Cardiff Blues club captain Andries Pretorius has been rulded out of action for four months following a shoulder operation.
Pretorius was selected in the 35-man Wales squad for the 2013 RBS 6 Nations championship but has been suffering will a shoulder injury since December and aggravated it against Edinburgh.
Following consultation with the medical team Preotrius underwent shoulder reconstruction surgery on Friday, which went well, and the Blues No8 is due to return to full training in May.