Ulster have to quickly put their disappointment at missing out on a Champions Cup quarter-final spot behind them as they venture to Italy to take on the GUINNESS PRO12’s bottom side Benetton Treviso.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, January 30
BENETTON TREVISO (12th) v ULSTER (6th), Stadio di Monigo, 6pm local time/5pm Irish time (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/TG4/Rai Sport)
Team News: Stuart Olding will make his first Ulster senior appearance in ten months when he lines out at inside centre for Saturday’s GUINNESS PRO12 clash with Benetton Treviso.
Olding, who suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury against Cardiff Blues last March, is one of seven changes to the side that defeated Oyonnax 56-3 in the Champions Cup last weekend.
Two Hughes Insurance Academy players, Lorcan Dow and Jacob Stockdale, are in line to make their competitive debuts for the province after being named on the replacements bench, continuing Les Kiss’ policy of giving opportunities to young players.
Rob Herring has been released from the Ireland RBS 6 Nations squad and will captain the side from hooker. Callum Black replaces Kyle McCall who suffered concussion last Saturday, at loosehead prop, while Ricky Lutton is retained at tighthead.
Franco van der Merwe, who signed a one-year contract extension earlier this week, will continue his second row partnership with Alan O’Connor.
Loose forwards Roger Wilson and Clive Ross are elevated to the starting line-up and will be joined in the back row by Sean Reidy. Nick Williams has aggravated an old groin injury and is unavailable this week.
The half-back berths will be occupied by Paul Marshall and Ian Humphreys, who has scored tries in his last two appearances for the Ulstermen.
The fit-again Olding will line out in midfield alongside Darren Cave, while the back-three will comprise of Craig Gilroy, Rory Scholes and full-back Louis Ludik.
Dow and Stockdale are joined in the matchday squad by fellow Academy player Dave Shanahan. John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Peter Browne and Luke Marshall are the other replacements.
Meanwhile, there are only six survivors in the Benetton Treviso team from last Saturday’s 28-5 loss to Munster in the final round of the Champions Cup pool stages.
Ludovico Nitoglia and Tommaso Iannone start on the right and left wings respectively, with New Zealander Sam Christie restored to the out-half position alongside Alberto Lucchese.
There are 10 players from Treviso included in Italy’s RBS 6 Nations squad, including hooker Davide Giazzon who was brought in today for the injured Leonardo Ghiraldini. Uncapped back rower Braam Steyn is also in the mix.
Steyn will be on the bench for his club’s round 13 date with Ulster, while front rowers Alberto de Marchi and Roberto Santamaria, locks Filo Paulo and Tom Palmer and back rowers Andrea de Marchi and Robert Barbieri are the new inclusions up front.
As well as their Italy-tied players, Treviso head coach Marius Goosen is missing the injured Duncan Naudè, Marco Barbini, Dean Budd, Chris Smylie, Luca Morisi and Angelo Esposito.
BENETTON TREVISO: Jayden Hayward; Ludovico Nitoglia, Enrico Bacchin, Alberto Sgarbi (capt), Tommaso Iannone; Sam Christie, Alberto Lucchese; Alberto de Marchi, Roberto Santamaria, Simone Ferrari, Filo Paulo, Tom Palmer, Andrea de Marchi, Marco Lazzaroni, Robert Barbieri.
Replacements: Luca Bigi, Cherif Traorè, Filippo Filippetto, Jeff Montauriol, Braam Steyn, James Ambrosini, Simone Ragusi, Andrea Pratichetti.
ULSTER: Louis Ludik; Rory Scholes, Darren Cave, Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy; Ian Humphreys, Paul Marshall; Callum Black, Rob Herring (capt), Ricky Lutton, Alan O’Connor, Franco van der Merwe, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Roger Wilson.
Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Peter Browne, Lorcan Dow, Dave Shanahan, Luke Marshall, Jacob Stockdale.
Referee: Ian Davies (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Giuseppe Vivarini, Simone Boaretto (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Benetton Treviso to win: 9/2; Draw: 30/1; Ulster to win: 1/6
Pre-Match Quotes: Les Kiss (Ulster) – “It is another tough six weeks for sure. All the teams in the top eight of the league will be really targeting this period. It is a tight competition and Glasgow have two games up their sleeve and a couple of other teams, ourselves included, have one up their sleeve. By the end of this period everything will have evened out and the true picture will be known.
If you are looking at 30 points (from this block of games) we have four at home during the period so we would want to make a more than positive return from them. I think that is something we can expect of ourselves and hopefully we can deliver.
“It is very tight (in terms of the league standings). Halfway through the six-week period you would be getting tetchy if you were not putting one or two wins together at least.
“If you drop one in three you are still in the hunt. Anything further than that you are falling by the wayside because others are starting to jump ahead. You have to try and get what you can in a real positive sense from them because you can position yourself into a nice place on the stretch home.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Benetton Treviso – Points: Jayden Hayward 94; Tries: Jayden Hayward 4; Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 36; Tries: Craig Gilroy 4
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, March 1, 2013 – Ulster 29 Benetton Treviso 29, Ravenhill
Friday, September 27, 2013 – Ulster 32 Benetton Treviso 13, Ravenhill
Sunday, February 23, 2014 – Benetton Treviso 12 Ulster 14, Stadio di Monigo
Sunday, January 11, 2015 – Benetton Treviso 20 Ulster 20, Stadio di Monigo
Friday, February 13, 2015 – Ulster 43 Benetton Treviso 3, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, October 2, 2015 – Ulster 48 Benetton Treviso 7, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Benetton Treviso have not won a game in any competition since beating Cardiff Blues at Stadio di Monigo last February, although they have picked up eight losing bonus points in that sequence
– The Italians have not beaten an Irish province since Connacht visited them in October 2013
– Ulster have won two of their last three away games in the GUINNESS PRO12, beating the Newport Gwent Dragons and Connacht and obtaining a losing bonus point against Leinster in the other
– Ulster’s only defeat to an Italian side since October 2011 was on a trip to Zebre in September 2014
– The two sides have met on 17 previous occasions in all competitions with Treviso’s solitary victory being 23-12 in Belfast in October 2011
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