Commenting on the announcement Director of Rugby Phil Davies said, "Iain had the surgery on Tuesday but we are not putting any time scale on when he will return to action. Iain is still only 24 years of age and, on his day, is one of the most exciting players in world rugby. We are going to make sure he is 100% before he returns to training and playing and ensure that he will be able to have a long term future at the club."

"I know it has been a frustrating time for Iain and the injury has been a difficult one to pinpoint. But we are all confident we have taken the right course of action now and Balsh can begin to work towards a positive outcome," added Davies.

The injury is likely to rule Balshaw out of the RBS Six Nations for England but may not mean the end of his season for the Blackburn-born star, the Tykes medical team will monitor his progress over the coming months to ascertain his fitness to return to competitive action.