Ulster fell from first to fifth place last week such is the congested nature of the top half of the GUINNESS PRO12 table. Round 8 sees Les Kiss’ men looking to make it four wins in five encounters with Scottish opposition.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, November 4
EDINBURGH (8th) v ULSTER (5th), BT Murrayfield, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/BBC ALBA)
Team News: Director of rugby Les Kiss has named Ulster’s team for their GUINNESS PRO12 tussle with Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield.
Brett Herron, Robert Lyttle and Sam Windsor come in to start in the back-line, with Peter Browne and Clive Ross joining the pack for the crucial clash with the Scottish side, currently in eighth place in the PRO12 table.
Hughes Insurance Academy player Aaron Cairns could make his senior debut for the province after being named among the replacements.
The front five is unchanged from the one that faced Munster last weekend, Callum Black, Rob Herring and Wiehahn Herbst occupying the front row spots and Dan Tuohy and Franco van der Merwe continuing in the second row.
Browne will start in the number 6 jersey for the first time, with Ross named as the other flanker. Sean Reidy, who signed a three-year contract extension earlier this week, will pack down at number 8.
Ruan Pienaar and Herron are selected in the half-back positions, while Ballynahinch clubman Windsor will earn his third cap when he lines out in midfield alongside Luke Marshall.
Lyttle, a try-scoring replacement against Munster, will be joined in the back-three by experienced internationals Tommy Bowe and Charles Piutau.
Cairns is added to the panel following impressive displays for ‘Hinch in the Ulster Bank League, while the 24-year-old Ireland Sevens international has also collected two man-of-the-match awards for Ulster ‘A’ already this season.
John Andrew, Kyle McCall, Andrew Warwick, Conor Joyce and Paul Marshall remain on the bench, and Robbie Diack and Jacob Stockdale, who was a late withdrawal from the squad last week, complete the matchday 23.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh’s acting head coach Duncan Hodge has refreshed the front row and made two alterations in the back five, following last week’s disappointing 19-14 home defeat to Zebre.
Neil Cochrane is named as captain and starts at hooker, with young props Jack Cosgrove and Murray McCallum joining him in the front row. With Grant Gilchrist and John Hardie retained by the Scotland squad, Fraser McKenzie and Jamie Ritchie will start in the second row and back row respectively.
Scotland international Duncan Weir is named as a replacement after recovering from a fractured jaw sustained against Munster in round 4 of the competition, with newly-signed prop Kyle Whyte set to debut if called upon from the bench.
An unchanged back-line sees Blair Kinghorn, Damien Hoyland and Tom Brown form the back-three, with Chris Dean and Phil Burleigh in midfield. Sean Kennedy and Jason Tovey continue as the half-back pairing.
Ben Toolis joins McKenzie in the engine room, while Viliame Mata and last week’s man-of-the-match, Magnus Bradbury, are named in the back row alongside the incoming Ritchie.
EDINBURGH: Blair Kinghorn; Damien Hoyland, Chris Dean, Phil Burleigh, Tom Brown; Jason Tovey, Sean Kennedy; Jack Cosgrove, Neil Cochrane (capt), Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Ben Toolis, Viliame Mata, Jamie Ritchie, Magnus Bradbury.
Replacements: Stuart McInally, Kyle Whyte, Felipe Arregui, Lewis Carmichael, Cornell du Preez, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Duncan Weir, Michael Allen.
ULSTER: Charles Piutau; Tommy Bowe, Luke Marshall, Sam Windsor, Robert Lyttle, Brett Herron, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rob Herring (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Peter Browne, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy.
Replacements: John Andrew, Kyle McCall, Andrew Warwick, Robbie Diack, Conor Joyce, Paul Marshall, Aaron Cairns, Jacob Stockdale.
Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)
Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips (Ireland), Lloyd Linton (Scotland)
Television Match Official: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Edinburgh to win: 9/5; Draw: 22/1; Ulster to win: 1/2
Pre-Match Quotes: Les Kiss (Ulster) – “We’re getting to the point where we’re leading games and we get to a scoreline where, if we’re just a little bit more clinical and we take our time a bit and we’re a little bit more exact in our execution, then we can stretch that scoreline.
“That’s when you put scoreboard pressure on – but we’re just keeping the opposition in the game a little bit too much. 14-5 at half-time (against Munster) for example, a couple of offload errors gives them the chance to get up the pitch and if we kept the pressure on we could have forced a penalty, 17-0, totally different scoreboard pressure.
“I go back…if Andy Warwick scores that try against Bordeaux just before half-time, we’re out by two or two-and-a-half scores. If Franco (van der Merwe) scores a try the other night then we’re out again against Exeter and that makes it an easier game. It’s moments like that where we’re letting ourselves down.
“That’s where we aren’t making the opposition feel the heat enough. We’ve gotta put the torch on their belly a little bit more up that end, that patience and risk control. Not to the point where we regress our game but where we put the right pressure on, and deliver the blow.
“You watch the (Edinburgh) game against Zebre, they showed a lot more than the scoreline showed so we have to be on our guard there. But it’s a great opportunity to gap the market in the table. If we get our job done then it puts pressure on the other teams.
“Munster play the Ospreys, and there are a couple of other teams that play each other so it’s an important game in that we can, at the start of the international break, establish ourselves in the top four again.”
Duncan Hodge (Edinburgh) – “As a group we were very disappointed with the result and performance last week (a 19-14 defeat to Zebre) and we see Friday’s game as an opportunity to bounce back and make amends.
“We’ve taken the result on the chin, learned from the experience and worked hard in training to put things right ahead of this game.
“We know we’re facing a quality Ulster side packed with good players but we’re looking forward to running out in front of our home crowd and soaking up the challenge ahead.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Edinburgh – Points: Duncan Weir 28; Tries: Magnus Bradbury, Michael Allen 3 each; Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 44; Tries: Robert Lyttle 3
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Edinburgh – Played 7, W 2, L 5, 10 Points; L 34-16 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 20-9 v Scarlets (home), L 33-20 v Leinster (home), L 28-14 v Munster (away), L 28-15 v Connacht (away), W 45-10 v Benetton Treviso (home), L 19-14 v Zebre (home); Ulster – Played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, 23 Points; W 29-8 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), W 22-11 v Benetton Treviso (away), W 19-8 v Scarlets (home), W 22-17 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 9-7 v Ospreys (home), L 30-25 v Connacht (away), L 15-14 v Munster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, November 22, 2013 – Ulster 41 Edinburgh 17, Ravenhill
Friday, March 21, 2014 – Edinburgh 3 Ulster 9, Murrayfield
Friday, October 3, 2014 – Ulster 30 Edinburgh 0, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, February 20, 2015 – Edinburgh 17 Ulster 20, BT Murrayfield
Friday, October 16, 2015 – Edinburgh 16 Ulster 10, BT Murrayfield
Friday, December 4, 2015 – Ulster 14 Edinburgh 7, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Edinburgh’s only win in the last five rounds of GUINNESS PRO12 play was 45-10 at home to Benetton Treviso on October 7
– The Scotsmen’s record in their last eight matches at Murrayfield in all competitions is an even won four, lost four, while they have not beaten an Irish province anywhere since October 2015
– Ulster began their 2016/17 PRO12 campaign with victories in the first five rounds but have now tripped up to provincial rivals Connacht and Munster in rounds 6 and 7
– The Ulstermen have won three of their last four encounters with Scottish opponents
– Ulster have lost just one of their last six matches against Edinburgh: 16-10 at Murrayfield in this equivalent fixture in round 4 last season
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