Ulster and Ireland flank Stephen Ferris has undergone surgery to repair a troublesome ankle tendon injury.
Ferris damaged the ankle in Ulster's PRO12 game against Edinburgh on November 2 and was unable to play in Ireland's recent internationals against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
In a statement Ulster said his condition "will be reviewed in the coming weeks to establish an accurate time period for recovery and to assess when he will fit to return to play."
Soon after going under the knife, the 27-year-old tweeted "And so another journey begins.."
"Operation went well and I'm on the road to recovery," he added later.
It still remains unclear whether Ferris will be available for Ireland's Six Nations campaign next year.
Comments
three6three6 says...
It is very sad to see Stephen Ferris imjured again..... at his best he is world class... but sadly injuries have robbed him of the opportunities to show us all just how great a player he is. Let us all hope that he makes a full recovery.
Posted 16:17 16th December 2012
melkdave says...
Hope S.Ferris recovers soon ,i also rate him as one of the best 6s in rugby when fit.I also agree with @12counties Ireland really have to start planning for matches without the old gaurd.Though myself i see SOB more as an 8 with Henderson at 6 and Henry at 7 atm.only other 6 imo is Ruddock .Locks id like to see Ryan and Tuhoy with D.Tone ,and perhaps a recall for R.Caldwell at Bath.My Ireland squad for the 6Ns would look like this atm
1)Healy/Court 2)Best/Strauss/Cronin 3)Ross/Bent 4)Ryan/Toner 5)Tuhoy/Caldwell/POC 6)Ferris/Henderson/Ruddock 7)Henry/Ronin 8)SOB/Muldoon 9)Marshal/Reddan 10)Sexton/Jackson/11)Gilroy /Earls 12)Maddigan/Downey 13)BOD/Cave 14)Bowe/Szebo 15)Kearney/Jones
Injuries permitting of course.,I would also be more inclined to use POC as a impact sub and not as a starter.Somehow i dont think Kidney will be so radical myself lol
Posted 14:04 06th December 2012
12Counties says...
If he had an injury free 5 years I think he'd be considered the best 6 in the world. I can't think of any better when he's fit. Having said that, I think Irish rugby really needs to start planning without Fez, Paulie and BOD and hopefully we've seen the start of it in November. They're injured more than they're fit at the moment and we just can't rely/depend on them any longer. If they're fit and in form, no bother, straight into the team. But thats a rarity these days. Who's the next best 6? probably O'Brien but does he offer enough of a line out option? Most 6's are 6'4 these days. Would still prefer to see Henderson moving into the 2nd row and please no more Donnacha Ryan at 6 unless in an emergency. Leave him where hes best. O'Mahony probably best suited to 6 too but again doesn't seem to quite have the power yet. 2 options at the moment for the 6 nations appear to be O'Brien at 6 and Henry at 7 or O'Mahony at 6 and O'Brien at 7. I'd prefer the former, O'Mahony just needs to bulk up a touch more before hes powerful enough for international game. Nothing wrong with his attitude though. McLaughlin seems to have taken a step back this year and Muldoon, great provincial player that he is, is just not up to international standard in my opinion and never will be.
Posted 13:01 06th December 2012
BODsGODmisspelt says...
He has to retire for his own good. I've heard. From a few people that he can't do any training bar weights and captains run.
Look after yourself Ferris. It's not worth crippling yourself.
Posted 09:54 06th December 2012