Best and Ferris sit out training session

RUGBY:RORY BEST and Stephen Ferris sat out an Ireland squad training in Limerick yesterday as coach Declan Kidney continues to managed his depleted resources ahead of the national side's opening game of the Six Nations Championship against Italy at the Stadio Flaminio tomorrow week.

The Ulster duo were sidelined due to illness and injury respectively but the prognosis is not as bad as recent times in which a procession of players have been forced out of the Italian match – in some cases for the entire Six Nations – with a variety of injuries.

Best sat out the session because of a stomach bug but he hasn’t played since damaging his ribs in the final throes of Ulster’s Heineken Cup victory over Biarritz Olympique at Ravenhill.

Best missed the province’s subsequent win against Aironi at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella last weekend. The fact that he was in contention for the latter match initially before being ruled out strikes a positive chord.

Ferris sustained a ligament injury to his left knee in unfortunate circumstances when the joint was caught in a side impact by an Aironi prop following a wheeled scrum. The referee’s whistle had already gone so the Irish flanker was oblivious to the impending impact. He had a scan on the joint and Kidney remained cautiously optimistic about his prospects of being available for the game against Italy. The medical consensus is that he is to continue the rest and rehabilitation regimen. It’s likely though he’ll have to take contact by Tuesday of next week at the latest.

The Irish coach received better tidings from Munster and Ireland loosehead prop Marcus Horan who will play 40 minutes for Shannon in their Ulster Bank League Division One A match at Dooradoyle tonight (7.30). Horan took part in training with the Ireland team yesterday – so too did Jerry Flannery – including scrum work.

It might be asking a bit much of the prop for him to be available to play for the Ireland Wolfhounds against the England Saxons in Ravenhill this day week with a more realistic target a return to Munster colours for the Magners League match against Benetton Treviso on February 13th. Horgan hasn’t played since breaking his hand in October.

Ulster rugby has confirmed they will put on sale tickets for their Heineken Cup quarter-final against the Northampton Saints at the Stadium: mk, Milton Keynes from February 21st. There is a structure to the way in which the tickets will be distributed with 2010-2011 Ulster season ticket holders been given the first option to purchase with a limit of one ticket per season ticket held.

The next category to which tickets will be made available is to the Ulster Rugby Supporters Club (2010-2011) members with the same pro-rata distribution method.

If there are any surplus tickets left, priority will be given to those who purchase season tickets for the 2011-2012 season, the details of which will be announced shortly. Prices for the quarter-final tickets will be released next month. Ulster rugby has confirmed it does not envisage any tickets going on sale to the general public for the 21,500-capacity stadium.

Meanwhile, Munster’s Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-final against Brive at the Stadium Municipal Amédée Domenech is on Saturday, April 9th (1.0pm).

Sky Sports have elected to only broadcast live the all English quarter-final of Harlequins and Wasps at Twickenham on Friday, April 8th (7.45pm).

Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals: Thursday, April 7th – La Rochelle v ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Marcel Deflandre (7.45pm, live on Eurosport). Friday, April 8th – Harlequins v Wasps, The Stoop (7.45pm, live on Sky Sports); Stade Francais v Montpellier, Stade Charlety (7.45pm, live on FR4). Saturday, April 9th: Brive v Munster, Stadium Municipal Amédée Domenech (1pm, live on Eurosport).