Both Ulster and Connacht are chasing a timely GUINNESS PRO14 derby win in Belfast tonight, with such a result providing the ideal platform heading into the start of European competition next week.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, October 5
ULSTER (3rd, Con B) v CONNACHT (5th, Con A), Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm (live Premier Sports/eir Sport 1/BBC Radio Ulster 1341 MW/deferred TG4)
Team News: Rory Best and Jacob Stockdale have recovered from their respective injuries to make their seasonal debuts in Ulster’s first home interprovincial derby fixture of the 2018/19 campaign. Tickets for the round 6 match are still available at ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.
Hooker Best will captain the side on his return and will join Tom O’Toole and Andrew Warwick in the front row, while Alan O’Connor and Iain Henderson, who has completed the return-to-play protocols, will continue their second row partnership.
South African powerhouse Marcell Coetzee has recovered from a shoulder injury and will pack down at number 8, alongside Matthew Rea and Nick Timoney, who both started last weekend’s record 64-7 loss to Munster, in the back row.
Billy Burns and John Cooney are retained in the half-back positions, while Stuart McCloskey and 20-year-old talent Angus Curtis are paired together in midfield for the first time. Stockdale, Angus Kernohan, the 19-year-old who is chasing his second try in four games, and Peter Nelson combine in the back-three.
Replacement lock Kieran Treadwell is set to make his 50th senior appearance for the province and is joined on the bench by fellow forwards Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan, Ross Kane and Sean Reidy. Johnny McPhillips could make his seasonal bow after impressing for Ulster ‘A’ in the Celtic Cup, while Dave Shanahan and James Hume, a debutant against Munster, complete the match day squad.
In injury news, Ulster have confirmed that Darren Cave fractured his thumb during the match in Limerick and had surgery on Monday. He is expected to return to play within eight weeks. Wiehahn Herbst had surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn adductor tendon sustained in the recent game against the Toyota Cheetahs.
Meanwhile, fit-again captain Jarrad Butler is one of four changes to the Connacht team that lost 20-3 to Leinster in Galway last weekend. Academy player Paul Boyle, who was man-of-the-match against Zebre last month, also comes into the back row to start at number 8.
There is one alteration in the front row as Tom McCartney starts at hooker in place of the injured Dave Heffernan who captained the team last time out. The remainder of the front five is unchanged with props Denis Buckley and Finlay Bealham both retained as is Ultan Dillane and Quinn Roux in the engine room.
Jack Carty and Kieran Marmion continue their half-back partnership as do Bundee Aki and Tom Farrellin midfield. Matt Healy, who was a late withdrawal before the Leinster game, returns from injury on the left wing, with Niyi Adeolokun, who has scored three tries so far this season, on the right and Tiernan O’Halloran at full-back.
Speaking about the interprovincial derby in Belfast, Connacht head coach Andy Friend said: “Both sides had tough games last weekend, us against Leinster and Ulster against Munster. Both sides will be trying to recover from the six-day turnaround and that is the challenge in these big games.
“This week involved reviewing the game last week and fine-tuning things from last weekend so we are ready to go for Friday. It is great to have our captain Jarrad back and one or two other guys who were returning from small knocks. We are expecting a massive challenge from a real quality Ulster side.”
Meanwhile, Connacht Rugby and the IRFU have taken the decision, following contact with Sevu Reece in relation to the circumstances of a recent court appearance, not to proceed with a contract for the 21-year-old Fijian back to play with the province. Connacht and the IRFU will make no further comment.
ULSTER: Peter Nelson;; Angus Kernohan, Angus Curtis, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Rory Best (capt), Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson, Matthew Rea, Nick Timoney, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Sean Reidy, Dave Shanahan, Johnny McPhillips, James Hume.
CONNACHT: Tiernan O’Halloran; Niyi Adeolokun, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Matt Healy; Jack Carty, Kieran Marmion; Denis Buckley, Tom McCartney, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Quinn Roux, Sean O’Brien, Jarrad Butler (capt), Paul Boyle.
Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Peter McCabe, Conor Carey, James Cannon, Colby Fainga’a, Caolin Blade, Kyle Godwin, Cian Kelleher.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: George Clancy, Sean Gallagher (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 8/13; Draw: 16/1; Connacht to win: 7/5
Pre-Match Quotes: Jacob Stockdale (Ulster) – “Obviously after the weekend, there were a lot of tough words spoken and stuff and the guys, on the whole, have reacted really well to that. We had a training session (on Tuesday) and it went really, really well, guys were energized.
“So the main thought processes were that we want to make a point at home this week. For me there were a lot of guys coming in disheartened and pretty annoyed at themselves so I just wanted to bring a bit of buzz to training. To get the guys excited to get back out there. I don’t know if I’be done that, we’ll find out on Friday I guess.
“I think to be honest, the (pre-season hamstring) injury in the long run probably did me a power of good. It gave me a chance to recover from a pretty long season. Helped me to get fitter, faster and stronger than I would have been able to if I had of been fit.
“Obviously you would rather be out playing a match every week, but there are definitely positives you can take from it. And I guess, after last season, a few months in the gym brings you back down to earth again – the underground will do that to you!”
Andy Friend (Connacht) – “Away from home and in the interpros, you are not going to get many chances, and we probably had a couple of chances against Leinster, and that can be the difference in a game. So, if there’s an opportunity, we have to take it. If we are the team with that ruthless and clinical desire, then we have a fair chance of winning it.
“I reckon in the last 58 years there’s probably been 58 occasions when they have talked about that (ending Connacht’s poor record in Belfast), and it hasn’t worked.
“So I thought bugger that, we will break the trend, and we haven’t talked about it. When we win, we will talk about it, without a doubt. We haven’t spoken to the boys about it at all. We have spoken as a coaching staff, and it’s like, ‘same old same old, let’s not talk about,’ so we haven’t.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Ulster – Points: John Cooney 44; Tries: David Shanahan 2; Connacht – Points: Jack Carty 49; Tries: Niyi Adeolokun 3
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Ulster – Played 5, Won 3, Drew 1, Lost 1, 15 Points; W 15-13 v Scarlets (home), W 30-29 v Edinburgh (home), W 28-7 v Isuzu Southern Kings (away), D 39-39 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), L 64-7 v Munster (away); Connacht – Played 5, Won 2, Lost 3, 11 Points; L 27-26 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 32-13 v Zebre (home), L 17-10 v Edinburgh (away), W 33-20 v Scarlets (home), L 20-3 v Leinster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, December 26, 2015 – Connacht 3 Ulster 10, the Sportsground
Friday, April 1, 2016 – Ulster 18 Connacht 10, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, October 7, 2016 – Connacht 30 Ulster 25, the Sportsground
Friday, December 23, 2016 – Ulster 23 Connacht 7, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, October 6, 2017 – Ulster 16 Connacht 8, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, December 23, 2017 – Connacht 44 Ulster 16, the Sportsground
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster suffered their biggest ever defeat in Munster last weekend but at Kingspan Stadium their only loss since last October was by the narrowest of margins to Edinburgh in February
– Connacht’s three most recent victories in the GUINNESS PRO14 have all been since the end of April, and all at Galway
– Connacht have won just once away from home in the Championship since April 2017: 22-19 in Treviso in February this year
– Connacht have only once won away from home against a fellow Irish province in the last sixteen years, 18-12 at Munster in November 2015
– The last five matches between these two provinces have all been won by the home side on the day, while Connacht have not been victorious in Belfast since November 1960
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