ULSTER WILL BE without Irish internationals Andrew Trimble and Paddy Wallace this weekend as they welcome Connacht to Ravenhill for the penultimate round of Magners League fixtures.

The pair are unlikely to play any further provincial rugby this season after they both fractured thumbs during Saturday’s 34-26 defeat against Leinster.

Team doctors have assessed the injuries, estimating that both players could face up to six weeks on the sidelines before the injuries fully heal.

Even if Ulster – who currently lie in third place  – were to make the Magners League final on May 28, it seems unlikely that either Trimble or Wallace would be fit to take part.

The news of the pair’s injury will give Irish coach Declan Kidney some cause for concern, though both players should be able to return to full training well in advance of the international side’s World Cup warm-up games.

Ireland take on Scotland in Murrayfield on August 6 before travelling to the Stade Chaban Delmas in Bordeaux the following weekend for a game against Marc Lievremont’s France.