Iain Henderson has been ruled out of action for three months and will miss Ireland's summer tour of South Africa.
The Ulster skipper has undergone toe surgery and is expected to be sidelined until the middle of August.
Ireland will play two Tests against the world champions in July. The opening clash is in Pretoria on 6 July, while a week later Durban will be the venue.
It is Ireland’s first tour to South Africa since 2016.
Elsewhere for Ulster, James Hume (knee) has also undergone surgery, while Luke Marshall (concussion) and Rob Baloucoune (hamstring) are unavailable for this weekend’s interprovincial clash with Leinster at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday after picking up knocks in training.
On a more positive note, Tom O'Toole and Sean Reffell will be given more time to prove their fitness for the visit of Leo Cullen's side.
Sixth-place Ulster host a Leinster side looking to regain top spot from Glasgow Warriors in the URC standings.
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