Glasgow Warriors picked up a try-scoring bonus point in Parma last week and Ulster will be aiming to match them when they visit second-from-bottom Zebre on Saturday.
GUINNESS PRO12: Saturday, April 16
ZEBRE (11th) v ULSTER (5th), Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 5pm local time/4pm Irish time (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland/Rai Sport)
Team News: Tommy Bowe will play his first match of the season for Ulster after returning from a knee injury sustained on Rugby World Cup duty with Ireland. Andrew Trimble was unable to travel after picking up an illness, so Bowe is selected on the right wing for the round 20 clash.
Franco van der Merwe will make his 50th appearance for the province on Saturday evening, a considerable feat given that he is in just his second season with the province.
Bowe will be joined in the back-three by Craig Gilroy and Jared Payne, who was man-of-the-match in the derby win over Connacht a fortnight ago.
Stuart Olding comes into the back-line at inside centre in place of Stuart McCloskey, who is unavailable due to a shoulder injury. He will be partnered in midfield by Luke Marshall, while Ruan Pienaar and Paddy Jackson will direct affairs from the half-back positions.
Rory Best will captain the side from hooker, with Callum Black and Ricky Lutton continuing alongside him in the front row. Peter Browne is named as van der Merwe’s second row partner.
Sean Reidy, Iain Henderson and Roger Wilson form the back row trio as Nick Williams continues to be ruled out by a shoulder injury.
Rob Herring, Kyle McCall, Andrew Warwick, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Paul Marshall, Darren Cave and Rory Scholes are named on a strong bench.
Meanwhile, Zebre boss Gianluca Guidi has made four personnel changes to the side that lost 43-14 at home to defending league champions Glasgow Warriors in last Friday’s rescheduled game.
Giulio Bisegni replaces Gonzalo Garcia in midfield, with Matteo Pratichetti moving to inside centre. The back-line includes winger Leonardo Sarto and scrum half Guglielmo Palazzani who both touched down during the first half against Glasgow.
Prop Pietro Ceccarelli, lock Valerio Bernabò and flanker Jean Cook are all introduced up front, while the fit-again Ulrich Beyers and Tommaso Boni also return to the matchday squad as replacements.
The Italians are chasing the fifth win of the season to equal the record achieved in the 2013/14 campaign, but they have not tasted victory since their derby success against Benetton Treviso in early January.
ZEBRE: Kayle van Zyl; Dion Berryman, Giulio Bisegni, Matteo Pratichetti, Leonardo Sarto; Carlo Canna, Guglielmo Palazzani; Andrea Lovotti, Oliviero Fabiani, Pietro Ceccarelli, Quintin Geldenhuys (capt), Valerio Bernabò, Jean Cook, Federico Ruzza, Gideon Koegelenberg.
Replacements: Bruno Postiglioni, Andrea de Marchi, Dario Chistolini, Marco Bortolami, Emiliano Caffini, Luke Burgess, Ulrich Beyers, Tommaso Boni.
ULSTER: Jared Payne; Tommy Bowe, Luke Marshall, Stuart Olding, Craig Gilroy; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar; Callum Black, Rory Best (capt), Ricky Lutton, Peter Browne, Ffranco van der Merwe, Iain Henderson, Sean Reidy, Roger Wilson.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Kyle McCall, Andrew Warwick, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Paul Marshall, Darren Cave, Rory Scholes.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Claudio Blessano, Andrea Spadoni (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Zebre to win: 8/1; Draw: 35/1; Ulster to win: 1/14
Pre-Match Quotes: Iain Henderson (Ulster) – “I’ve never played at Zebre, I don’t actually think I have ever played in Italy for Ulster. We got the job done (against Connacht) but not the way we would have liked to have done it.
“It was a bit of an agricultural way to do it, however it was a win nonetheless and they didn’t get a get a bonus point which would have made them slightly more comfortable up there.
“At the end of the game it was frustrating them going down to 13 and I probably didn’t have my best or favourite game I’ve ever played. However, on nights like that you just have to get the win and enjoy it afterwards and you look back to see what you have done right and what you haven’t done right and improve on it.
“Hopefully given that we had a week off last week, we did a good bit of training and reviewing of the game, and hopefully we have rectified those things going into Zebre which will be tough because they are going for their Champions Cup spot as well and they will be fighting for that.”
Top Scorers – 2015/16 GUINNESS PRO12: Zebre – Points: Carlo Canna 51; Tries: Dries van Schalkwyk 6; Ulster – Points: Paddy Jackson 91; Tries: Craig Gilroy 7
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, February 15, 2013 – Ulster 26 Zebre 3, Ravenhill
Saturday, November 30, 2013 – Zebre 11 Ulster 19, Stadio XXV Aprile
Friday, December 20, 2013 – Ulster 13 Zebre 6, Ravenhill
Friday, September 12, 2014 – Ulster 33 Zebre 13, Kingspan Stadium
Saturday, September 27, 2014 – Zebre 13 Ulster 6, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi
Friday, March 4, 2016 – Ulster 32 Zebre 0, Kingspan Stadium
MATCH FACTS:
– Zebre are without a win in the GUINNESS PRO12 since beating Benetton Treviso 18-8 at Stadio di Monigo on January 3
– Zebre’s only previous victory over an Irish province came against Ulster in Parma in September 2014
– Ulster’s last four PRO12 encounters have all been won by the home side on the day, while their only away victory in the competition in 2016 came on a trip to Treviso in January
– The two sides have met on seven previous occasions with Zebre’s only victory being 13-6 at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in round 4 last season
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