We may have been holding out some hope that Peter O'Mahony would be the only confirmed absentee from the Ireland squad for the Six Nations but we can now say that's definitely not the case.
Iain Henderson's hamstring injury had looked likely to rule him out for the campaign and that situation has now been confirmed. At the start of December, Les Kiss had stated that Henderson could be out for as much as six months. That was worst case scenario and there were still hopes that the 23 year old could recover in time to play some part in this campaign.
However, those hopes have now been firmly dashed with Ulster coach Neil Doak stating that Henderson will definitely miss the Six Nations and could be out for the entire season following the injury picked up against Edinburgh.
It looks like Iain will be out for the remainder of the season. It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way it is.
It just so happens that Tommy Bowe can also be added to that 'no chance of making the squad' category. The Ulster wing had been a long shot at best after the knee ligament injury picked up during the World Cup. Speaking to BBC Sport last night, Bowe confirmed that although things were progressing, there was no chance of a miracle Six Nations return.
Unfortunately it's a slow process and to rule yourself out of the Six Nations is disappointing. I have to concentrate on getting myself back to where I was and there's no point in rushing it.
The confirmed absence of Bowe and Henderson won't come as a shock to Joe Schmidt but it's nonetheless another disappointment to deal with particularly in the case of Henderson who would have had a huge part to play in Schmidt's plans considering the loss of O'Mahony and O'Connell.
There is a modicum of positive news for the Ireland head coach however. Jared Payne, absent from action since the group stages of the World Cup, has been added to the Ulster squad for their three remaining Champions Cup matches.
Payne's defensive solidity at outside centre was certainly missed during Ireland's quarter-final loss to Argentina.
