Ulster centre James Hume will make his first start for the province since April having been named in the starting line-up for Friday’s friendly against Australian side Queensland Reds at Ravenhill.
The former Ireland international has spent just under ten months on the sidelines after undergoing surgery for an anterior cruciate ligament injury but will start in the midfield against the Super Rugby Pacific side.
There are also returns from hamstring problems for Ireland pair Stuart McCloskey, who partners Hume in the centre, and Jacob Stockdale as they look to stake a claim for an inclusion in the Ireland squad for the second half of their Six Nations campaign.
Head coach Richie Murphy has handed scrum-half Conor McKee his first start for the province, while there is also a first appearance for lock Matty Dalton since 2019 after the lock signed a one-year deal having impressed on trial.
After their embarrassing loss to Zebre Parma last time out, Murphy has largely gone with a strong side for the clash with the tourists, who are playing the second game of their two-match tour.
Fly-half Jake Flannery gets a position change as he is named at full-back in a back three that also contains Stockdale and Zac Ward, with Hume and McCloskey forming the midfield pairing and fly-half Aidan Morgan completing the back line with McKee at scrum-half.
Props Andrew Warwick and Corrie Barrett flank hooker Tom Stewart in the front row, with Alan O’Connor captaining the side from the second row where he partners Dalton, while Matty Rea, Lorcan McLoughlin and David McCann form the back row.
There are the potential for three Academy players to get game time from the bench, with Jacob Boyd, Tom Brigg and Wilhelm de Klerk all included.
Ulster: (15-9) J Flannery; Z Ward, J Hume, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; A Morgan, C McKee; (1-8) A Warwick, T Stewart, C Barrett; A O’Connor (captain), M Dalton; Matty Rea, L McLoughlin, D McCann.
Substitutes: J McCormick, E O’Sullivan, B O’Connor, H Sheridan, T Brigg, D Shanahan, J Humphreys, W de Klerk, J Boyd, R Crothers, M Lowry, B Carson, J Postlethwaite, S Moore, M McDonald, K Treadwell.
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