Ulster have recalled their Ireland contingent for Saturday’s Champions Cup clash with Bordeaux Bègles, while Ireland Sevens star Zac Ward is in line for his first start for the province at Ravenhill (3:15pm).
Having started on the bench in last week’s defeat to Toulouse, all four of Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, captain Iain Henderson and Cormac Izuchukwu have been promoted to the starting line-up for their second pool game.
But there will be excitement around the inclusion of Ward, the Sevens specialist who is still only on trial with Ulster but who comes in for the injured Stewart Moore for his first competitive appearance having recovered from injury on ‘A’ duty himself.
An injury crisis in the back three for the province – with Robert Baloucoune, Ethan McIlroy, Ben Moxham and Jacob Stockdale all out – means it will be a baptism of fire for the Ballynahinch man, who will have the unenviable job of playing opposite lethal French winger Damian Penaud on his debut.
After handing out first European starts to four players a week ago, head coach Richie Murphy has gone one step further by handing out two full debuts as Academy winger Rory Telfer is also included on the bench and could make his first competitive appearance if called upon.
It is a much-changed side that Murphy sends out compared to the one that shipped a record European defeat in the professional era at the Stade Ernest-Wallon a week ago, with only five players from that starting line-up surviving to this week, with the pack entirely changed.
Nathan Doak and Aidan Morgan continue their partnership at half-backs, inside centre Stuart McCloskey brings Ulster’s international contingent to five and Mike Lowry and Werner Kok continue in the back three.
The back line re-shuffle means Lowry switches from wing to full-back to accommodate Ward’s inclusion on the wing, with Jude Postlethwaite coming into the starting line-up at outside centre with Ben Carson out due to injury.
Despite heaping praise on the performance of the scrum in Toulouse, the entire tight five has been altered by Murphy, with Herring and O’Toole joined in the front row by loosehead Eric O’Sullivan and skipper Henderson partnered by Kieran Treadwell in the engine room.
The back row is also completely changed as Izuchuwku and Timoney are form two-thirds of the trio, with David McCann rounding out the starting line-up at number eight.
Potential debutant Telfer is joined in the replacements by another potential European debutant in fly-half James Humphreys, son of David, only adding to the inexperience in the Ulster line-up.
John, Andrew Warwick and Scott Wilson form the front row replacements with Harry Sheridan and Marcus Rea the loose forward options and scrum-half Dave Shanahan completing the team.
Ulster: (15-9) M Lowry; W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, Z Ward; A Morgan, N Doak; (1-8) E O’Sullivan, R Herring, T O’Toole; I Henderson (captain), K Treadwell; C Izuchukwu, N Timoney, D McCann.
Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick, S Wilson, H Sheridan, Marcus Rea, D Shanahan, J Humphreys, R Telfer.
Bordeaux Bègles: (15-9) L Bielle-Biarrey; D Penaud, N Depoortere, Y Moefana, A Retiere; J Carbery, M Lucu; (1-8) J Poirot (captain), R Laterrade, C Sadie; G Petti, J Gray; M Gazzotti, L Swinton, T Tatafu.
Replacements: M Lamothe, U Boniface, B Tameifuna, A Coleman, A Ricard, B Vergnes-Tallefier, B Tapuai, M Garcia.
Referee: Matthew Carley (England)