Ulster and Connacht have named their sides for their interprovincial clash on Friday night in Belfast at the Kingspan Stadium.
Both sides will be looking to bounce back from their last United Rugby Championship defeats at the start of the month. Connacht lost narrowly to another side in Leinster on December 2, while Ulster lost to Edinburgh on the same day.
The game will be shown live on TG4, BBC 2, and Premier Sports 1. The game is also being streamed live on the TG4 player and will kick off at 7.35 p.m.
Tickets for the game can be found via the link here.
Here's the team news for both:
Ulster news
Dan McFarland has named his side for the game.
Mike Lowry starts at fullback alongside wingers Rob Baloucoune and Jacob Stockdale. James Hume and Stuart McCloskey start in midfield. Jake Flannery and John Cooney start as the provinces halfbacks
In the front pack, Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, and Marty Moore get the nod. Behind them, Iain Henderson starts as captain, with Kieran Treadwell also starting as the provincial lock.Matty Rea, Sean Reffell, and Nick Timoney complete the side from the back row.
Ulster Team:
Backs (15-9):
- 15 Mike Lowry (Fullback)
- 14: Rob Baloucoune (Wing)
- 13 James Hume (Centre), 12 Stuart McCloskey (Centre)
- 11 Jacob Stockdale (Wing)
- 10 Jake Flannery (Fly-half), 9 John Cooney (Scrum-half)
Forwards (1-8):
- 1. Andy Warwick (Loosehead Prop), 2. Tom Stewart (Hooker), 3. Marty Moore (Tighthead Prop)
- 4 Kieran Treadwell (Lock) 5 Iain Henderson (C) (Lock)
- 6. Matty Rea (Blindside Flanker) 7. Sean Reffell (Openside Flanker) 8 Nick Timoney (Number Eight)
Replacements:
16 John Andrew, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Tom O’Toole, 19 Al O’Connor, 20 Dave Ewers, 21 Nathan Doak, 22 Jude Postlethwaite 23. Will Addison
🚨 Team News
Your Ulster side to take on @connachtrugby tomorrow at Kingspan Stadium 🏟️
🙌 150th Ulster cap for Treads
🔙 Sean Reffell returns to side after being out since January
💪 Marty Moore makes his first start of season
🎟️ | https://t.co/hwRtvieITK pic.twitter.com/PbQJgBsAyN— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) December 21, 2023
Connacht news
Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins had made seven changes for the game in Belfast
Ireland international Mack Hansen returns to the side after recovering from a foot injury in the Champions Cup. He starts in a back three with wingers Shayne Bolton and Byron Ralston.
Bundee Aki and Tom Farrell start in the centre once again. The backs are completed by a partnership of Jack Carty and Caolin Blade at outhalf and scrumhalf.
In the front pack, Finlay Bealham, Denis Buckley, and Tadhg McElroy start in the front row. The second row consists of Darragh Murray and Joe Joyce. The forward line is completed by Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sean O'Brien, and Cian Prendergast.
