Ulster 'don't want to see' Stockdale and Cooney leave

Jacob Stockdale and John Cooney have both been linked with moves to the French Top 14

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says the club do not want to see Jacob Stockdale and John Cooney leave, but added the "group will move on without" any player who departs.

Reports in France have linked Ireland wing Stockdale and scrum-half John Cooney, both of whom are out of contract at the end of the season, with moves to the Top 14.

Stockdale, 28, has worked his way back into the Ireland set-up recently, starting the November Test win over Fiji.

Cooney, 34, has been a key player for Ulster since joining the club from Connacht in 2017. However, he won the last of his 11 Ireland caps in the 2020 Six Nations.

"They've both been brilliant players," said Murphy in a news conference ahead of Ulster's Investec Champions Cup trip to Toulouse on Sunday (15:15 GMT).

"At this time of year, with players off contract, there's always going to be conversations about those things.

"We don't want to see them go. It's like anything, if people decide to move on, well the group here will move on without them.

"We're trying to build something here going forward over the next number of years, hopefully the guys might want to be a part of that."

Both Cooney and Stockdale are injured and will play no part in Ulster's game at Champions Cup holders Toulouse.

Listen to Toulouse v Ulster on BBC Sounds and BBC Radio Ulster from 15:00 GMT on Sunday