The result of Saturday’s eagerly-awaited interprovincial clash could prove crucial in deciding who has home advantage in the GUINNESS PRO12 play-offs. Will it be business as usual for Ulster in Belfast, or can Munster take a step closer to a top two finish?
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, May 9
ULSTER (3rd) v MUNSTER (2nd), Kingspan Stadium, 2.40pm (live Sky Sports 1 HD//BBC Radio Ulster/RTÉ Radio 1)
Team News: Roger Wilson will become Ulster’s most-capped PRO12 player when he lines out for the province against Munster at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Wilson will play his 132nd game in the GUINNESS PRO12 and takes over from Paddy Wallace as the Ulster player to have made the most league appearances.
The 33-year-old will start at number 8 for the game which is sold out and which will see Ulster aim to complete the regular PRO12 season unbeaten at home.
The team sees just one change to the side that defeated Leinster in Belfast a fortnight ago. Winger Craig Gilroy picked up a hamstring strain in training this week and is replaced on the left wing by Peter Nelson.
Louis Ludik and Tommy Bowe join him in the back-three, with Jared Payne and Darren Cave continuing together in the centre. Paddy Jackson and Ruan Pienaar will both play their 15th games of the season when they line out alongside each other at half-back.
Up front, the pack is unchanged, with Callum Black and Wiehahn Herbst starting either side of captain Rory Best in the front row. Dan Tuohy will represent Ulster for the 90th time in the PRO12 when he starts alongside Franco van der Merwe in the second row.
The man-of-the-match from the Leinster game, Iain Henderson, is selected at blindside flanker, Chris Henry continues at openside with record breaker Wilson at the base of the scrum.
Forwards Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Robbie Diack and Clive Ross join backs Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys and Stuart McCloskey, the BT Ulster Young Player of the Year, on the replacements bench.
Meanwhile, Munster boss Anthony Foley has made three changes to his starting line-up as they look to stay ahead of their provincial rivals in the league standings.
As expected, one of those changes sees Paul O’Connell return for the penultimate round as he partners Donnacha Ryan in the second row, with the Tipperary lock making his second start of the season.
It is also the first time that O’Connell and Ryan have started in the second row together since the province’s away Heineken Cup clash with Perpignan in December 2013.
The second change to the forwards sees hooker Eusebio Guinazu trading places with Duncan Casey this week, as the Argentinian international packs down in the front row with Dave Kilcoyne and Stephen Archer. The unchanged back row of captain Peter O’Mahony, Tommy O’Donnell and CJ Stander completes the pack.
Denis Hurley is the only new inclusion in the back-line as he rejoins Andrew Smith in the centre with Simon Zebo, Keith Earls and Felix Jones continuing as the starting back-three.
Finally, with the half-back pairing of Conor Murray and Ian Keatley remaining in place, Keatley will make his 99th appearance for the province on Saturday.
ULSTER: Louis Ludik; Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne, Darren Cave, Peter Nelson; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rory Best (capt), Wiehahn Herbst, Dan Tuohy, Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Chris Henry, Roger Wilson.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Andrew Warwick, Bronson Ross, Robbie Diack, Clive Ross, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Stuart McCloskey.
MUNSTER: Felix Jones; Keith Earls, Andrew Smith, Denis Hurley, Simon Zebo; Ian Keatley, Conor Murray; Dave Kilcoyne, Eusebio Guinazu, Stephen Archer, Donnacha Ryan, Paul O’Connell, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Tommy O’Donnell, CJ Stander.
Replacements: Duncan Casey, John Ryan, BJ Botha, Billy Holland, Jack O’Donoghue, Duncan Williams, JJ Hanrahan, Ronan O’Mahony.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Dudley Phillips, Nigel Correll (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Kevin Beggs (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 4/7; Draw: 18/1; Munster to win: 11/8
Pre-Match Quotes: Jared Payne (Ulster) – “Every game at Kingspan Stadium we get the fans out and rain, hail or shine they make a lot of noise. The support that we get is incredible and it’s unparalleled.
“You can’t explain how much of a lift it gives you. It is definitely good to have the 16th man behind you making plenty of noise. It encourages you do that little bit more if you need that little bit of a push.
“I think in the last few weeks, since I have been back from the Six Nations, the way Paddy (Jackson) has run the back-line has been unbelievable. I think if you look back at the Connacht game, he directly influenced at least three of the tries – picking and choosing when to change direction, when to kick and when to attack.
“No one can question how well he can pass the ball and as he showed against Leinster, he is slowly developing a powerful running game. He is definitely going to be a world class out-half in the next year or two.
“We have talked about learning from finals and results in recent seasons, but you can’t learn forever, you have to finally put it out there on the pitch. We want to win silverware. After we got knocked out of the Champions Cup we set out our stall to win the PRO12.
“It would be massive for the team and for the supporters to prove that we can go out there and win something. A play-off and a final at home would be huge – we don’t want to be the nearly men, we want to show that we can do it.”
Conor Murray (Munster) – “You’re going into a big game that’s going to come down to fine margins and it will be high quality. It does put pressure on you, because in other games when you’re coming up against an inferior opposition or whatever, you might get away with a few mistakes but this weekend I don’t think you will. It’s going to be a high quality game.
“Ruan (Pienaar) would have been a player, just a top class player, playing for South Africa and a really good nine that you admire and you appreciate. I wouldn’t say I studied him much but he’s just a really good, top quality player. I’ve admired him for a long time and it would be nice to get one up on him.
“Outside him Paddy (Jackson) has had a tough run of luck with injuries over this season and I think he’s just bounced back really well and showed what a quality player he is. I know him well from being in Irish camp and I know he’s a quality out-half and it will be a big week for Ian (Keatley) and Paddy going against each other.
“You’re beginning to see the type of player Paddy is. He seems to be at that stage where he’s controlling things really nicely with Ruan. So it’s a big weekend, hopefully, for me and Ian, another big challenge and a big game, which is something we get excited about and look forward to.”
Top Scorers – 2014/15 GUINNESS PRO12: Ulster – Points: Ruan Pienaar 93; Tries: Craig Gilroy 11; Munster – Points: Ian Keatley 142; Tries: CJ Stander, Simon Zebo 8 each
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Saturday, May 5, 2012 – Munster 36 Ulster 8, Thomond Park
Friday, September 14, 2012 – Ulster 20 Munster 19, Ravenhill
Saturday, December 29, 2012 – Munster 24 Ulster 10, Thomond Park
Friday, January 3, 2014 – Ulster 29 Munster 19, Ravenhill
Saturday, May 10, 2014 – Munster 17 Ulster 19, Thomond Park
Friday, November 28, 2014 – Munster 21 Ulster 20, Thomond Park
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster are the best home side in the GUINNESS PRO12 having won all ten games in Belfast and tallied up 44 league points in the process
– Ulster’s only defeat in the last eight rounds of PRO12 rugby came on a trip to the Newport Gwent
Dragons on March 8
– Munster have also suffered just one defeat in their last eight PRO12 encounters: 26-12 at the Ospreys in round 17
– The Munstermen are the league’s best away team having picked up 30 league points on the road
this season
– Munster’s only defeat to a fellow Irish province this season came when they visited Connacht on New Year’s Day
– Munster were 21-20 victors when the two sides met in Limerick in round 9, and have not achieved a season’s double over the Ulstermen since the 2010/11 season, which was also the only occasion the Munstermen have been victorious in Belfast since 2007
– This game will also see the Hawk-Eye system in operation again, as part of trials with Sky Sports and World Rugby
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