Ulster will aim to make it two wins out of two when their second successive GUINNESS PRO14 home match sees Edinburgh provide the opposition for Dan McFarland’s men, who give a much-anticipated debut to Jordi Murphy.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, September 7
ULSTER (3rd, Con B) v EDINBURGH (6th, Con B), Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm (live Premier Sports/eir Sport 2)
Team News: Ireland international Jordi Murphy will make his first appearance in an Ulster jersey tonight after being named to start in the back row against Edinburgh at Kingspan Stadium.
Tickets for the GUINNESS PRO14 round 2 game are available at ulsterrugby.com/buytickets. There is also short window remaining to purchase a Season Ticket (visit ulsterrugby.com/seasontickets for more info).
Former Leinster player Murphy is one of four changes in the team this week, all of which are in the forward pack. Fellow Ireland international Rob Herring will line out for the first time this season, captain the Ulstermen from the hooker berth.
Tighthead prop Ross Kane, who takes over from Tom O’Toole who is following the return-to-play protocols following his concussion against the Scarlets, and lock Kieran Treadwell also come in as starters, while Andrew Warwick and Iain Henderson are retained alongside them in the front five.
The 27-year-old Murphy is joined in the back row by Springbok powerhouse Marcell Coetzee, who had a successful return from long-term injury against the Llanelli outfit, and the dynamic Nick Timoney who continues to impress in the number 8 jersey.
The back-line remains unchanged with half-backs Billy Burns and John Cooney pairing up again, last Saturday’s man-of-the-match Stuart McCloskey combines with Darren Cave in midfield, and Craig Gilroyand round 1 debutants Henry Speight and Will Addison make up a potent back-three.
Wiehahn Herbst, who missed the end of last season with a knee injury, is set to play his first match of the current campaign after being named among the replacements. Alan O’Connor and Sean Reidy move to the bench as new head coach Dan McFarland looks to manage his playing resources.
The 22-year-old front row pair of Adam McBurney and Eric O’Sullivan, who produced impressive showings off the bench against the Scarlets, are again among the forward replacements. Dave Shanahan, Angus Curtis and Angus Kernohan, the latter of whom was added to the Abbey Insurance Ulster Academy earlier this week, are the back-line reinforcements.
Meanwhile, Edinburgh head coach Richard Cockerill has made three changes to the side that lost 17-13 away to the Ospreys in round 1. Injured winger Duhan van der Merwe is replaced by club centurion Tom Brown, who makes his first competitive appearance since November 2017.
WP Nel gets the nod at tighthead prop while Hamish Watson, who misses the match in Belfast due to the expected birth of his child, is replaced in the back row by Jamie Ritchie. The 22-year-old openside flanker makes his 50th appearance for the club.
Full-back Blair Kinghorn, a try scorer against the Ospreys, is joined in the back-three by Dougie Fife and Brown. An unchanged centre pairing sees Mark Bennett link up with Matt Scott in midfield, and summer recruits Simon Hickey, the Auckland-born out-half, and Henry Pyrgos continue their half-back partnership.
Up front, hooker Stuart McInally skippers the side and packs down alongside South African newcomer Pierre Schoeman and Nel, the 22-times capped Scotland international. Locks Ben Toolis and Grant Gilchrist start together again in the engine room, while Ritchie, Luke Hamilton and Fijian number 8 Bill Mata form a physical back row trio.
ULSTER: Will Addison; Craig Gilroy, Darren Cave, Stuart McCloskey, Henry Speight; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring (capt), Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson, Marcell Coetzee, Jordi Murphy, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: Adam McBurney, Eric O’Sullivan, Wiehahn Herbst, Alan O’Connor, Sean Reidy, Dave Shanahan, Angus Curtis, Angus Kernohan.
EDINBURGH: Blair Kinghorn; Dougie Fife, Mark Bennett, Matt Scott, Tom Brown; Simon Hickey, Henry Pyrgos; Pierre Schoeman, Stuart McInally (capt), WP Nel, Ben Toolis, Grant Gilchrist, Luke Hamilton, Jamie Ritchie, Bill Mata.
Replacements: Ross Ford, Allan Dell, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie, Luke Crosbie, Sean Kennedy, Jaco van der Walt, James Johnstone.
Referee: Stuart Berry (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Kieran Barry, Robert O’Sullivan (both Ireland)
Television Match Official: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 4/9; Draw: 14/1; Edinburgh to win: 7/4
Pre-Match Quotes: Jordi Murphy (Ulster) – “I know what it’s like to play here for Leinster against Ulster and how intimidating Kingspan Stadium is and how passionate the supporters are, so knowing that I would have that on my side was a huge positive in my decision to come here.
“I can’t wait to get out there on Friday night, I’ve felt the wrath of the fans in the past and I can’t wait for them to be on my side now and to witness the intimidation happening to the opposition now instead! It’s an incredible set-up and stadium so I’m looking forward to those big games where the stadium is packed out and the crowd is raising the roof.”
Richard Cockerill (Edinburgh) – “We’ve worked really hard this week, especially on ball control and set piece, making sure we execute in the right areas. We need to be better across the board, especially away from home.
“We know that the Ulster crowd will be vocal and will be behind their team, so we need to control the game and field position, keeping that support as quiet as possible.”
Top Scorers – 2018/19 GUINNESS PRO14: Ulster – Points: John Cooney 15; Tries: -; Edinburgh – Points: Simon Hickey 6; Tries: Blair Kinghorn 1
2018/19 TEAM FORM: Ulster – Played 1, Won 1, 4 Points; W 15-13 v Scarlets (home); Edinburgh – Played 1, Lost 1, 1 Point; L 17-13 v Ospreys (away)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, October 16, 2015 – Edinburgh 16 Ulster 10, BT Murrayfield
Friday, December 4, 2015 – Ulster 14 Edinburgh 7, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, November 4, 2016 – Edinburgh 28 Ulster 17, BT Murrayfield
Friday, February 10, 2017 – Ulster 24 Edinburgh 18, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, February 16, 2018 – Ulster 16 Edinburgh 17, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, April 6, 2018 – Edinburgh 20 Ulster 32, BT Murrayfield
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster beat the Scarlets 15-13 in round 1 and have won their opening two games for the past two seasons
– The Ulstermen are unbeaten in their last six GUINNESS PRO14 matches, while their only defeat at Kingspan Stadium since last October was by a single point to Edinburgh in February
– Edinburgh lost to the Ospreys in Swansea last weekend and have not started the season with a pair of defeats since 2011/12
– The Scotsmen have been defeated in their last two PRO14 matches, both of these being played away from home, at Munster and the Ospreys
– Edinburgh beat two provinces on Irish soil last season, Ulster in round 15 and Connacht in round 18
– Each side won its respective away game when the two teams met last season with Edinburgh’s victory being their first in Belfast since 2009
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