Ulster enjoyed a confidence-boosting 49-point triumph over the Southern Kings in round 14, and they will be hoping to replicate last season’s home win over Edinburgh when the Scots visit Kingspan Stadium tonight.
GUINNESS PRO14: Friday, February 16
ULSTER (3rd, Con B) v EDINBURGH (4th, Con B), Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm (live BBC 2 Northern Ireland)
Team News: Ulster head coach Jono Gibbes’ starting XV shows just four changes from the team that defeated Southern Kings 59-10 last weekend, as Louis Ludik, Tommy Bowe and Jean Deysel replace the injured Charles Piutau, Robert Lyttle and Sean Reidy respectively, while Rob Herring is released from Ireland duty to start at hooker.
With just three points separating Ulster in third and Edinburgh in fourth in the Conference B table, tonight’s game will be another hugely important clash. Tickets for the crunch round 15 match are still available via ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.
Ludik and the fit-again Bowe are straight swaps for full-back Piutau and left winger Lyttle, as they come in to join last week’s man-of-the-match, Craig Gilroy, in the back-three. Stuart McCloskey and Luke Marshall are retained in the centre, as are the half-back pairing of John Cooney and Johnny McPhillips.
In the pack, Deysel will wear the number 8 jersey, with Nick Timoney, whose first senior contract with the province was confirmed on Wednesday, shifting to openside flanker and Matthew Rea continuing at blindside.
Andrew Warwick and Wiehahn Herbst will scrum down either side of Herring in the front row, with Alan O’Connor captaining the province for the second game in succession alongside Kieran Treadwell in the second row.
John Andrew, Kyle McCall and Rodney Ah You will provide the front row back-up on the bench, with current Ireland Under-20 international Matthew Dalton and Chris Henry the additional forward options.
Jonny Stewart, who is also part of Noel McNamara’s Ireland U-20 squad, Darren Cave and David Busby will offer back-line cover, with back-three specialist Busby in line to make his first appearance of the season if called upon.
Meanwhile, as Edinburgh search for their 15th win of the season in all competitions, the team selection includes five changes to the side who secured a last-gasp 29-24 victory at home to Leinster last weekend.
In the back-three, Dougie Fife once again gets the nod at full-back. The Scotland Sevens star is joined by wingers Duhan van der Merwe and Jason Harries, who starts his first league encounter since crossing the whitewash against the Scarlets in round 4 of the competition.
An unchanged midfield sees Chris Dean partner Mark Bennett, last weekend’s match winner at Myreside, while Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, Edinburgh’s top scorer in the PRO14 (52 points), returns to the starting XV to link up with Jaco van der Walt at half-back.
In the front-row, Jordan Lay is named at loosehead prop and packs down alongside Murray McCallum and experienced hooker Neil Cochrane. Club captain Fraser McKenzie keeps his position in the second row, as does Lewis Carmichael after his man-of-the-match performance against Leinster.
Number 8 Cornell du Preez is welcomed back into the side from international duty with Scotland, while John Hardie returns to the fray to join big ball-carrying Fijian Bill Mata in the back row.
ULSTER: Louis Ludik; Craig Gilroy, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Tommy Bowe; Johnny McPhillips, John Cooney; Andrew Warwick, Rob Herring, Wiehahn Herbst, Alan O’Connor (capt), Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, Nick Timoney, Jean Deysel.
Replacements: John Andrew, Kyle McCall, Rodney Ah You, Matthew Dalton, Chris Henry, Jonny Stewart, Darren Cave, David Busby.
EDINBURGH: Dougie Fife; Jason Harries, Mark Bennett, Chris Dean, Duhan van der Merwe; Jaco van der Walt, Sam Hidalgo-Clyne; Jordan Lay, Neil Cochrane, Murray McCallum, Fraser McKenzie (capt), Lewis Carmichael, Bill Mata, John Hardie, Cornell du Preez.
Replacements: Cameron Fenton, Rory Sutherland, Eliot Millar Mills, Magnus Bradbury, Luke Crosbie, Nathan Fowles, Duncan Weir, Glenn Bryce.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Andrew Brace (Ireland), Adam Jones (Wales)
Television Match Official: Jon Mason (Wales)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): Ulster to win: 2/7; Draw: 19/1; Edinburgh to win: 11/4
Pre-Match Quotes: John Andrew (Ulster) – “In previous years we’ve had a good lineout and this year we have a good lineout, it’s just that perhaps its consistency, and consistency is doing stuff well over and over again so you only get that by practising. You can only get it when you’re playing games as it’s easy to replicate lineouts in training but you’re not doing it in front of a crowd of about 18,000 people.
“Nothing has drastically changed so we’re all working hard at the lineout and we took a good step forward last Friday (against the Kings) so we just need to back it up and that’s the consistency we need.
“Edinburgh are a well-drilled team and since (Richard) Cockerill has come in I think they’ve won something like 80% of their games. Edinburgh have always had a really good attitude if they come over or if you go over there, they are physical and want to hit you back and do all the right things.
“Obviously Cockerill has come in and given them a bit of a lift and they’re playing very well so two very different teams but we’re not preparing any differently. We didn’t leave any stone unturned against Kings and we’re doing the same this week for Edinburgh.
“I think Cockerill likes all his teams to be physical up front and he was like that as a player and at Leicester he had them like that as well. People will say that most games are won or lost up front, if you’re not winning your lineout ball and your scrums and dominated in all collisions, it’s fairly hard to win a game.”
Richard Cockerill (Edinburgh) – “Ulster have a good team and very strong squad, and they’ve had their difficulties for obvious reasons, but now it’s for us to go there and front up. If we lose on Friday night, it’s not the end of our play-off hopes.
“For us it’s nice, as a team, that were putting ourselves in the position where we’re actually competing for play-offs, which is a step forward. I expect Ulster to be favourites and I expect them to be confident, but I’m also confident and I believe in our playing group.”
Top Scorers – 2017/18 GUINNESS PRO14: Ulster – Points: John Cooney 91; Tries: Craig Gilroy 8; Edinburgh – Points: Sam Hidalgo-Clyne 52; Tries: Sam Hidalgo-Clyne 6
2017/18 TEAM FORM: Ulster – Played 14, Won 9, Drawn 1, Lost 4, 45 Points; W 42-19 v Toyota Cheetahs (home), W 21-14 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 27-20 v Scarlets (home), W 52-25 v Dragons (home), L 27-23 v Zebre (away), W 16-8 v Connacht (home), L 25-10 v Leinster (home), W 43-36 v Southern Kings (away), W 23-22 v Benetton Rugby (home), D 32-32 v Dragons (away), L 44-16 v Connacht (away), W 24-17 v Munster (home), L 38-7 v Leinster (away), W 59-10 v Southern Kings (home); Edinburgh – Played 14, Won 9, Lost 5, 42 Points; W 20-10 v Cardiff Blues (away), W 35-18 v Dragons (home), L 20-17 v Benetton Rugby (home), L 28-8 v Scarlets (away), L 21-13 v Leinster (away), W 16-15 v Zebre (home), W 24-13 v Benetton Rugby (away), W 37-10 v Ospreys (home), L 33-13 v Toyota Cheetahs (away), W 48-21 v Southern Kings (away), W 18-17 v Glasgow Warriors (home), L 17-0 v Glasgow Warriors (away), W 37-7 v Southern Kings (home), W 29-24 v Leinster (home)
RECENT LEAGUE MEETINGS:
Friday, October 3, 2014 – Ulster 30 Edinburgh 0, Kingspan Stadium
Friday, February 20, 2015 – Edinburgh 17 Ulster 20, BT Murrayfield
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
MATCH FACTS:
– Ulster’s last five matches in the GUINNESS PRO14 have been evenly split, with two wins, two defeats plus a draw
– Ulster’s only defeat in Belfast in the PRO14 since October 2016 was to Leinster in round 7 this season
– No Scottish team has beaten Ulster in Belfast since Glasgow Warriors did so by a single point in September 2013
– Edinburgh have lost just once in the last five rounds of the PRO14: 17-0 to Glasgow at Scotstoun on December 30
– Edinburgh’s most recent victory away to an Irish province was 16-13 over Connacht in Galway in January 2015
– The last four encounters between the two sides have all been won by the home team on the day, while Edinburgh have not been victorious in Belfast since September 2009
This website uses cookies.
Read More