Table toppers Ulster are hoping to continue their best start to a GUINNESS PRO12 season since 2012 when they host the third-placed Ospreys in front of a big Kingspan Stadium crowd.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, October 1
ULSTER (1st) v OSPREYS (3rd), Kingspan Stadium, 6.30pm (live Sky Sports 3 HD)
Team News: Ireland captain Rory Best will make his first start of the season when the Ospreys visit Belfast in round 5 of the GUINNESS PRO12.
There are eight changes to the team that started last week’s 22-17 win over Glasgow Warriors in Scotstoun, as as Ulster director of rugby Les Kiss continues to manage his playing resources during what is a hectic fixture schedule.
Seated tickets for the Ulster v Ospreys game are now sold out. Limited terrace tickets are still available and can be purchased online here.
Best, who played 35 minutes against Glasgow last Friday, will be joined in the front row by the returning Kyle McCall and Rodney Ah You, who has impressed at tighthead prop in the opening rounds.
Franco van der Merwe will captain the side in the absence of Rob Herring and Andrew Trimble, who will sit out this week due to squad management and recovery from a foot injury respectively. The South African lock will be joined in the engine room by Alan O’Connor for the second successive week.
Back rowers Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy and Roger Wilson, which functioned so effectively during last week’s victory in Glasgow, are retained.
Paul Marshall and Paddy Jackson will make up an experienced partnership at at half-back, with no less than 282 caps for the province between them.
Charles Piutau has reverted to full-back and will be joined in the back-three by Louis Ludik on the left wing and Craig Gilroy, who missed out last week through injury, on the right. Jared Payne will don the number 13 jersey alongside Darren Cave, who shifts across to inside centre.
Tommy Bowe is in line to make his first appearance in an Ulster jersey in almost five months. The former Ospreys features among the replacements alongside fellow backs Ruan Pienaar and Brett Herron.
John Andrew, Callum Black, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell and Robbie Diack will provide the forwards cover from the bench.
Meanwhile, Ospreys boss Steve Tandy has made six changes in personnel to the side that went down 31-19 to Leinster in Dublin last time out.
Dan Evans and Eli Walker slot into the back-three alongside Jeff Hassler, with Ben John reverting to outside centre. Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb continue at half-back.
Loosehead Nicky Smith, who will make his 50th appearance for the Ospreys, and Sam Parry have been added to the front row, while the final changes see the return of Bradley Davies to the second row and Dan Baker to the back row.
ULSTER: Charles Piutau, Craig Gilroy, Jared Payne, Darren Cave, Louis Ludik; Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall; Kyle McCall, Rory Best, Rodney Ah You, Alan O’Connor, Franco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Roger WIlson.
Replacements: John Andrew, Callum Black, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Robbie Diack, Ruan Pienaar, Brett Herron, Tommy Bowe.
OSPREYS: Dan Evans; Jeff Hassler, Ben John, Josh Matavesi, Eli Walker; Dan Biggar, Rhys Webb; Nicky Smith, Sam Parry, Dmitri Arhip, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones (capt), James King, Justin Tipuric, Dan Baker.
Replacements: Scott Baldwin, Paul James, Ma’afu Fia, Rory Thornton, Olly Cracknell, Tyler Ardron, Tom Habberfield, Sam Davies.
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Sean Brickell (Wales), Paul Haycock (Ireland)
Television Match Official: Gareth Simmonds (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 4/9; Draw: 22/1; Ospreys to win: 15/8
Pre-Match Quotes: Jared Payne (Ulster) – “There is some serious talent across the back-line, we’re lucky to have such a wealth of international quality there. It doesn’t matter if you’ve played one game or 100 – if you’re not playing well you won’t get in the team.
“We are doing some good things but some poor things too. We are addressing as we go along, we know we are not the finished package. I don’t know if it is the most talented Ulster team I have played with but it is definitely the most honest.
“They are really good at addressing what has gone wrong regardless of the result. Everyone is keen to get better. It’s exciting to believe that there is more to come even though we are winning matches.”
Steve Tandy (Ospreys) – “It was extremely disappointing last weekend in Dublin, a frustrating evening all round, but we have to react positively. We were up against a very good Leinster team but we didn’t impose ourselves on the game in the first half like we have done this season, away to Connacht in particular. When you look at the penalty count and error rate in the first half, there is the story of the game.
“We need to be better in all aspects if we’re going to get anything this Saturday. Start like that again and we’ll have the same result. Ulster is always a tough place to go and we know what to expect, but it shows how the PRO12 is growing and getting more competitive when every week you are faced with a real challenge.
“It doesn’t get any easier, with the Blues at home after this one, but we have to thrive on the challenge if we want to achieve what we want to this season. It’s still early days yet, we’ve had a positive start to the season with three wins from four, but there’s a long way to go still so we’ll head out to Belfast knowing that we have to keep working hard, keep improving, and if we get everything in order then we can look to keep pushing at the top end of the PRO12.”
Top Scorers – 2016/17 GUINNESS PRO12: Ulster – Points: Ruan Pienaar, Paddy Jackson 21 each; Tries: Rob Herring, Ruan Pienaar, Robert Lyttle 2 each; Ospreys – Points: Sam Davies 42; Tries: Ben John, Sam Parry 4 each
2016/17 TEAM FORM: Ulster – Played 4, Won 4, 17 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); Ospreys – Played 4, Won 3, Lost 1, 15 Points; W 59-5 v Zebre (home), W 32-11 v Connacht (away), W 64-10 v Benetton Treviso (home), L 31-19 v Leinster (away)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, October 4, 2013 – Ospreys 12 Ulster 18, Liberty Stadium
Friday, February 7, 2014 – Ulster 10 Ospreys 7, Ravenhill
Friday, November 21, 2014 – Ulster 25 Ospreys 16, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, December 20, 2014 – Ospreys 31 Ospreys 20, Liberty Stadium
Friday, September 4, 2015 – Ulster 28 Ospreys 6, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, May 7, 2016 – Ospreys 26 Ulster 46, Liberty Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster have lost just one of their last nine GUINNESS PRO12 matches: 30-18 to Leinster at the RDS in last season’s semi-final
– This is Ulster’s best start to a new campaign since they set the league record of winning their opening 11 contests in the 2012/13 season
– The Ospreys had recorded maximum league points after three rounds but were brought back down to earth with a 31-19 loss to Leinster last Friday
– The Ospreys’ only victory in their last five encounters with Irish provinces was 32-11 against Connacht in Galway in round 2
– Things could not be more even in previous encounters between the two sides with each attaining 13 victories, however of late Ulster’s only loss to the Ospreys in their last six meetings was 31-20 at Liberty Stadium in December 2014
– The Ospreys have won just once at Kingspan Stadium since 2010: 16-12 in February 2013
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