Ulster are set to be with out Iain Henderson and John Cooney of their European Champions Cup opener at Sale on Sunday.
The Eire pair and hooker Tom Stewart needed to come off throughout Ulster’s defeat by Leinster on Saturday underneath World Rugby’s Head Damage Evaluation course of.
Ulster defence coach Jonny Bell mentioned Henderson and Cooney are “large doubts”.
“We have got to undergo the entire protocols however I would say they’re in all probability extremely unlikely [to play],” mentioned Bell.
Cooney was injured in a collision with James Lowe with Henderson coming off after 56 minutes.
Stewart was changed by Rob Herring after solely 20 minutes with Nathan Doak and Duane Vermeulen taking on from Cooney and Henderson within the third quarter.
Hooker Stewart wanted remedy for a blood damage following the top conflict which resulted in Leinster’s Cian Healy receiving a pink card however his prospects of that includes towards Sale seem higher.
Bell admitted that the Ulster administration and gamers had been “massively dissatisfied” by the 38-29 defeat towards their 14-man Irish provincial rivals after main 22-3, including that Ronan Kelleher’s attempt simply earlier than half-time which lower the margin to 12 factors on the break was a vital rating.
“That attempt simply earlier than half-time gave them a bit little bit of hope so we’re dissatisfied that second occurred.”
The Ulster defence coach attributed the crew’s subsequent collapse to an “incapability to get good area place”, allied to the error of making an attempt to “shut the sport out quite than making an attempt to to win it”.
“However we have had evaluation as we speak and the sweetness about this sport is that you’ve a European Cup sport this weekend so there is no licking your wounds for too lengthy.
“There have been lots of actually good issues that went proper towards Leinster. It simply would not really feel like that when you find yourself trying again on the scoreline.
“We have got to take these into this sport as a result of Sale are a special animal however an enormous, bodily, aggressive facet and enjoying very effectively within the Premiership in the mean time.”
