Tommy Bowe: up to four months out of action.

Tommy Bowe: up to four months out of action.

THE NEXT TIME we see Tommy Bowe on a rugby pitch, he’ll probably be in an Ulster shirt.

The Monaghan native is set to miss Ireland’s tour of New Zealand this summer and has played his last game for Ospreys.

The Welsh outfit have confirmed this morning that the Irish winger will undergo surgery today for the removal of a haematoma that has pushed into his kidney and caused raised blood pressure.

“Having discovered he was suffering from high blood pressure earlier this year, he has been put through a number of medical tests to identify the cause of the problem,” the Ospreys said in a statement.

“These tests have shown that he has, in the past, suffered a haematoma that is pushing into his left kidney, with further tests indicating that this is the reason for the raised blood pressure.

“After considerable consultation with specialists in both Ireland and Wales, Tommy has opted to go down the route of surgical removal of the haematoma in an effort to solve the problem. He is being operated on in Ireland today, before returning to Wales post-op to convalesce.

Bowe has already agreed to rejoin Ulster next season.

“Because of the surgery, he will not be able to play any further part for the Ospreys this season, ahead of his return to Ulster for next season,” Ospreys’ statement continues.

“Recovery time post-operation is unclear, but he could be sidelined for up to four months.”

Bowe, for his part, hopes to bid farewell to the region’s fans and players before heading back to Ravenhill.

“Obviously, this news unfortunately means that I won’t get to wear the Ospreys shirt again,” he said. “But it is important that I get this problem sorted as soon as possible.

“Hopefully, the Ospreys will have a home [PRO12] semi-final and final in May so that I can still get down to the Liberty Stadium to say farewell and a big thank you to the supporters.”