Ferris set to miss tour

RUGBY ROUND-UP:ULSTER FLANKER Stephen Ferris seems set to miss Ireland's summer tour to New Zealand and Australia as well as the national team's fixture against the Barbarians at Thomond Park in Limerick after sustaining a fractured cheekbone in practice yesterday.

Ferris was training with his provincial team-mates ahead of Friday night’s final Magners League clash with Connacht when he sustained the injury and following an X-ray it was decreed that the problem will require an operation to repair. It is expected to keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks.

Ireland play the Barbarians on June 4th, the day before they fly out for a three-game tour to the Southern Hemisphere that includes a fixture against the New Zealand Maoris (June 18th) and Test matches against New Zealand (June 12th) and Australia (June 26th).

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has named an extended 28-man squad for the Connacht match that includes hooker Nigel Brady and prop Declan Fitzpatrick, who played in the recent British and Irish Cup semi-final defeat to Munster A and also wing Timoci Nagusa and academy player Tommy Seymour, who have been called up.

It could potentially mark the final game for scrumhalf Isaac Boss and secondrow Ed O’Donoghue in Ulster colours as they are expected to join Leinster for next season. McLaughlin will have noted the performance of Cardiff Blues number eight Xavier Rush in the club’s Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Wasps at the weekend.

The New Zealander, who joins Ulster in the summer, was the game’s outstanding player, a view endorsed by both sides. Wasps coach Shawn Edwards admitted: “There’s no doubt they had the outstanding player in the game in Xavier Rush. I’m led to believe he had 24 carries. That’s an unbelievable amount of carries for one player to have.

“It shows why he’s one of the best number eights in the world.”

Cardiff coach Dai Young was no less effusive: “I thought he was outstanding. It’s very difficult to replace him. When any team loses a player of that quality, it’s always going to be difficult to replace them. He’ll certainly leave big shoes to fill.”

ULSTER SQUAD:Tom Court, Bryan Young, BJ Botha, Declan Fitzpatrick, Nigel Brady, Rory Best, Andy Kyriacou, Ryan Caldwell, Neil McComb, Ed O'Donoghue, Dan Tuohy, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack, TJ Anderson, Willie Faloon, Paul Marshall, Isaac Boss, Ian Humphreys, Niall O'Connor, Ian Whitten, Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Simon Danielli, Jamie Smith, Nevin Spence, Timoci Nagusa, Tommy Seymour.