HEND ON MEND

Ulster lock making good progress but hip op delay due to coronavirus means return is months away yet

ULSTER head coach Dan Mcfarland has revealed the Covid-19 crisis played a key role in ruling captain Iain Henderson out of next month’s European crunch with Toulouse.

Henderson was due to undergo surgery on a hip injury earlier in the year but constraints on the health service because of coronavirus detonated those plans. It means that the influential lock, who had his op at a later date, will miss Ulster’s return to action and is doubtful for the resumption of Ireland’s Six Nations campaign on October 24.

Henderson is ruled out for eight to 10 weeks, meaning he will definitely miss games against Connacht and Leinster behind closed doors at the Aviva Stadium on August 23 and 29.

He will also sit out a potential PRO14 semi-final and final in early September as well as Ulster’s Champions Cup quarter-final with the French aces on September 20.

“It was a planned operation,” said Mcfarland. “His hip had been giving him trouble for a while and we’d been talking about when to get the operation done. Unfortunately, the Covid situation meant a lot of surgeries were delayed and put back and that was the case for Iain.

“We could have potentially put it off longer but with these kind of things it just needs to get done. We needed to get it done as soon as we could.” While Henderson’s loss is a major blow, Mcfarland is confident other second rows like Alan O’connor and Kieran Treadwell will step up.

Sam Carter is back training after enduring an injury-hit debut season, although next week’s PRO14 clash with Connacht in Dublin may come too early for the former Wallaby.

Mcfarland said: “Sam’s been out for a long time so are we expecting him to produce the quality of the work he’ll produce the fitter he gets? No, we’re not. He’s not going to jump straight back in and be firing on all cylinders but he’s been going pretty well in training.”

A further problem for Ulster is the fact versatile Ireland back Will Addison, who recently signed a new two-year contract, has returned to injury rehab after suffering a back complaint.

He missed out on the World Cup in Japan with injury while a calf problem ruled him out of the start of the Six Nations.

“Backs are complicated issues, it’s been niggling at him for a while and it’s really frustrating for Will – I feel for him,” said Mcfarland.

“He has a history of back problems over the last while and he has dealt with it really well but this episode has set him back.

“His rehab is progressing well but it’s not something that’s straightforward.

“It’s not like an ACL where you say, ‘We can pretty much tell you you’ll be back on this date’. It isn’t like that.”

We could have put it off but with these kind of things it just needs to get done