Ulster have three new faces in their starting line-up and another one on the bench as they welcome the Newport Gwent Dragons to Belfast on the opening night of the 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12 season.
GUINNESS PRO12: Friday, September 2
ULSTER v NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS, Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland)
Team News: Ulster director of rugby Les Kiss has selected his team for Friday’s GUINNESS PRO12 round 1 clash with the Newport Gwent Dragons at Kingspan Stadium.
Tickets for Ulster v Dragons are on sale now from ulsterrugby.com/buytickets from just £17 for adults and £12 for children. You can also pay on the gate from 6pm on Friday evening.
Ulster Rugby Season tickets, which include all 14 competitive home games, plus a host of other benefits, are also still available via ulsterrugby.com/seasontickets.
Hughes Insurance Academy prop Ross Kane, Charles Piutau and Brett Herron are in line to make their competitive debuts for the province, while Ireland internationals Craig Gilroy, Stuart Olding and Sean Reidy return to the team for the first time this season.
Rodney Ah You is unavailable for selection having suffered delayed onset concussive symptoms following last Friday’s 29-19 win over Northampton Saints and he will now follow the concussion return-to-play protocols. With fellow tighthead props Wiehahn Herbst, Ricky Lutton and Jonny Simpson also injured, Kane has been elevated into a starting position.
The 21-year-old will be joined in in the front row by Callum Black and Rob Herring, who will again skipper the side from hooker. Peter Browne and Franco van der Merwe will continue their combination in the second row.
Reidy’s inclusion at openside flanker leads to a reshuffle in the back row, with Clive Ross moving to blindside and Roger Wilson continuing at number 8.
Herron (pictured below) will partner Ruan Pienaar at half back, while Stuart McCloskey and Olding will form an exciting midfield partnership. Piutau, Gilroy and Ireland Under-20 star Jacob Stockdale will occupy the back-three positions. Louis Ludik was unavailable for selection because of a hand injury picked up against Northampton.
Meanwhile, the Dragons go into this league opener after playing three difficult pre-season friendlies – they beat Cardiff Blues 38-28 before losing to both Ealing Trailfinders (41-21) and Exeter Chiefs (32-16).
Once again Carl Meyer is selected at full-back alongside wingers Adam Warren and Pat Howard. The centre partnership also remains unchanged with newcomer Sam Beard getting the nod alongside Jack Dixon. The half-backs also stay the same as Nick Macleod and Sarel Pretorius retain their positions.
The front row sees newcomers Sam Hobbs and Craig Mitchell come in to play alongside hooker Rhys Thomas. The second row sees a mixture of youth and experience as Cory Hill joins forces with Rynard Landman, while the back row consists of flankers Ollie Griffiths and Nic Cudd and number 8 Ed Jackson.
The replacements bench sees the return of skipper Lewis Evans and Wales international Tyler Morgan. They join Rhys Buckley, Tom Davies, Lloyd Fairbrother, Nick Crosswell, Charlie Davies and Angus O’Brien.
ULSTER: Charles Piutau; Craig Gilroy, Stuart Olding, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Brett Herron, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rob Herring (capt), Ross Kane, Peter Browne, Franco van der Merwe, Clive Ross, Sean Reidy, Roger Wilson.
Replacements: John Andrew, Kyle McCall, Andrew Warwick, Alan O’Connor, Robbie Diack, Paul Marshall, Sam Windsor, Robert Lyttle.
NEWPORT GWENT DRAGONS: Carl Meyer; Adam Warren, Sam Beard, Jack Dixon, Pat Howard; Nick Macleod, Sarel Pretorius; Sam Hobbs, Rhys Thomas (capt), Craig Mitchell, Cory Hill, Rynard Landman, Ollie Griffiths, Nic Cudd, Ed Jackson.
Replacements: Rhys Buckley, Tom Davies, Lloyd Fairbrother, Nick Crosswell, Lewis Evans, Charlie Davies, Angus O’Brien, Tyler Morgan.
Referee: Marius Mitrea (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Matteo Liperini (Italy), Helen O’Reilly (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Stefano Penne (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 1/10; Draw: 25/1; Newport Gwent Dragons to win: 6/1
Pre-Match Quotes: Les Kiss (Ulster) – “It’s nice to have a clean slate but it doesn’t guarantee you anything. It looks good when I put the Xs and Os on the wall but it comes down to 80 minutes against the Dragons who will be loaded because every team is a contender at the beginning of the year.
“We’ll meet them and Treviso and everyone is saying, ‘what a great start’. I’ve seen great starts go pear-shaped pretty quickly. We have to make sure we’ve armed against that.
“There’s been a lot of promising things (in pre-season). For us, we wanted to challenge the group in the last seven or eight weeks and (dealing without the international players) was one of the ways we wanted to do that.
“We’re battling on a lot of fronts with the PRO12, Europe and the international season. To have the return we have had without the internationals, with four key guys injured (too), the response to that was excellent.
“I’ve taken a lot from it, I’m very pleased but we’re guarded. The Dragons, with Kingsley Jones, there’ll be a lot of enthusiasm there. If we go in under the top level that we need to be at, then we’ll find ourselves in a scrap.”
Ollie Griffiths (Newport Gwent Dragons) – “My first game for the Dragons was Ulster away. Ulster always have a good crowd and are a strong team with a lot to offer so it will be a challenge, but the Exeter game should stand us in good stead, especially the first 50 minutes.
“Exeter are one of the best teams we will come up against all season so sharpen up a few things and we will be in with a good shout.
“I don’t mind whether it’s 6 or 7 (that I play) as long as I am out there on the park. As soon as I started getting a run of games together last season I did my hamstring so it’s just good being back out there with the boys.
“I like getting my hands on the ball and carrying, so a fast game suits me. We’ve had a good exciting style of play in pre-season and I hope that we can continue that into the season and build on it.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 144; Tries: Craig Gilroy 10; Newport Gwent Dragons – Points: Jason Tovey 87; Tries: Hallam Amos 7
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, September 6, 2013 – Newport Gwent Dragons 15 Ulster 8, Rodney Parade
Friday, February 28, 2014 – Ulster 38 Newport Gwent Dragons 8, Ravenhill
Saturday, November 1, 2014 – Ulster 23 Newport Gwent Dragons 6, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, March 8, 2015 – Newport Gwent Dragons 26 Ulster 22, Rodney Parade
Sunday, November 8, 2015 – Newport Gwent Dragons 12 Ulster 19, Rodney Parade
Friday, February 5, 2016 – Ulster 17 Newport Gwent Dragons 15, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster have lost just once on the opening weekend of the GUINNESS PRO12 since 2009: 15-8 to the Dragons in Newport in 2013
– The Ulstermen were defeated by Leinster in Dublin in last season’s semi-finals, but finished the regular season with a run of four straight victories
– The Dragons are in the midst of their worst ever sequence of results in the PRO12 having lost their last ten matches since beating Leinster at Rodney Parade on January 29, while their most recent away win in the league came on a trip to Treviso in March 2015
– Ulster have lost just one of their last five contests with the Dragons: 26-22 at Rodney Parade in March 2015
– The Welshmen have not been victorious at Kingspan Stadium since a 16-14 win in September 2008
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