Ulster have struggled for results of late, winning just two of their last six GUINNESS PRO12 matches, so getting the better of fellow play-off chasers the Scarlets would give Les Kiss’ men a serious boost at the start of 2017.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, January 6
SCARLETS (4th) v ULSTER (6th), Parc y Scarlets, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/BBC 2 Wales)
Team News: Director of rugby Les Kiss has named the Ulster team to play the Scarlets in round 13 of the GUINNESS PRO12 at Parc y Scarlets tonight.
Ireland internationals Rory Best, Iain Henderson, Paddy Jackson and Luke Marshall return after missing last week’s interprovincial clash with Leinster at the RDS.
That quartet are among nine new faces in the province’s starting line-up, after a number of players were ruled out by injury earlier this week.
Best will start at hooker and will be joined in an all-new front row by props Callum Black and Ross Kane, who will make his second senior start.
Henderson will partner Kieran Treadwell in the second row, while Chris Henry is promoted from the bench to start in the back row alongside Clive Ross and Sean Reidy, who switches to number 8.
Louis Ludik and Jacob Stockdale come into the back-three where they are joined by captain Andrew Trimble. Marshall and Stuart McCloskey will line up together in midfield, with Paul Marshall and Jackson occupying the half-back positions.
Named among the replacements, Jonny Simpson will be hoping to earn his second cap after impressing off the bench against Leinster. John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Franco van der Merwe and Peter Browne will provide additional forward cover.
Elsewhere, scrum half Dave Shanahan (pictured below) could make his first senior appearance of the season if called upon. Brett Herron and Tommy Bowe complete the matchday squad.
Meanwhile, Scarlets head coach Wayne Pivac has made wholesale changes to the team that secured a 15-10 victory over Cardiff Blues.
A gruelling schedule, with three matches in eleven days, has taken its toll on the Scarlets with Pivac having to make eleven changes, including two positional switches. Having sat out the New Year’s Day clash with Cardiff, captain Ken Owens makes a return to lead the side and is joined in the front row by Rob Evans and Werner Kruger.
Lewis Rawlins moves to the blindside flank, making way for Tom Price to partner Jake Ball in the second row. James Davies returns from suspension with John Barclay remaining at number 8.
A new half-back pairing of Gareth Davies and Dan Jones sees the 20-year-old out-half make his first start of the season in the PRO12. Jonathan Davies and Hadleigh Parkes are reunited in the midfield, while Liam Williams makes a return to the side on the right wing with Johnny Mcnicholl given the nod at full-back. Steff Evans, who was named man-of-the-match last Sunday, retains his place on the left wing.
Nicky Thomas will make his PRO12 debut for the Scarlets if he comes off the replacements bench, while reserve scrum half Aled Davies is set to make his 100th regional appearance this evening.
SCARLETS: Johnny Mcnicholl; Liam Williams, Jonathan Davies, Hadleigh Parkes, Steff Evans; Dan Jones, Gareth Davies; Rob Evans, Ken Owens (capt), Werner Kruger, Jake Ball, Tom Price, Lewis Rawlins, James Davies, John Barclay.
Replacements: Ryan Elias, Wyn Jones, Nicky Thomas, Joshua Macleod, Will Boyde, Aled Davies, Aled Thomas, Steff Hughes.
ULSTER: Louis Ludik; Andrew Trimble (capt), Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall; Callum Black, Rory Best, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson, Clive Ross, Chris Henry, Sean Reidy.
Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Jonny Simpson, Franco van der Merwe, Peter Browne, Dave Shanahan, Brett Herron, Tommy Bowe.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Elia Rizzo (Italy), Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Television Match Official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Scarlets to win: 4/7; Draw: 17/1; Ulster to win: 6/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Luke Marshall (Ulster) – “Obviously that was a bad loss (to Leinster) last week and quite a few people have questioned our heart.
“There is no point lying down and saying, ‘that is fine’. We have to take it on the chin and use it as a motivating factor because we really have to win on Friday and win in Europe because we have no other choice at this stage.
“One of the things this season is that we have struggled to have consistency in our team with injuries and the international break. And if you are not getting the same team out every week, and especially if the back-line is not staying the same where most of the opportunities are created, it can have a knock-on effect and there can be more errors.
“We have maybe made more mistakes but, at the same time, there is individual responsibility and probably as a team and individuals we haven’t been as good as we should have been.
“I suppose we have been talked up quite a bit and, at the start of the season, maybe some of us believed too much that we were going to be the best and sometimes you need a reality check. We haven’t delivered as well as we should have done and hopefully we can rectify that and turn it round.
“To have two losses in a row in the league going into Europe would be pretty tough. We’re still in with a chance of qualifying in Europe, so a win on Friday and two wins in Europe and the season is still looking all right.”
Wayne Pivac (Scarlets) – “Ulster are a good side. We expect a big game. If you look at the points table – ourselves, Glasgow and Ulster are probably at the moment fighting it out for the fourth position, unless there’s a change in form.
“It’s a massive game in the context of that push for top four – both teams will want a result from this one definitely. Our next two games in the PRO12 are Ulster and Glasgow, teams sitting in fourth, fifth and sixth all within a couple of points of each other.
“This game on Friday is a big match and so is the Glasgow one in terms of our campaign. The home games are vital and Friday is the first focus.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Scarlets – Points: Rhys Patchell 91; Tries: Jonathan Evans, Steff Evans 5 each; Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 57; Tries: Robert Lyttle, Charles Piutau 3 each
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Scarlets – Played 12, Won 8, Lost 4, 36 Points; L 23-13 v Munster (home), L 20-9 v Edinburgh (away), L 19-8 v Ulster (away), W 17-8 v Connacht (home), W 22-6 v Benetton Treviso (away), W 31-27 v Newport Gwent Dragons (home), W 26-15 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 27-3 v Glasgow Warriors (home), W 38-29 v Leinster (home), W 31-24 v Zebre (away), L 19-9 v Ospreys (away), W 15-10 v Cardiff Blues (home); Ulster – Played 11, Won 7, Lost 4, 32 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), L 28-17 v Edinburgh (away), W 35-22 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 23-7 v Connacht (home), L 22-7 v Leinster (away)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, March 14, 2014 – Ulster 26 Scarlets 13, Ravenhill
Saturday, September 6, 2014 – Scarlets 32 Ulster 32, Parc y Scarlets
Friday, February 27, 2015 – Ulster 25 Scarlets 20, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, September 12, 2015 – Scarlets 12 Ulster 22, Parc y Scarlets
Sunday, February 21, 2016 – Ulster 20 Scarlets 21, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, September 16, 2016 – Ulster 19 Scarlets 8, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– The Scarlets have been defeated just once in the last nine rounds of GUINNESS PRO12 play: 19-9 away to the Ospreys on December 27
– The Welshmen have won their last eight matches at Parc y Scarlets in all competitions since Munster beat them there in the opening round of this season’s PRO12
– Ulster have gained just two victories in their last six PRO12 encounters: in Cardiff in round 10 and at home to Connacht in round 11, the victory over Blues being their only one on the road in any competition since September
– Ulster won 19-8 when the two sides met in Belfast in round 3 and have not achieved a season’s double over Scarlets since they won all three encounters that were played in 2012/13, coinciding with their most recent victory at Parc y Scarlets in December 2012
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