Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has made a bold selection call for Ulster’s must-win Champions Cup tie against Exeter Chiefs on Friday night by handing the reins to son Jack at fly-half for his first European start.
The 20-year-old, who only made his senior debut last month, has now been entrusted to lead the team in their final pool game at Ravenhill, replacing Aidan Morgan in the starting line-up after making his European debut off the bench against Leicester a week ago.
It is a significant show of faith from father Richie, who started Morgan in Ulster’s first ten games of the season but has now turned to the Academy prospect in a game that the province must win to keep their hopes alive.
Without a point in their first three pool games, which resulted in heavy losses to Toulouse, Bordeaux and the Tigers, Ulster know only a bonus-point win and a 56-point differential between their result and the Sharks’ in Bordeaux will send them into the last-16.
They have been given a boost in that regard, however, in that Exeter have very much signalled where their attentions lie by making 12 changes to the side that were beaten at home by Bordeaux last weekend, with Northern Irish scrum-half Niall Armstrong starting.
Only wingers Ben Hammersley and Paul Brown-Bampoe and tighthead prop Josh Iosefa-Scott are retained from that side, although there is still experience at Rob Baxter’s disposal as Wales internationals Joe Hawkins and Christ Tshiunza play, as does Italy number eight Ross Vintcent.
It is a significantly weakened line-up sent out by the Chiefs, though, with the likes of Henry Slade, Scott Sio, Dafydd Jenkins, Franco Molina and Ethan Roots all rested, and Ulster should fancy their chances of picking up a maximum return.
Murphy has also been aided not just by the return of both Rob Herring and Tom Stewart at hooker, the former starting and the latter benching, but Stewart Moore and Michael Lowry’s availability has solved a potential crisis in the back three.
With Ethan McIlroy limping off with a significant knee injury and Zac Ward sustaining an HIA both in last week’s 38-10 loss to Leicester, it seemed Ulster were down to the bare bones, but they have received help at just the right time.
In total, Murphy makes five changes to the starting line-up as Eric O’Sullivan, fresh off signing a new two-year deal with the province, is also elevated to the run-on team in place of Andy Warwick, with the tight five unchanged.
O’Sullivan joins Herring and Scott Wilson, the only front row survivor of the game at Welford Road, while captain Iain Henderson continues his partnership with Cormac Izuchukwu in the second row and recent Ireland development call-up James McNabney once again plays alongside Nick Timoney and David McCann in the back row.
Fly-half Murphy will have the experience of Nathan Doak alongside him at scrum-half, while there is no change to the centre pairing of Ben Carson and Jude Postlethwaite, with winger Werner Kok the only man to continue in the back three where Moore and Lowry round out the squad.
On the bench, there could be a first Ulster appearance in two years for Rob Lyttle, who departed the province at the end of the 2022/23 season and has since been playing for club side Banbridge but has re-joined the province on a short-term deal due to their back three crisis.
There is also a return to the line-up for Stewart and also for fly-half Jake Flannery, who could make his first appearance of the season following a period of injury struggles, while loosehead prop Callum Reid is recalled and is line for his first European cap as well.
Tighthead Corrie Barrett, lock Kieran Treadwell and flanker Harry Sheridan round out the forward replacements, while scrum-half John Cooney is also included among the substitutes.
Ulster: (15-9) S Moore; W Kok, B Carson, J Postlethwaite, M Lowry; J Murphy, N Doak; (1-8) E O’Sullivan, R Herring, S Wilson; I Henderson (c), C Izuchukwu; J McNabney, N Timoney, D McCann.
Subs: T Stewart, C Reid, C Barrett, K Treadwell, H Sheridan, J Cooney, J Flannery, R Lyttle.
Exeter Chiefs: (15-9) H Skinner; B Hammersley, J Hawkins, W Rigg, P Brown-Bampoe; W Haydon-Wood, N Armstrong; (1-8) W Goodrick-Clarke; J Innard (c), J Iosefa-Scott; R Tuima, C Tshiunza; M Moloney, R Capstick, R Vintcent.
Subs: M Norey, K Blose, J Roots, J Dunne, L Pearson, J Bailey, T Cairns, Z Wimbush.
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)