Ulster will get the chance to unleash the international trio of James Hume, Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale on the Queensland Reds after their recovery from injuries.
The three backs have all been out for varying degrees of time due to injury but will all feature against their Australian tourists at Ravenhill on Friday night.
It is particularly exciting in the case of Hume, who has been sidelined since April after undergoing surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury sustained against Cardiff at the end of last season.
The 26-year-old has been a mainstay in Ulster’s midfield when fit and will be eyeing a return to the Ireland jersey by proving his fitness having won the last of his three caps three years ago.
Fellow centre McCloskey and winger Stockdale will also be eyeing Ireland recalls, perhaps in the even shorter term, after their respective recoveries from hamstring injuries.
Jacob Stockdale was injured during the Autumn Internationals
McCloskey, who has been a consistent selection on the Ireland panel, hasn’t played since December’s defeat to Munster when he picked up his injury, while Stockdale has been out since November with the same problem sustained on international duty.
That should encourage both, though, that they could come back into Simon Easterby’s thoughts for the latter half of the Six Nations should they show promising signs both against the Reds and Benetton on their return to United Rugby Championship action.
There is some disappointment, however, as it has been confirmed that winger Ethan McIlroy has gone under the knife having had surgery on a torn anterior cruciate ligament of his own that he picked up against Leicester Tigers last month.
The 24-year-old has had no luck with injuries, this following after a lengthy spell out due to a facial injury, and the former Methodist College star looks likely to miss most of the rest of the year due to the long recovery required.
Fellow winger Werner Kok is also absent this week due to a wrist injury.
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