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Ulster have been hit by a flurry of sick notes heading into Saturday’s crunch Guinness Pro12 clash with Leinster in Dublin.

Head coach Neil Doak confirmed yesterday that several players have been struck down by a similar bug that ruled Luke Marshall out of Friday’s 13-10 win over Connacht.

Marshall is hopeful of returning to action at the RDS but the Kingspan Stadium club faces a waiting game on a number of other unnamed stars.

Doak, who declined to identify those affected by the latest outbreak, said: “Luke did a little bit of training today, so he should be OK. I would hope the illness has cleared through his body.

“The unfortunate thing is there are a number of other guys who have picked up a similar bug. Some of the backs. We’ll wait and see how they fare come the end of the week.”

A question mark hangs over several other injured players, including influential Springbok Ruan Pienaar and forward Roger Wilson.

(Image: ©INPHO/Presseye/Ben Evans)

Pienaar strained his knee against the Ospreys before Christmas, while Wilson picked up a stinger 12 minutes from the end of the Connacht game.

With Ulster already missing experienced back row duo Chris Henry and Nick Williams, Doak hopes Wilson declares himself fit for the trip to Dublin.

“Roger hasn’t really trained the last two days, but hopefully he settles down by the end of the week,” he said. “We’ll have to see how he comes through the next 24 to 48 hours.”

One boost for the province is the expected return of Ireland and British Lions duo Rory Best and Tommy Bowe who were rested for Friday’s clash with Connacht due to IRFU player management protocols.

Doak said: “Rory and Tommy are two key guys for us, so it’s a massive boost. They are two British and Irish Lions and seasoned internationals, so I couldn’t ask for a better influx.

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“They had a rest last week and to have them back is great. You need as much firepower as you can get when you’re going down to Dublin.

“Leinster haven’t been going as well as they would hope, but they are a quality side and also have a few guys back, so we’re going to have to play well and take any small opportunities that come our way.”

Ulster, who have won just one of their seven away games in all competitions this season, lie fourth in the Pro12, just three points above Leinster in fifth.

“It’s nip and tuck,” said Doak. “When you’re playing one of the top five teams in the league, if you can beat them away from home it would be a huge boost. It would be a tremendous way for us to start the New Year.”