Cullen to miss Munster’s two Cup openers

MUNSTER must face up to life without star signing Christian Cullen for the opening series of Heineken Cup games.

The former All Black undergoes keyhole surgery for a torn shoulder muscle in the next few days and will miss the clashes against Bourgoin (away) and Treviso (home). His debut is likely to be delayed until one of the back to back games against Gloucester early in January.

However, Cullen's three year contract with the IRFU, agreed several months ago, is not in jeopardy. Munster coach Alan Gaffney is disappointed the way thing turned out for the former New Zealand full-back: "Quite honestly, we could have done without this blow. We have been badly hit by injuries to players like Denis Leamy, Alan Quinlan, Mike Prendergast and, now, Christian.