Ulster's European Challenge Cup final preparations have been dealt a significant blow, with star centre Stuart McCloskey now expected to miss the showpiece event due to a serious hamstring injury. The 33-year-old, who has been in scintillating form this season, picked up the problem during Ulster's semi-final victory over Exeter Chiefs.

McCloskey sat out Friday's 38-38 United Rugby Championship draw with the Stormers after undergoing an MRI scan to assess the damage. When head coach Richie Murphy was asked if the centre faced a four-to-six-week layoff, he confirmed: "That's what they're saying. He has a serious hamstring injury. Is he a doubt for the final? Absolutely. Does it look likely he will play? Probably not, but we will see where that ends up."

The injury crisis doesn't stop there for Ulster. Jacob Stockdale (facial fracture) and David McCann (knee) are also major doubts for the Bilbao decider against Montpellier, having been hurt in that same semi-final triumph. To make matters worse, Murphy is anxiously awaiting disciplinary news on captain Iain Henderson. The lock's yellow card for a croc-roll at the ruck against the Stormers was upgraded to a 20-minute red card, meaning a judiciary hearing will decide his fate.

"Once you get a red card, that is not in our hands," Murphy said. "You go to a judiciary. Initially he clears straight through the ruck and ends up round the side. We'll wait and see what happens."

The drama continued in that Stormers clash, where Ulster were denied a victory by a controversial late penalty try. Eleven tries lit up an end-to-end encounter at the Affidea Stadium, but it was the final decision that left Murphy frustrated. Nathan Doak thought he had secured the win by holding up Stormers winger Leolin Zas over the line, but the referee penalised Doak for shoulder-to-head contact, awarding a yellow card and a penalty try instead.

"You look at the collision, or the lack of collision, and you go, 'well, we can find at least...'" Murphy trailed off, clearly struggling to contain his emotions after such a rollercoaster match. With the Challenge Cup final fast approaching, Ulster will need every ounce of resilience to overcome this mounting injury list and keep their European dreams alive.