Ulster Welcome Back Pienaar And Tuohy
Ruan Pienaar and Dan Tuohy have recovered from injury and have been named in the Ulster team to face the Scarlets in the European Champions Cup at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
It will be Ruan Pienaar’s first appearance of the season, while Dan Tuohy returns having suffered a broken arm against Cardiff Blues in September.
In total, Ulster head coach Neil Doak has made four changes to the side that lost narrowly to Munster in Limerick, with Ireland internationals Tommy Bowe and Robbie Diack also returning to the starting line-up.
The front row remains unchanged with Callum Black and Wiehahn Herbst starting either side of hooker and captain Rory Best.
Tuohy (pictured below) returns alongside Franco van der Merwe in the second row and Roger Wilson, who will make his 40th European appearance for Ulster, is selected at openside flanker. Nick Williams continues at number 8 and Diack comes in on the blindside.
In the backs, Pienaar and Ian Humphreys start together at half-back for the first time since Ulster’s Heineken Cup quarter-final win over Munster in 2012, while Stuart Olding moves from full-back to inside centre to feature alongside Darren Cave.
Craig Gilroy starts on the left wing with his Ireland colleague Bowe on the right, while Louis Ludik begins the game at full-back.
Forwards Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Declan Fitzpatrick, Alan O’Connor and Clive Ross join backs Paul Marshall, Stuart McCloskey and Michael Allen on the replacements bench.
Tickets for this BT Sport 2-televised fixture are still available. It is recommended that you buy in advance making use of the print at home function, meaning you will not have to queue at the match.
To buy a ticket, please click here. Tickets for limited areas of the ground will be available from the ticket booth on Onslow Parade from 6pm on Saturday evening, starting at £25 per adult and £15 for a child.
ULSTER (v Scarlets): Louis Ludik; Tommy Bowe, Darren Cave, Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy; Ian Humphreys, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rory Best (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Robbie Diack, Roger Wilson, Nick Williams.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Declan Fitzpatrick, Alan O’Connor, Clive Ross, Paul Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Michael Allen.