URC: Ulster v Stormers, Kingspan Stadium, KO, Friday, 7.35pm
After back-to-back victories for only the second time in this campaign, Ulster are about to discover if they have genuine reason to believe that timely upturn is at hand or whether such notions are the stuff of mere illusion.
The Stormers – who have also hardly had a vintage season so far either – rack up in Belfast also having won their last two fixtures and yet look a more challenging looking prospect than Ulster’s recent scalps over the Scarlets and Dragons, these positive outcomes certainly not coming easy to the northern province and hardly suggesting that Richie Murphy’s squad are instilled with inner belief.
With Stormers sitting eighth but Ulster one place and point behind them, this has a reasonably seismic feel about it though there are plenty of other sides in the highly congested lower end of the table with more than a passing interest in elbowing their way into the play-off spots.
Have the Lions left Ireland in the lurch?
Having only one more home game after the Stormers – the Sharks are due next month – for Ulster’s run-in, there is even more urgency for the province to dig out a result on Friday evening.
There are some reasons for optimism. Robert Baloucoune plays for the first time this season and could bring some much-needed cutting edge while Stuart McCloskey’s 200th Ulster appearance ought to also bring something extra out of Murphy’s selection.
All told, there are five changes to the starting line-up from the one which came from behind to snatch the win at Rodney Parade.
Brive-bound John Cooney, who made a significant impact off the bench in Newport, starts at nine and links while Nathan Doak drops to the bench.
Veteran prop Andrew Warwick returns from injury while Kieran Treadwell, leaving at season’s end for Harlequins, packs down at lock and Matty Rea is selected at six.
David McCann moves from blindside flanker to number eight, James McNabney making way for bench duty where Tom Stewart also makes a return after an injury-disrupted season.
Ulster’s defence and discipline has recently been problematic, and any replication of these issues will surely be punished by a Stormers side coming off wins at the Bulls and Scarlets. The visitors have made changes too but still contain plenty of physicality, Evan Roos leading the charge here, along with finishing ability in Leolin Zas and Damian Willemse.
Wanting this more could just swing it Ulster’s way, though only if they find a new level of performance.
ULSTER: M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; J Murphy, J Cooney; A Warwick, R Herring, T O’Toole; A O’Connor (captain), K Treadwell; Matty Rea, N Timoney, D McCann. Replacements: T Stewart, C Reid, S Wilson, H Sheridan, J McNabney, N Doak, B Carson, Z Ward.
DHL STORMERS: D Willemse; B Loader, S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, L Zas; S Feinberg-Mngomezulu, D Duvenage; A Vermaak, J Dweba, N Fouche (captain); C Evans, R van Heerden; D Ewers, M Theunissen, E Roos. Replacements: A-H Venter, B Harris, S Sandi, G Porter, W Engelbrecht, P de Wet, J Matthee, W Simelane.
Referee: A Piardi (Italy)
