Ulster have welcomed back four of their Ireland Six Nations squad members for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship (URC) game against Ospreys, but forward Cormac Izuchukwu is ruled out after sustaining a concussion in training this week.
The second row, who made his Six Nations debut for Ireland against Italy in Dublin earlier this month, is following World Rugby Graduated Return to Play Protocols and it is unclear if he will be available for the Test team’s game against Wales next week.
Backs Nathan Doak and Jude Postlethwaite, plus forwards Tom Stewart and Bryn Ward, are all named in head coach Richie Murphy’s starting side for the visit to Wales (19:45 GMT kick-off).
Michael Lowry is selected at full-back, with Werner Kok and Zac Ward on the wings and James Hume and Postlethwaite in midfield.
Jack Murphy and Doak form the half-back partnership, with Eric O’Sullivan, Stewart and Scott Wilson in the front row.
Iain Henderson and Charlie Irvine combine in the second row, with Matthew Dalton, David McCann and Bryn Ward in the back row.
Conor McKee, Jake Flannery and Ben Carson offer the backs options on the replacements’ bench, with Rob Herring, Angus Bell, Bryan O’Connor and Harry Sheridan the forward substitutes.
Ulster have won seven of their 10 games to date in the URC and lie eight points adrift of leaders Glasgow Warriors before the weekend’s action commences, with a rearranged match against Edinburgh in hand.
Their opponents this weekend, Ospreys, sit ninth in the standings, 11 points worse off than Richie Murphy’s side.
Ulster: Lowry; Kok, Hume, Postlethwaite, Z Ward; Murphy, Doak; O’Sullivan, Stewart, Wilson; Henderson, Irvine; Dalton, McCann, B Ward.
Replacements: Herring, Bell, O’Connor, Sheridan, Rea, McKee, Flannery, Carson.
