Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France
35 - 18
FT
United Rugby ChampionshipMunsterSharksStormersUlster

Michael Lowry undergoes facial surgery

(Photo by Nigel French/PA Images via Getty Images)

Michael Lowry has undergone surgery for a facial injury he sustained at the end of the regular season and will not be available for Ulster’s URC semi-final clash against the Stormers.

ADVERTISEMENT

The news, issued by the Ulster Rugby Medical Performance team, means Ulster will be without their star fullback when they travel to Cape Town later this week.

Lowry picked up the injury in Round 18 of the URC, in a pivotal clash against fellow title hopefuls the Sharks in Belfast. The 23-year-old started the game brightly, dotting down the first try of the game, but had to be pulled off after making a big hit on Sharks full-back Aphelele Fassi in the 32nd minute. The heavy swelling and blood flowing from around the Irishman’s right eye was visible on screen and gave cause for concern.

Video Spacer

James O’Connor is brilliantly open about his life & career | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 36

Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      Video Spacer

      James O’Connor is brilliantly open about his life & career | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 36

      James O’Connor joins the lads this week to walk us through his phenomenal and often misunderstood career. He talks to us about being the youngest player to line out in Super Rugby and for the Wallabies, struggling with alcohol, fame and partying, as well as playing in London, Manchester and Toulon before returning to Australia. One of the most talented players of his generation, he gives us an incredible insight into the highs and lows of his career so far and what his plans are next. Max and Ryan also cover off the Champions Challenge Cup Finals and the jubilant scenes in La Rochelle

      Ulster went on to win the contest 24-21, securing a home tie in the quarter-finals. They prevailed in their first knockout tie as well, comfortably brushing aside provincial rivals Munster 36-17.

      However, the absence of Lowry will be a huge blow for Dan McFarland’s side as they enter the final stages of the league campaign.

      Fortunately for Ulster, the team have no further injury concerns to report following their win at Kingspan Stadium against Munster.

      ADVERTISEMENT

      Kubota Spears vs Saitama Wild Knights | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

      The gruelling reality behind one of the fastest sports in the world | The Report

      Boks Office | Episode 40 | The Steven Kitshoff Special

      Perry Baker in the house | HSBC Life on Tour | Los Angeles

      O2 Inside Line: All In | Episode 6 | Le Crunch

      The Unexpected Journey to USA 7s Glory | Aaron Cummings | Sevens Wonders

      USA vs Japan | Full Match Replay

      Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

      Confidence knocks and finding your people | Flo Williams | Rugby Rising Locker Room

      Tackling reasons for drop-out in sport | Zainab Alema | Rugby Rising Locker Room

      Jet Lag: The biggest challenge facing international sports? | The Report

      Trending on RugbyPass

      1

      Why former All Black believes the Wallabies will beat the B&I Lions

      2

      'Devastating': Stephen Donald weighs in on the next All Black 10

      3

      Ilona Maher drops biggest retirement hint yet after loss to Canada

      4

      Bok Ben-Jason Dixon is having a weird stand-off with the Stormers

      5

      Lions flanker Ruhan Straeuli suffers career ending injury

      6

      5 Leinster players whose Lions stock dropped after Champions Cup exit

      7

      'It's time for a change': Leinster fans turn on Leo Cullen in wake of loss

      8

      The 'slightly disappointing' factor in Edinburgh's defeat to Bath

      Comments

      0 Comments
      Be the first to comment...

      Join free and tell us what you really think!

      Sign up for free
      ADVERTISEMENT

      Latest Features

      LONG READ

      The Champions’ Cup: All Saints' Day

      Henry Pollock and his band of brothers pulled off a remarkable heist in Dublin on Leinster to make them believe anything's possible

      LONG READ

      Elegant or turbulent? Can Les give the Wallabies the Kiss of Life?  

      Is the Queensland boss the right man to lead Australia forward? And will Joe Schmidt be tempted to stick around for Rugby World Cup 2027?

      LONG READ

      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Northampton Saints found a way of beating the fabled Jacques Nienaber blitz and inflicting another 'horrific' Champions Cup loss on the Leinster giants.

      Comments on RugbyPass

      P
      PM 2 minutes ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Ireland have beaten the Aussies on the last 4 meetings(2 in Aus 2 in Dublin). England have lost 2 of the last 4. To be fair England do have a great record overall against the Aussies.

      66 Go to comments
      G
      GrahamVF 6 minutes ago
      'Flustered' Prendergast in 'system where decisions are all made for him'

      For me the most important failure is he doesn’t try to dominate in the tackle. If he does tackle it’s almost passive - like he allows the ball carrier to get next to him and he tackles in a slide down from the waist which allows the ball carrier dominance and go forward. He just doesn’t like the aggressive tackling aspect of the game.

      1 Go to comments
      R
      RedWarriors 7 minutes ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      The choking comment is disrespectful and disingenous and actually stupid. There were 4 evenly matched teams in the 2023 RWC. Due to the ridiculous draw two of those 4 great teams were to be eliminated in the QF. Ireland were involved in two of teh greatest matches in World Cup history. They died with their boots on as did France. Try and get your facts straight before the insulting and disparaging comments.

      66 Go to comments
      J
      JWH 27 minutes ago
      Why former All Black believes the Wallabies will beat the B&I Lions

      Okay now combine those national teams and super rugby teams, and you get a B&I Lions match. Its not the best 100 vs. the best 100 from each nation, its the best 30. And right now, I think the Wallabies have a better 30 man squad than the Lions.

      22 Go to comments
      f
      fl 27 minutes ago
      Same criticism rings out over Sam Prendergast as one debate put to bed

      the aussies probably will get well beaten, but they’re not as bad as you make out.


      they were decent when Rennie was coach, and even though they were poor under eddie jones, considering he brought in effectively a new team in a world cup year, they actually weren’t that awful. It will go down as one of the worst coaching decisions in history, but the fact that so many young and emerging players were available to make that an option does speak to the depth in australian rugby. And since then things have seemed to be on the up, given results in super rugby.

      15 Go to comments
      J
      JWH 28 minutes ago
      Why former All Black believes the Wallabies will beat the B&I Lions

      When was the last time the Australians had a good coach, good players, good support structure?


      Also, 4/10 is a pretty good record against back-to-back champs.


      B&I Lions are no where near as good as this current Springboks outfit, incl fitness.

      22 Go to comments
      P
      Pablo King 50 minutes ago
      George Skivington talks up 'relative unknown's England chances

      It started as an ordinary Tuesday. I was checking my Bybit portfolio when an email popped up that looked like a legitimate alert from the exchange, warning of suspicious activity. Without thinking, I clicked the link and entered my credentials. The moment I hit submit, a sinking feeling hit me. Within minutes, my Bitcoin wallet was completely drained.Losing 3.2 BTC, worth nearly $200,000 at the time, wasn’t just a financial blow. It felt like a personal violation. I couldn’t believe I had fallen for a phishing scam. I spent days digging through forums, contacting Bybit support, and even filing a police report. But the responses were disheartening and repetitive. Crypto transactions are irreversible. Scam victims rarely recover their funds. The helplessness was crushing.I barely slept. I kept replaying that moment over and over in my head. Why did I click the link? Why didn’t I double-check? The guilt and frustration consumed me. Friends tried to be supportive, but most didn’t understand the emotional and financial weight of what had happened. I had always been cautious with security. Yet in one distracted moment, everything disappeared.Weeks later, while scrolling through Reddit threads on crypto scams, I stumbled upon several mentions of GRAYWARE TECH SERVICES . At first, I was skeptical. It sounded too good to be true. But the testimonials felt genuine, and I was desperate. I decided to reach out.Their response was fast, professional, and surprisingly empathetic. They didn’t promise miracles. Instead, they explained their method: tracing blockchain transactions, identifying potential exchange cash-outs, and working with legal and crypto entities to freeze and recover funds.I sent them everything I had wallet addresses, transaction records, screenshots and waited. Just a few days later, I received an email that left me speechless. They had successfully traced and recovered all of my stolen Bitcoin.I couldn’t believe it. After being told repeatedly that the funds were gone forever, here they were, back in my wallet. It felt like waking up from a nightmare. GRAYWARE TECH SERVICES didn’t just help me get my money back. They restored my sense of security, my trust, and my peace of mind.I share my story now in case someone else out there is feeling the same panic and hopelessness I once felt. There is help. And sometimes, there is even a second chance.You can reach them on whatsapp +18582759508, web at ( https://graywaretechservices.com/ )    also on Mail: (contact@graywaretechservices.com)

      1 Go to comments
      M
      Mitch 53 minutes ago
      Elegant or turbulent? Can Les give the Wallabies the Kiss of Life?

      Mark Bosnich says stats are like bikinis - they show you a lot but they don't show you everything. England's Director of Cricket Rob Key says ‘stats are for prats’. Another stat not worth reading into is that the Reds have the best tackle completion stats in the competition.

      3 Go to comments
      B
      BP 1 hour ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      It blows my mind when I see articles about Leinster fans and some pundits blaming the coaches for the loss. I recon the Irish are sitting with a massive choking issue…..until they can get that right they will win no big tournaments or games. They will have to learn fast -WC is coming and surely they don’t want to go home at the QF AGAIN……

      66 Go to comments
      T
      TokoRFC 1 hour ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Good work getting some proper analysis out so quickly Nick, enjoyed this! But what do you mean by “vertical axis”?


      Their attacking channel of kickoffs and phase play?

      66 Go to comments
      J
      JO 1 hour ago
      URC teams aren't proving Stephen Donald wrong

      BREAKING: NZ Rugby Launches National "Rebuilding Era" Hotline for Devastated Fans Calls triple after another loss to a Tier 1 nation with a functioning lineout.

      In a bold move aimed at tackling a growing national crisis, New Zealand Rugby has unveiled a new 0800-REB-UILD hotline to offer emotional support to fans still trying to cope with the fact that the All Blacks are no longer the indestructible force of yesteryear.

      Following yet another "promising" performance that ended in tears and post-match excuses, the hotline will be staffed by former All Blacks who’ll gently whisper “It used to be better” and play reruns of Richie McCaw highlights to soothe callers through the pain.

      From Dynasty to "Developing Nation"?

      Once feared like a Haka in a silent room, the All Blacks have now become the international equivalent of a banana peel — occasionally threatening, but mostly stepped over by teams with better coaching and a functioning scrum.

      Rugby pundits are beginning to ask the real questions:

      Should New Zealand be classified as a Tier 1.5 nation?

      Is “We’re building for 2027” the new national anthem?

      And most importantly: How many more assistant coaches do they need before they stop blaming the weather?

      Fans Feeling the Burn

      Die-hard Kiwi fans, long used to smugly reminding the world of their World Cup count, now find themselves angrily Googling the phrase "how to handle sporting mediocrity." Even the most loyal supporters have been caught muttering the unthinkable: “Maybe South Africa is just better now.”

      In response, social media has been flooded with support messages like:

      “At least you’re not Australia.”

      “Remember 2011?”

      “Hey, there’s always the Crusaders... oh wait.”

      A Look to the Future (Or Just the Past Again)

      New Zealand Rugby has reportedly asked Peter Jackson to create a new fantasy trilogy titled "The Return of the Glory Days," with Sam Cane playing Frodo — a brave but slightly out-of-depth hero wandering through the Northern Hemisphere hoping someone still respects him.

      Meanwhile, the NZRU has committed to innovation, announcing a new strategy based on ancient Maori wisdom: when the canoe is sinking, blame the oars.

      Conclusion: Still Dangerous, But Not Scary

      Let’s be clear — the All Blacks can still turn up on their day. But these days, "on their day" feels more like a national holiday than a regular occurrence. Until then, enjoy the trolling, stay humble (unlike them in 2015), and remember — world rugby is more fun when New Zealand isn't always winning.

      48 Go to comments
      G
      GrahamVF 1 hour ago
      New Zealand and South Africa crowned SVNS Series champions in LA

      Absolutely agree - I have no doubt that they will make a much bigger thing of the end of the league results next year and hopefully have a proper Sevens’ Shield presentation, then go to the winner takes all between the top eight teams. It also gives smaller teams the possibility of winning the big one. In South Africa, the Currie Cup used to be decided on who finished top of the log - then the marketing guys saw the potential in a winner takes all semis/final. So in those comps as in the Super Rugby league table you can finish fourth in the round robin and still win the ultimate prize - and that’s where a lot of top sides come short. Knock out rugby has a different mindset as is evidenced by Leinster in the 15’s game. NZ had the same problem. They swept everything in front of them but took 24 years to win their second WC.

      16 Go to comments
      P
      Pablo King 1 hour ago
      Don't get out over your skis on the Highlanders

      It started as an ordinary Tuesday. I was checking my Bybit portfolio when an email popped up that looked like a legitimate alert from the exchange, warning of suspicious activity. Without thinking, I clicked the link and entered my credentials. The moment I hit submit, a sinking feeling hit me. Within minutes, my Bitcoin wallet was completely drained.Losing 3.2 BTC, worth nearly $200,000 at the time, wasn’t just a financial blow. It felt like a personal violation. I couldn’t believe I had fallen for a phishing scam. I spent days digging through forums, contacting Bybit support, and even filing a police report. But the responses were disheartening and repetitive. Crypto transactions are irreversible. Scam victims rarely recover their funds. The helplessness was crushing.I barely slept. I kept replaying that moment over and over in my head. Why did I click the link? Why didn’t I double-check? The guilt and frustration consumed me. Friends tried to be supportive, but most didn’t understand the emotional and financial weight of what had happened. I had always been cautious with security. Yet in one distracted moment, everything disappeared.Weeks later, while scrolling through Reddit threads on crypto scams, I stumbled upon several mentions of GRAYWARE TECH SERVICES . At first, I was skeptical. It sounded too good to be true. But the testimonials felt genuine, and I was desperate. I decided to reach out.Their response was fast, professional, and surprisingly empathetic. They didn’t promise miracles. Instead, they explained their method: tracing blockchain transactions, identifying potential exchange cash-outs, and working with legal and crypto entities to freeze and recover funds.I sent them everything I had wallet addresses, transaction records, screenshots and waited. Just a few days later, I received an email that left me speechless. They had successfully traced and recovered all of my stolen Bitcoin.I couldn’t believe it. After being told repeatedly that the funds were gone forever, here they were, back in my wallet. It felt like waking up from a nightmare. GRAYWARE TECH SERVICES didn’t just help me get my money back. They restored my sense of security, my trust, and my peace of mind.I share my story now in case someone else out there is feeling the same panic and hopelessness I once felt. There is help. And sometimes, there is even a second chance.You can reach them on whatsapp +18582759508, web at ( https://graywaretechservices.com/ )    also on Mail: (contact@graywaretechservices.com)

      4 Go to comments
      S
      SF 1 hour ago
      'Devastating': Stephen Donald weighs in on the next All Black 10

      Now why the heck would you like to see a “fish out water” in the 10 jumper for the AB’s?

      4 Go to comments
      A
      Alex 1 hour ago
      New Zealand and South Africa crowned SVNS Series champions in LA

      I'd say the shield should be given greater weighting then.

      16 Go to comments
      A
      Alex 1 hour ago
      New Zealand and South Africa crowned SVNS Series champions in LA

      Sevens is very unique though. More like golf where a team can have a storming tournament and then not so much the next tourno. The nature of it really means (which is great for the sport) that it's very unpredictable. Kenya could get silver one week, then not make last 8 the next. As a result, it doesn't feel right that one tournament result defines the sevens season.

      16 Go to comments
      A
      Alex 1 hour ago
      New Zealand and South Africa crowned SVNS Series champions in LA

      Real winners were Argentina! The WHOLE season shouldn't be defined by one tournament. This is not one tourno but a SERIES of tournos. I just feel that's different to the playoffs of a SR/EPL/URC/Top14 season.

      16 Go to comments
      J
      JD Kiwi 1 hour ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Good theory SK.


      Super Rugby and the northern comps have different strengths and weaknesses and I'm not saying one is better than the other. However the length of the northern season means that you have to either rest your best players a lot or run them into the ground, which leads to the issue you've described.


      One of the things I like about SR is that the test players get a longer off/preseason and only have miss a couple of games. So they are match hardened without being overworked.

      66 Go to comments
      J
      JD Kiwi 2 hours ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Agreed, but I think he was saying that taking the kick for goal was 50/50, not picking Jordie.

      66 Go to comments
      E
      Ed the Duck 2 hours ago
      Why ‘the curse of the Bambino’ is still stronger than ever at Leinster

      Now that’s a match up that’s way too close to call, other than it’s gonna be a cracker, but Saints absolutely have a great shot at the title here!

      66 Go to comments
      TRENDING
      TRENDING 'It's ridiculous': Siya Kolisi shocked by size of Junior Springboks players Siya Kolisi shocked by size of the Junior Springboks players
      Search