Ulster's disastrous season appears to have taken yet another dive as Rory Best looks set to miss out on Ireland's Six Nations campaign after sustaining severe ankle-ligament damage in the 29-0 defeat to Leinster at the RDS last Wednesday.
The Ulster captain, a brother of Simon Best, whose career was put on ice after he collapsed while in France with the Irish World Cup squad, will be reassessed after a scan on Monday, but the initial prognosis looks grim.
Eddie O'Sullivan announces an extended Ireland squad on January 14th.
The Ulster Branch are waiting for a decision from Matt Williams on the job of head coach.
Welshman Steve Williams is temporarily in charge but he stated after the Leinster match that the situation had become increasingly difficult without a permanent coach at the helm: "You can get away with three or four weeks but it is in everyone's interests for it not to drag on. We are not lacking motivation but it has affected us over the last few weeks. We need to know where we are going."
After being interviewed last week, Matt Williams returned home to Sydney, Australia, to discuss a move with his wife and family. He is expected to accept the job within days.
Williams will, of course, expect to bring in some of his own backroom team; Reggie Corrigan, Leinster captain during the Australian's time in Dublin, is being mentioned as a possible scrum coach.
Brett Igoe, who last worked alongside Williams in the Scottish management set-up, is another candidate for the expanded coaching ticket.
Williams's long-time forwards coach Willie Anderson is not, however, expected to be given a role with his native province.
Ulster's next game is against Munster at Ravenhill next Friday, January 4th, and assuming Munster's new signing Doug Howlett passes an IRFU medical, New Zealand's record try scorer could make his competitive debut there. Howlett arrived yesterday in Cork, where he is expected to be based for the duration of his two-and-a-half-year contract.
The winger will certainly come into consideration for Munster's crucial round five fixture of the Heineken European Cup away to ASM Clermont Auvergne on January 13th as John Kelly has retired and Ian Dowling was stretchered off with a knee injury during Thursday's 17-0 defeat of Connacht at Musgrave Park.
At the World Cup finals in France, Howlett surpassed another Munster Kiwi, Christian Cullen (now retired), as the All Blacks' leading try scorer, 49 in 62 Tests. He also holds the Super 14 try-scoring record, 59 in 100 games. Leinster are out next on January 5th, when the Ospreys visit the RDS, but they will be without prop Ollie Le Roux, who sustained a rib injury against Ulster.
This is tempered by the form of the former Belvedere schoolboy Cian Healy and the return of Ronnie McCormack from long-term injury.
Shane Horgan (ribs) and Trevor Hogan remain absent for Leinster but captain Brian O'Driscoll is expected to return after resting an ankle.
