Cardiff Blues coach Dai Young has hailed Xavier Rush as 'irreplaceable' after steering the club to their first European final in 14 years.
No8 Rush produced a man of the match performance in Cardiff's 18-15 victory over London Wasps in the semi-final of the Amlin Challenge Cup last weekend.
But the bitter-sweet display only served to remind Cardiff and their travelling fans what they will be missing when the former All Black joins Ulster this summer.
Young said: "We all now Xavier is going to be a massive loss for us next season. It's going to be almost impossible to replace him.
"You cannot over-state the importance of his performance in the semi-final. He carried the ball well, got us on the front-foot and that allowed us to take control in difficult conditions. He was outstanding."
Rush, 32, has spent five seasons in Wales, inspiring the region to their EDF Energy Cup triumph last season as well as the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup.
