italy on 15 February and against England the following weekend at the Millennium Stadium.
And the 32 year-old may not have recovered in time to make the trip to Scotland on 8 March.
But Llanelli management will be hoping McBryde will be part of their squad for their crucial Heineken Cup quarter-final against Perpignan on 11 April.
And further bad news for Steve Hansen is the news that Pontypridd tighthead prop Duncan Bell will be out for at least six weeks after undergoing surgery to cure a long-standing shoulder problem.
Bell has become a key member of the Pontypridd pack, and would have been eyeing a place in the Wales Six Nations squad after a string of impressive performances that have helped guide his side to the PARKER PEN CHALLENGE CUP semi-final.
