McFARLANDPLANS AHEAD

The South African native will leave the Kingspan Stadium after signing a long-term deal with the Dragons.

Roberts - after impressing the Ulster management during a trial period - was handed a professional contact but he soon came on the Welsh radar and was capped by Wayne Pivac during the autumn internationals.

McFarland admitted it was inevitable that if Roberts wanted to pursue his international career, he would have to leave Ulster and play his club rugby at one of the four regions in the Principality.

“Brad wanted to represent Wales and I totally understand that if he wants to continue his ambitions he has to play in Wales,” said McFarland.

“For us, the emphasis is on guys who qualify for Ireland. We already have one Ireland hooker so we’re looking for guys coming through.

“Brad’s done a great job, starting with Rainey Old Boys and joining us when we had some injuries, and really grasping his opportunities, and throwing himself fully into the club. He’s an Ulster player for the rest of the season so I’m sure he’ll have a big part to play.

“We’ll be looking to put a fourth senior hooker in there. It’s too risky to go with three hookers, so we’ll be looking for somebody who is Irish qualified for that last spot.”

Roberts was named in Wales’ Six Nations squad and will be available for Ulster’s United Rugby Championship game on Friday night against the Scarlets. However, there was no good news on the injury front for McFarland.

“Hendy (Iain Henderson) won’t be playing this weekend, but he’s making a good recovery,” he confirmed.

“Obviously being named in the Ireland squad means that he should be able to take part at some point in the Six Nations.

“Stuart McCloskey and John Cooney are progressing but we won’t know