Stuart McCloskey Sidelined by ‘Significant’ Hamstring Injury

Stuart McCloskey is expected to be out of action for a period after incurring a “significant hamstring injury” during Ulster’s defeat to Munster in the United Rugby Championship. Ulster’s head coach, Richie Murphy, confirmed that the Ireland international will be unavailable for “quite a large number of weeks.” McCloskey’s aim is to recover sufficiently to participate in Ireland’s Six Nations title defense, which commences at home against England on 1 February. Meanwhile, Ulster wing Zac Ward is questionable for Saturday’s interprovincial match against Connacht, having sustained an ankle knock during the Munster fixture. Stewart Moore continues to be sidelined; however, there was positive news for Murphy as the province’s extensive injury roster shows signs of improvement. Ben Carson, Ethan McIlroy, Jake Flannery, and Nathan Doak, along with Irish internationals Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney, and Iain Henderson, have all rejoined team training sessions after recovering from their respective recent injuries. The team led by Murphy has suffered defeats in their last five matches and has secured only three victories from 10 games this season. They currently occupy 11th position in the URC table as they head into the Connacht game in Galway, aiming for their first win since October.