Ulster head coach Richie Murphy has shuffled his pack and handed three first starts – including one full debut – in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash with the Vodacom Bulls at Loftus Versfeld Stadium (3pm NI time).
Academy second row Charlie Irvine will make his first appearance for the province having been named in the pack, while hooker James McCormick and centre Ben Carson have also been named in the run-on team for the first time.
There is the potential for another two debuts off the bench as well, with short-term medical cover signing Tadhg McElroy and Academy fly-half James Humphreys among the replacements.
The trio are three of ten changes to the team that lost to the Emirates Lions a week ago as Murphy rotates his panel for the second game of their South African double-header.
Irvine is partnered by captain Iain Henderson in the engine room as they replace Alan O’Connor and Kieran Treadwell, with McCormick coming in for John Andrew at hooker and Carson replacing Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey, who suffered right knee and ankle injuries against the Lions, for only his second provincial appearance.
There are also recalls for Mike Lowry, Nathan Doak, Andrew Warwick, Corrie Barrett, James McNabney and David McCann, with the coaching staff clearly keen to keep their panel fresh.
Lowry comes in for Ethan McIlroy in a back three that also contains Werner Kok and Jacob Stockdale, with Stewart Moore partnering Carson in the midfield and fly-half Aidan Morgan continuing alongside Doak in the half-back pairing.
Openside flanker Sean Reffell is the only player to retain his jersey in the pack as the front row and second row are entirely changed, with Warwick and Barrett taking the loosehead and tighthead jerseys respectively, with McNabney at blindside flanker and McCann packing down at number eight.
Hooker McElroy and fly-half Humphreys will hope they get their first taste of Ulster action off the bench, where they are joined by a strong bench that includes Ireland internationals Tom O’Toole and Nick Timoney, with Eric O’Sullivan, Alan O’Connor and Dave Shanahan also named.
There is also the potential for a first involvement in an Ulster matchday squad for Ben Moxham in ten months as he completes the bench, the utility back recovered after suffering an ACL tear in their game against Edinburgh in December 2023.
Meanwhile, the Bulls are fully loaded and have named all eight of their Springbok internationals in their matchday squad, although former Ulster back row Marcell Coetzee has been omitted from the team.
Ulster: (15-9) M Lowry; W Kok, S Moore, B Carson, J Stockdale; A Morgan, N Doak; (1-8) A Warwick, J McCormick, C Barrett; I Henderson (captain), C Irvine; J McNabney, S Reffell, D McCann.
Replacements: T McElroy, E O’Sullivan, T O’Toole, A O’Connor, N Timoney, D Shanahan, J Humphreys, B Moxham.
Bulls: (15-9) W le Roux; S de Klerk, C Moodie, D Kriel, K-L Arendse; B Chamberlain, E Papier; (1-8) G Steenekamp, J Grobbelaar, W Louw; C Wiese, R Nortje (captain); M van Staden, E Louw, C Hanekom.
Replacements: A van der Merwe, J-H Wessels, F Klopper, S Manjezi, C Gumede, K Johannes, S Gans, A Dyantyi.