Ulster star Jacob Stockdale is losing his battle to be fit for Saturday’s Guinness Pro14 quarter-final with Connacht at the Kingspan Stadium.
Stockdale injured his hamstring in a recent 29-7 win in Edinburgh and didn’t feature in last weekend’s 14-13 home win over Leinster in the final regular league game of the season.
And head coach Dan McFarland has revealed the Ireland winger, who has scored seven tries in 11 games for the province this season, has yet to return to full training.
Rory Best dreaming of fairytale ending at 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan
He said: “Jacob’s not training at the moment, so it’s unlikely he’ll be involved.”
While Stockdale's anticipated absence is a blow, captain Rory Best, who recently announced his retirement from club duty in the summer, could make a return from an ankle injury to face Connacht.
It would mean the 36-year-old would get a chance to say an emotional farewell to Ulster fans in what would be his last ever game for the province at the Kingspan Stadium.
McFarland said: “Rory is training at the moment so there’s positive progress at the moment.
“We’re not going to definitively decide anything on that yet, but it’s looking reasonably positive.”
The 117-times capped Ireland skipper, who has made 219 appearances for Ulster since making his debut in 2004, confirmed his imminent retirement from club duty a fortnight ago.
He will bring the curtain down on his overall rugby career after this Autumn’s World Cup in Japan.
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