Ulster have announced that their move for former All Black out-half Stephen Donald has fallen through after the 34-year-old suffered an injury playing for his club in Japan.
Donald, who scored the winning penalty at the 2011 Rugby World Cup, was due to join up with Les Kiss's squad on a short-term contract, following Christian Lealiifano's departure from the club after their Champions Cup exit on Sunday.
"Stephen had agreed a short-term deal to join the province, but he sustained an injury while representing his club in the final game of the Japanese season, which will rule him out for 4+ weeks," confirmed Ulster on their website.
"The timeline now makes it very difficult to find a suitable replacement, but we will continue to monitor the market."
Kiss must now return to the search for an experienced fly-half following the Australia international's departure in the absence of Paddy Jackson, who is indisposed due to an upcoming trial.
Ulster announced two weeks ago that New Zealander Donald, who was playing for Suntory Sungoliath in Japan, was to replace Lealiifano.
The Ulstermen are currently third in Conference B of the Guinness Pro14 and host the Southern Kings in their next match on 9 February.
