Ulster head coach Richie Murphy confirmed that Michael Lowry is “OK” after the full-back was stretchered off during Saturday's 41-17 defeat by Leinster in the United Rugby Championship (URC). Lowry, 26, required medical attention following a tackle on Robbie Henshaw in the build-up to Tommy O'Brien's try at the Aviva Stadium.

Murphy revealed that Lowry was taken to the hospital for further evaluation, but his scan results were positive. “Mike is OK. He’s been in hospital and had a scan,” Murphy told Premier Sports. “He’ll go through all those return-to-play protocols for his head, and we’ll see how his neck is, but he seems to be OK.”

The match was a bruising encounter for Ulster, both physically and in terms of their playoff ambitions. Several players sustained injuries, including Stuart McCloskey, who was ruled out after picking up an issue during the warm-up. His replacement, Stewart Moore, was forced off within the first 10 minutes.

Leinster, who currently top the URC table, capitalized on their opportunities, with Dan Sheehan scoring a hat-trick off the bench in the second half. Murphy acknowledged Leinster's quality but felt Ulster were on the wrong end of several 50/50 decisions in the scrums and breakdowns during the opening half.

With three rounds of fixtures remaining, Ulster now sits outside the top eight. They face the Sharks in Belfast next week before critical away games against Munster and Edinburgh to close out their season. Murphy emphasized the team’s resilience and determination to bounce back.

“Over the past number of weeks, we have shown a lot of resilience,” Murphy added. “That’s growing within the group. The guys are very disappointed with the scoreline, but we have to dust ourselves down quickly and focus on the Sharks.”

Injury updates will be crucial for Ulster as they assess the availability of key players like hooker Rob Herring and props Andrew Warwick and Callum Reid, who also picked up knocks during the game.