URC: Ospreys v Ulster, Swansea.com Stadium, Sunday, 3.0 – Live Premier Sports
Much focus will be on just where Ulster’s head space is currently located, this being their first deployment since last month’s Champions Cup debacle at Harlequins.
And not exactly the easiest of tasks either as they bid to mark the return to URC action in appropriate fashion at the Ospreys as the Welsh region have been in decent form and have a good record this season from their base in Swansea.
At least Ulster travel with four Ireland squad members in their 23, Iain Henderson skippering, with Nick Timoney and Jacob Stockdale alongside him, while Tom Stewart is among the replacements.
Their input will doubtless be pivotal if Ulster are to halt a two-game losing run, though admittedly this has been in Europe, and keep their drive towards the URC playoffs going forward on this the first return to league action since getting the better Leinster by just a point at the RDS on New Year’s Day.
With another break in games after this weekend until the beginning of March, Ulster will presumably be going all out to avoid a third straight defeat in all competitions.
Away from his four Ireland returnees, Dan McFarland has gone for an unfamiliar looking halfback partnership of Nathan Doak and Jake Flannery, while in midfield Jude Postlethwaite gets a rare opportunity and Michael Lowry finds himself deployed on the wing.
Harry Sheridan is also handed a start at lock due to injuries having kept Kieran Treadwell and Alan O’Connor out of the running. At openside, McFarland has brought in the underused Marcus Rea.
Steven Kitshoff and Stewart start the game on the bench alongside Ethan McIlroy for what is likely to be first Ulster involvement since a facial injury picked up in November.
The Ospreys are without their Welsh contingent but do have Justin Tipuric returning to action, while Alex Cuthbert is set to play his first game in 12 months off the bench.
OSPREYS: J Walsh; M Protheroe, D Morris, K Williams, K Giles; D Edwards, R Morgan-Williams; N Smith, S Parry, T Botha; J Ratti, V Sekekete; H Deaves, J Tipuric (capt), M Morse.
Replacements: L Lloyd, R Henry, B Warren, L Jones, W Hickey, C Jones, A Cuthbert, E Boshoff.
ULSTER: W Addison; M Lowry, J Hume, J Postlethwaite, J Stockdale; J Flannery, N Doak; A Warwick, J Andrew, M Moore; H Sheridan, I Henderson (capt); D McCann, Marcus Rea, N Timoney.
Replacements: T Stewart, S Kitshoff, S Wilson, C Izuchukwu, Matty Rea, D Shanahan, L Marshall, E McIlroy.
Referee: Federico Vedovelli (Italy).
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