Ikitau has made five appearances for Exeter in the Prem and European Challenge Cup, scoring his first try in the win over South African side Cheetahs earlier this month.

“The good news is that we can get him in for the operation pretty quickly, though unfortunately it does mean he will miss the block of games over the festive period and into the cup competitions in the new year,” Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter told the club website., external

“It’s very unfortunate for Len, who has been playing out of his skin for us and was in outstanding form. It’s a shame for him and a shame for us because he’s been an important part of what we’ve achieved so far this season.

“However, after a pretty long period of quite intense rugby, it will give him a bit of a break and give his body plenty of time to recover and refresh.

“Hopefully, he can have a big end of the season impact for us, and we’ll remain in contention to be challenging for some success or silverware.”