Ulster have confirmed that captain Iain Henderson remains an injury doubt for their United Rugby Championship clash with Cardiff on Saturday.
The Ireland lock failed an HIA in their victory over Connacht two weeks ago, which made him ineligible to play in Saturday’s win over the Ospreys.
However, despite his mandatory stand-down period being over, Ulster have revealed that Henderson is still a risk to miss the trip to the Welsh capital this weekend and will be monitored in training.
After missing the end of last season and Ireland’s summer tour to South Africa with a toe injury, Henderson started the province’s first four games of the season before suffering the concussion in their Round Four clash at Ravenhill.
It is not expected that this issue will rule the 32-year-old out of selection for Ireland’s upcoming November international series, however it would mean that Ulster fans likely will not see him again until December’s trip to Toulouse.
There are also significant doubts over full-back Ethan McIlroy and openside flanker Sean Reffell, who are both still recovering from ankle injuries sustained in that Connacht win.
Both will also be monitored throughout the week to determine whether they will be fit to face Cardiff as Ulster look to maintain their strong recent form that has seen them pick up back-to-back wins and rise to fifth in the URC standings.
They will definitely have to do without hooker Tadhg McElroy, however, with the medical joker having now departed the province to join Sale Sharks on a permanent deal until 2026.
Former Saracens front row McElroy made two bench appearances in his brief time at Ravenhill but never managed to crack the starting line-up ahead of John Andrew or James McCormick.