Olding moves to fullback for Ulster

Munster coach Rob Penney makes wholesale changes for the trip to Glasgow

Stuart Olding   in action during the Heineken Cup match between Ulster and Leicester Tigers at Ravenhill . Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
Stuart Olding in action during the Heineken Cup match between Ulster and Leicester Tigers at Ravenhill . Photograph: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

Ulster coach Mark Anscombe, has made two personnel changes and one positional switch to the team that beat Montpellier for tomorrow night's game against the Cardiff Blues at Ravenhill (7.05).

Stuart Olding starts his first game for Ulster as a fullback. Jared Payne swaps the number 15 jersey for that of outside centre, with Darren Cave dropping to the bench.

Up front, Callum Black starts at loosehead with Tom Court, who was named in Joe Schmidt's Ireland squad this week, among the replacements.

Mike McComish, man-of-the-match for the Ulster Ravens against Jersey last Friday night, is on the bench in place of Iain Henderson who will be out for up to six weeks with a toe injury.

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The gifted young Olding said of his selection of fullback: “When the team was read out and I wasn’t playing at outhalf or centre, I thought that I was going to be on the bench again, but I was really pleased when I learned that I would be starting at fullback.

“It is a position that I really enjoy playing in. I was fullback for Ireland Under 20s in the Six Nations and the Junior World Championship so I am very confident there and I am looking forward to tomorrow night’s game.”

Meanwhile, Munster's top of the table clash with the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun stadium (7.35pm) tomorrow night sees coach Rob Penney make wholesale changes to the side that beat Gloucester in the Heineken Cup.

Andrew Conway, Ivan Dineen and Ronan O'Mahony return after impressing for the Munster A side in the last two weeks while JJ Hanrahan starts alongside Conor Murray at halfback.

Penney opted to change the frontrow en masse. James Cronin makes his third league start as he lines up next to Mike Sherry and Stephen Archer. CJ Stander joins Sean Dougall and captain Peter O'Mahony in the backrow.

Penney explainbed: “Due to the short turnaround and the travel and intensity of the last three weeks, and the importance of the next two weeks, there is a bit of freshening up in the group and this is why we’ve made a few changes.

Glasgow are top of the table and semi-finalists last season who probably should have been in the final. They are the form team in the Rabo in at least the last nine months. It doesn’t get more difficult than playing them at their home ground and it’s as big as it gets in the Rabo at this time of the year.”

Ulster (v Cardiff Blues, 7.05): S Olding, A Trimble, J Payne, L Marshall, T Bowe, P Jackson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Best, D Fitzpatrick; J Muller (capt), D Tuohy; R Diack, C Henry, R Wilson. Replacements: R Herring, T Court, J Afoa, L Stevenson, M McComish, P Marshall, D Cave, M Allen.

Munster: J Murphy; A Conway, K Earls, I Dineen, R O'Mahony; JJ Hanrahan, C Murray; J Cronin, M Sherry, S Archer; D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell; P O'Mahony (capt), S Dougall, CJ Stander. Replacements: D Varley, D Kilcoyne, BJ Botha, B Holland, J Coughlan, C Sheridan, J Downey, C Laulala.