Tuesday Round-Up

Henry under knife: Ulster back rower Chris Henry went under the knife to explore the magnitude and severity of the blocked blood vessel which has kept him sidelined in recent weeks. Having been forced to pull out of Ireland’s clash with South Africa on the morning of the game with a virus, Henry has since been diagnosed with having a blocked blood vessel in his brain. As a result, Henry underwent exploratory heart surgery on Monday, to determine the full extent of the issue. Having determined the issue as a temporary blockage, Ulster Chief Executive Officer Shane Logan, told reporters he expects a full recovery for Henry in the coming weeks, with the operation having been deemed a success by all involved. Henry missed all three of Ireland’s games in the Autumn series, watching on as his teammates completed a hugely impressive clean sweep.

Toulon sign hooker: Reigning European and French domestic champions, Toulon, have confirmed the signing of Argentina hooker Matias Cortese, on what will represent a short term deal. With South African born hooker Craig Burden sidelined for the foreseeable future, after undergoing surgery to repair damage to an injured pectoral muscle, Toulon boss Bernard Laporte moved quickly to add reinforcements to his side ahead fo a busy period of games. Having previously represented a multitude of clubs across Europe, including Bayonne, Biarritz, Gloucester and Northampton Saints, Cortese is a well travelled man, and arrives in the south of France as a medical joker. Thirteen times capped for Argentina, the 29-year old linked up with his new teammates on Monday, having been a part of Argentina’s squad for the November Internationals.

Ryan Sheady