Jared Payne out until late December

Ulster will be without Jared Payne until late December following his operation on a broken foot.

Payne was forced to drop out of Ireland’s World Cup squad before their final group game against France two weeks ago.

Ireland went on to lose their quarter-final against Argentina but the effect for Ulster will be much longer, as Payne is set to miss key PRO12 and Champions Cup matches.

“Jared had an operation," Ulster coach Neil Doak told RTE Sport.

"There’s no definitive return point at this stage, like most things with bones.

“And there could be some structural damage down there, who knows? It could be eight weeks, he’s had his surgery and he’s on the road to recovery.”