TOMMY BOWE HAS undergone surgery to stabilise the fracture in his leg and will be sidelined for up to three months in another cruel injury setback.
The Ulster winger sustained the injury after coming off the bench during Ireland’s Six Nations defeat to Wales in Cardiff last Friday night.
He had only just returned to full fitness after being out of action since October 2015 after suffering a horrific knee injury at the same ground during the World Cup defeat to Argentina.
Bowe went under the knife today and will now miss the rest of the season as he begins his latest rehabilitation programme.
Ulster are also waiting to discover the extent of the damage to Marcell Coetzee’s left knee after he suffered a ‘significant’ injury during the province’s win over Zebre last weekend.
The South African will undergo exploratory surgery next week in an attempt to fully determine the severity of the problem.
Meanwhile, Andrew Trimble also went under the knife after a left hand fracture suffered in the Pro12 clash with Treviso at the start of the month. The winger is now expected to be out for four weeks.
Les Kiss has a number of other players in the treatment room with Louis Ludik (concussion), Kyle McCall (hamstring), Stuart McCloskey (calf) and the Ireland U20 pair of Johnny McPhillips (groin) and Rob Lyttle (shoulder) all currently unavailable.
Ulster return to Pro12 action next Friday 24 March with a trip to Rodney Parade to face Newport Gwent Dragons.
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