Eric Miller's cameo appearance for Ulster takes place on Friday night in the province's concluding game of the Guinness Inter-provincial Championship against Connacht at Ravenhill. The Irish Lion will be appearing for one night only, Friday, as he is ineligible for European competition. The only other change sees James Topping return after injury displacing Sheldon Coulter.

His selection ahead of former under-21 international Tony McWhirter was borne of pragmatism according to Ulster coach Harry Williams. "It was a case of working with the head rather than the heart. It's a professional era and I could not afford to ignore someone with Eric's experience."

McWhirter's disappointment - Williams confirmed that the player was crestfallen at his omission - may be tempered by the fact that he will return once European competition resumes, and possibly sooner if Miller is dogged by the rustiness associated with a prolonged spell in rugby limbo.

Two tries for Terenure College in his first competitive outing, a Leinster Championship match last weekend, proved a very productive return for a player who has languished on the sidelines because of protracted contractual negotiations with former club Leicester.

Williams was never likely to forego the opportunity of using Miller, even for such a short period. "He trained on Monday and I don't expect him to have any problems fitting in."

His presence is unlikely to dent team morale, a point emphasised by prop Justin Fitzpatrick. "Sheldon and Tony are disappointed, but they are aware that in the new professional era the squad system rules. In any case, Tony will only be out for the one game."

The only other change to the team that beat Toulouse sees international wing Topping resume following a four-month absence with a shoulder injury. The Ballymena player last played in South Africa, in Ireland's opening game against Boland. In scoring a try Topping came crashing down awkwardly on his shoulder and his tour was over.

Careful rehabilitation ended last weekend when he played for Ballymena, scoring two tries in the process. Coulter and McWhirter drop to the bench. The last two weeks have marked a watershed in Ulster's season, firstly thrashing Ebbw Vale away and then producing a magnificent performance to beat Toulouse at Ravenhill. It is a far cry from the the ineptitude they displayed when they lost to Munster at Musgrave Park. Fitzpatrick offers the following insight: "The transformation was down to a number of simple things. We have 22 full-time players and nine part-time players in the squad and initially the 22 were working around the nine in terms of training times.

"We have now gone back to daytime training with the nine fitting in around the 22: the players are fresher. We also took a couple of steps back and looked at what we were trying to do. We now have a more structured game plan, gone back to basics.

"There was some soul searching but we picked ourselves up - there is a good spirit in the squad - and decided what we wanted. We have moved on from there. We are aware of what is required on Friday. We threw away the game against Connacht in Galway. We had a good lead at halftime and decided to shut up shop.

"Connacht, as they have done very successfully this season, kept grinding away and forced a result. That will be in the back of our minds."

In what is being billed as the title decider at Donnybrook, the combatants, Leinster and Munster, have delayed selection: Leinster have not fixed a date fixed for their team announcement, while Munster did at least confirm that theirs would be revealed later today.

Anthony Horgan, who retired with a leg injury at half-time during Munster's 18-18 draw with Neath at the weekend, is the main concern for coach Declan Kidney. Garryowen scrum-half Tom Tierney may be fit enough to grab a place on the bench, having missed the last three matches.

Meanwhile Old Wesley have formally announced the appointment of former Natal coach Noel Olivier on a three-year contract. Olivier has been in Ireland for the past two weeks, acclimatising to the demands of club rugby.

The former Transvaal out-half-cum-centre boasts an impressive pedigree. His coaching career began as an assistant to Harry Yiljoen at Natal: it culminated in a losing Currie Cup final appearance.

Olivier took over the following year and in the inaugural Super Ten tournament took Natal to the final, beating Transvaal, Western Province, Orange Free State, Western Australia, Waikato, Western Samoa and Auckland en route before losing to Queensland in the decider. Natal also beat an England Test side 27-18.

Since then he has conducted South African provincial coaching clinics and worked in schools.