Ulster and Ireland lock Iain Henderson is set to be out of action for an extended period of time as he is due to undergo hip surgery.
Henderson, who impressed in Ireland's summer tour of Argentina and featured heavily in the Six Nations campaign, is almost certain to miss the Ireland's November Test series against South Africa, Georgia and Australia.
Since making his breakthrough with Ulster in 2012, Henderson, who can also play in the back row, has cemented his place in the side and will be a big loss for coach Les Kiss.
Kiss also has a shorter-term injury to deal with: Jared Payne is expected to be out of action for at least two weeks with a less serious hip problem.
