CONNACHT COACH PAT Lam looks set to be without his top three locks as his side attempt to claim a top six place in the Pro12 and with it safe passage to next season’s Champions Cup.

Leinster-bound Mick Kearney has played his last game for the province as he is to undergo surgery on his toe today and will require four months to recover fully.

Quinn Roux is also set to go under the knife after suffering a ‘high ankle sprain’ (or syndesmosis) in the defeat to Ulster. The South African second row, who has greatly impressed since moving across the Shannon from Leinster, is expected to need two months for recovery, but will be fit for Connacht’s pre-season. Meanwhile, the most senior of all Pro12 players, Michael Swift remains on the unavailable list 10 weeks after a fractured leg.

As if the loss of such experience from the engine room wasn’t bad enough, Nathan White will need eight weeks to recuperate after he undergoes corrective surgery on a disc problem in his lower back.

Outside of the pack, Craig Ronaldson has been diagnosed with a grade 2 tear in his quad muscle and the four-week recovery timeframe completes a quartet of players ruled out for the season by the western province today.

Here are the 13 players unavailable to Lam as they face the punishing business end of the season which starts with leaders Glasgow Warriors at the Sportsground:

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