URC: Zebre v Ulster, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Saturday, 7.45pm Irish time – Live Premier Sports 1
After last weekend’s unsettling home loss to Connacht, the trip to Parma now has that bit more edge to it than Ulster would have preferred with three defeats from their last five games looking both ugly and potentially damaging for the run-in.
Despite all the scar tissue, Richie Murphy’s side ought to put things right at the Stadio Lanfranchi and having Stuart McCloskey and Nick Timoney back in harness for the first time since the Six Nations certainly offers the potential to produce a statement result. It’s something they need, as after Saturday evening they have a difficult enough looking final four games ahead of the URC playoffs.
They will also want to head towards Easter weekend’s Challenge Cup last 16 home tie with the Ospreys feeling that bit better about themselves. They certainly appear to have the personnel to achieve their aim with James Hume back to line up with McCloskey in midfield, while alongside Timoney, Bryn Ward and David McCann make up a feisty looking breakaway trio.
However, injuries to both Jack Murphy and Jake Flannery mean that Ulster have made an interesting call at 10 where James Humphreys, son of former Ulster outhalf and present IRFU performance director David, makes his first senior start. The backup here presumably will be Nathan Doak, who starts on the bench as Conor McKee is on from the beginning at scrumhalf. Whether it is Humphreys or McKee taking on responsibility for placekicking remains to be seen.
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So, a rather inexperienced halfback partnership for Ulster, though the theory would be that this situation still shouldn’t give too much access into the game for bottom team Zebre, for whom several of their Italy squad members tog out.
There is also inexperience up front, with Joe Hopes going again at lock due to the injury situation there and Tom McAllister, who impressed on debut in the win in Edinburgh, returning to the starting team at tighthead. Ulster still have warhorses Rob Herring and skipper Iain Henderson to help steer things along in the front five.
As for the back three, with no Michael Lowry or Jacob Stockdale, Ethan McIlroy is at fullback, while the wings are unchanged in Zac Ward and Werner Kok.
Ulster’s bench certainly has some notable names on it, not only Doak but also Angus Bell and Juarno Augustus, all three having started against Connacht.
Forwards James McCormick, Scott Wilson and Matthew Dalton along with backs Ben Carson and Ben Moxham complete the 23.
Ulster badly need the five points, anything less will only increase concerns that they hitting turbulence at just the wrong time.
ZEBRE: L Pani; M Belloni, G Bertaccini, M Zanon, S Gesi; G Da Re, A Fusco; M Hasa, T Di Bartolomeo, E Pieretto; M Canali, L Krumov (capt); A Ortombina, B Stavile, D Odiase.
Replacements: G Quattrini, J Pitinari, I Neculai, G Ferrari, G Licata, T Dominguez, M-R Farias, L Morisi.
ULSTER: E McIlroy; W Kok, J Hume, S McCloskey, Z Ward; J Humphreys, C McKee; E O’Sullivan, R Herring, T McAllister; I Henderson (capt), J Hopes; D McCann, N Timoney, B Ward.
Replacements: J McCormick, A Bell, S Wilson, M Dalton, J Augustus, N Doak, B Carson, B Moxham.
Referee: C Evans (Wales).
