Craig Gilroy will miss Ulster's Pro12 Christmas derbies after it was confirmed that he suffered a fractured eye socket in the province's Champions Cup victory over Toulouse.
The Ireland international winger was forced off in the 12th minute of the Northerners' 25-23 win in France after a crunching tackle by Fijian Semi Kunatani.
Ulster confirmed the Bangor man will miss the showdown with table-toppers Connacht on St Stephen's Day, but he is unlikely to feature against Munster on 2 January and must be a big doubt for their concluding European fixtures in January.
Girloy has scored four tries in 11 appearances for Ulster this season.
