Irish flank undergoes surgery

Ireland flank Stephen Ferris faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing ankle surgery on Thursday.

The Ulster back row forward suffered a tendon injury in last month’s Pro12 game against Edinburgh which forced him out of Ireland’s November internationals.

With just over eight weeks to go before the start of the Six Nations, Ferris opted to go under the knife and will be out for an undetermined amount of time.

Ulster, in a statement,  said: "Stephen will be reviewed in the coming weeks to establish an accurate time period for recovery and to assess when he will be fit to return to play."