(Photo: Getty Images)
By Jake Jones
Ulster captain Rory Best has emerged as an injury doubt for his side’s Pro14 play-off against Ospreys at Kingspan Stadium.
The hooker injured a hamstring in training on Tuesday and has been sent for further scans to assess the damage.
Best, 35, played just 10 games for Ulster this season because of a combination of injuries and international commitments but he featured in all four matches of the province’s unbeaten finish to the regular season.
He came off the bench in the defeat of Glasgow Warriors and started the victories against Edinburgh and Ospreys as well as the draw with Munster.
Head coach Jono Gibbes has also confirmed that Iain Henderson will miss the game on Sunday with a knee problem.
Henderson is making good progress from the injury he suffered against Munster and remains hopeful of being available for Ireland‘s summer tour to Australia.
The winner of the play-off will secure the seventh and final qualifying place for next season’s European Champions Cup.
The play-off is a repeat of the meeting between the two sides in Belfast on 13 April, which Ulster won 8-0 to end a five-match unbeaten run by Ospreys.
Ulster finished fourth in Conference B while Ospreys came fifth in Conference A but the Welsh side qualified for the play-off as third-placed Cheetahs are not eligible for the 2018/19 Champions Cup because they are a South African side.