Rugby: Cooney latest injury concern for Ulster
Last updated 28th Sep 2021
Ulster have a number of injury concerns as they prepare for the second round of the new United Rugby Championship.
John Cooney is the latest player on the treatment table.
He strained a hamstring against Glasgow in the competition opener at Kingspan last Friday night (see main picture).
He had an MRI scan yesterday (Monday) and the extent of the injury will be assessed later.
Already, eight other players are sidelined including skipper Iain Henderson.
Robert Baloucoune is also likely to sit out Saturday's game in Italy against Zebre with a slight groin injury.
Meanwhile, skills coach Dan Soper has been talking about the new tournament format which replaced the old Pro14 competition.
He said: "There is a real excitement about things and maybe a lot of that is coming off the back of crowds being back in - but there does seem to be a real buzz about this competition."