Herring Hits 100-Cap Landmark For Ulster

Rob Herring, who joined the province four years ago and is now sharing the club captaincy with Andrew Trimble, will be joined in the matchday panel by returning Ireland internationals Craig Gilroy, Iain Henderson and Paddy Jackson, along with All Black Charles Piutau.

Tickets for the game are still available via ulsterrugby.com/buytickets and can be bought on the gate from 5.30pm on Friday night.

There are eight new faces in the starting line-up with Callum Black, Peter Browne, Alan O’Connor and Robbie Diack bolstering the pack, while Gilroy, Jackson, Piutau and Stuart McCloskey join an already potent back-line.

Herring, a try scorer in each of Ulster’s last three games, will be joined in the front row by Black and Rodney Ah You. Browne and O’Connor form a new second row partnership, with flankers Clive Ross and Sean Reidy retaining their places and Diack packing down at number 8.

Jackson will combine with Ruan Pienaar at half-back, while McCloskey and Stuart Olding are named in midfield. Louis Ludik switches from full-back to the left wing, with Gilroy and Piutau completing the selection.

Andrew Warwick could earn his 50th Ulster cap after being named among the replacements. Henderson will be a robust option for Les Kiss to spring from the bench, with John Andrew, Hughes Insurance Academy prop Ross Kane and Franco van der Merwe listed as the other forward replacements.

Angus Lloyd is still in line to make his first competitive appearance after being an unused replacement last week in Treviso. Luke Marshall and Robert Lyttle are the other back-line players in the 23-man squad.

ULSTER (v Scarlets): Charles Piutau; Craig Gilroy, Stuart Olding, Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rob Herring (capt), Rodney Ah You, Peter Browne, Alan O’Connor, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Robbie Diack.

Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Ross Kane, Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Angus Lloyd, Luke Marshall, Robert Lyttle.