Rugby:If it ain't broke, don't fix it seems to be the message from Brian McLaughlin ahead of Ulster's biggest game in more than a decade. With six wins on the bounce, the Ulster coach has made just one to his side for Sunday's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Northampton.
Chris Henry comes into the backrow, in place of Willie Faloon, for the trip to the stadium:mk in Milton Keynes but elsewhere it’s a case of as you were for the Irish province.
In the continued absence of Stephen Ferris, Robbie Diack again starts on the blindside flank with Pedrie Wannenburg making up a backrow triumvirate that will seek to take on the ultra-physical Saints at their own game.
Having returned from injury against the Scarlets last weekend, both BJ Botha and Ian Humprheys are fit to start against Northampton while Bryan Young is drafted onto the replacements bench in place of the injured Declan Fitzpatrick.
Among the most intriguing head-to-head battles in Milton Keynes will be the contest between rival hookers and captains Dylan Hartley and Rory Best just three weeks after they packed down opposite each other in Six Nations combat.
“Dylan is a great player,” said Best. “You want to test yourself against the best, and there is no doubt he’s one of the best hookers in the Six Nations. He probably got a lot of unfair criticism over the last few years, but at the end of the day he’s still relatively young.
“A lot of it was just youthful exuberance, but he has got the (Northampton) captaincy now and is well settled down. He’s a fantastic talent and he carries the leadership of the team on his shoulders very well.”
Ulster will face Northampton on the back of six successive wins, and Best added: “There is no doubt we are in a good place at the moment. There were a lot of dark times at Ulster when we were struggling to win at home in Europe, let alone do anything away, and never mind threatening to get out of our group.
“But there is a core of players now who put a lot of faith in the set-up, especially when David Humphreys took charge. We’ve all signed contracts over the last two or three years with getting to this position in mind. Everyone had an opportunity to leave, but thankfully we didn’t and now it’s bearing a little bit of fruit for the boys that did stay.”
Northampton show one change from the side that crushed Premiership opponents Sale Sharks 53-24 last weekend, with flanker Phil Dowson replacing Calum Clark, while one Ulster switch sees openside Chris Henry in for Willie Faloon.
Northampton:B Foden; C Ashton, J Clarke, J Downey, P Diggin; S Myler, L Dickson; S Tonga'uiha, D Hartley [capt], B Mujati, C Lawes, C Day, P Dowson, T Wood, R Wilson. Replacements:B Sharman, A Waller, T Mercey, M Sorenson, C Clark, S Commins, S Geraghty, B Reihana
Ulster:A D'Arcy; A Trimble, N Spence, P Wallace, S Danielli; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best [capt], B Botha, J Muller, D Tuohy, R Diack, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements:A Kyriacou, P McAllister, B Young, T Barker, W Faloon, P Marshall, I Whitten, C Gilroy
Referee:Romain Poite (France)
