Ireland and Lions flanker, Stephen Ferris, will start against Munster on Easter Sunday (KO: 1.45pm) in Ulster’s biggest game since they won the Heineken Cup in 1999, while Paul O'Connell returns for Munster

The inclusion of Ferris, who missed last year’s quarter final defeat to Northampton and has recently been strugling with an ankle injury, will come as a massive boost to coach Brian McLaughlin.

Ferris picked up the ankle injury against Aironi in last week’s PRO12 clash, but has received extensive treatment throughout the week to be passed fit.

Overall Ulster has made just one change to the starting team that registered a 45-7 victory over the Italians at Ravenhill last Friday. Dan Tuohy returns to partner Johann Muller in the second row, with Lewis Stevenson making way.

Ireland Internationals Tom Court and Rory Best form the front row with All Black John Afoa, while Chris Henry and Pedrie Wannenburg join Ferris in the back row once more.

The backline has a settled look about it with Ruan Pienaar and Ian Humphreys continuing at half back. Old and relatively new Paddy Wallace and Darren Cave have been looking dangerous in midfield with Craig Gilroy the real youth ingredient in an experienced back three that also includes Stefan Terblanche and Andew Trimble.

“Stevie will play subject to fitness. At this stage we are hopeful that he will be available and a lot of credit should go to our medical team and physios for getting him into this position. He brings a great deal to this team and gives the players around him a massive lift. That is what we need going into a game like this,” said McLaughlin casting some doubt on the certainty of Ferris lining out on the day.

“It will be an unbelievably physical battle. They will be smarting from their defeat to Leinster at the weekend and they will want to make up for that by beating us on Sunday."

Munster, who progressed to the last eight having won six games from six in their pool,  make seven changes from the side that lost at home to Leinster last week.

Matching the importance of Ferris to Ulster, Paul O’Connell makes a return from injury along with Donnacha Ryan. The two players, especially O'Connell,  will have massive influence not just with their own contributions but on the overall play of the Munster team.

In the backs Irish scrumhalf,  Conor Murray, is fit again, which pushes Tomas O’Leary to the bench, while Denis Hurley’s good health squeezes out Johne Murphy to a bench place.

Coach Tony McGahan also gives hooker Mike Sherry and backrow, Tommy O'Donnell their first Heineken Cup starts in the Sunday clash.

Sherry has three Heineken Cup appearances off the bench, all from last season while O’Donnell only appearance when he replaced James Coughlan in the 77th minute of Munster’s game against Scarlets in Thomond Park Stadium in December.

In the back row, Peter O’Mahony switches from seven to six and O’Donnell is preferred to David Wallace who is named on the bench.

The two-time Heineken Cup winners have lost just twice at Thomond Park in the history of the competition, to Cardiff back in 1998 and Leicester Tigers in 2007.

The winner on Sunday will earn a home semi final against either Edinburgh or Toulouse, who face each other on Saturday.

Munster:

F Jones; D Hurley, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O’Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, M Sherry, BJ Botha; D Ryan, P O’Connell; P O’Mahony, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan. Replacements: D Varley, M Horan, S Archer, D O’Callaghan, D Wallace, T O’Leary, I Keatley, J Murphy.

Ulster:

S Terblanche; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (capt), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements - N Brady, P McAllister, A Macklin, L Stevenson, W Faloon, P Marshall, N Spence, A D’Arcy