Ulster have released the team details:
Ulster Coach Brian McLaughlin has named his side for Ulster’s Magners League opener against The Ospreys at Ravenhill this Friday night (KO 7.05pm).
Trialist Adam D’Arcy retains his place at full-back after an impressive showing last week against Leeds. Tommy Seymour switches to the right wing in place of the injured Craig Gilroy, David McIlwaine comes in on the left wing while Paul Marshall returns at scrumhalf having recovered from a shoulder injury sustained in the opening friendly against Bath last month.
Up front there is no change to the starting line-up that defeated Leeds in the final pre-season friendly last week.
Irish tourists Tom Court and Paddy Wallace have been named on the bench while prop Paddy McAllister who sustained a neck and back injury against Bath in the first of Ulster’s pre-season friendlies has been passed fit to play.
ULSTER: (15-9) A D’Arcy; T Seymour, D Cave, I Whitten, D McIlwaine; N O’Connor, P Marshall; (1-8) B Young, R Best (Capt), D Fitzpatrick, J Muller, T Barker, S Ferris, W Faloon, P Wannenburg
Replacements (16-23): N Brady, T Court, P McAllister, R Caldwell, R Diack, I Porter, P Wallace, J Shiels
So there you go an interesting selection indeed. It may not be a match winning back line but I’m absolutely delighted to see to see so many youngsters get a run out.
It’s another big weekend for the McIlwaine family with brothers David and Stuart both in action. David for the senoirs and Stuart for the U20′s in Cork. It’s a pity that we couldn’t get in both matches this weekend and I seriously considered opting for the Cork trip but I must admit that this game agaisnt the Osprey’s is beginning to grow on me.
The selection of McIlwaine and Paul Marshall are the main differences to the bicks I predicted yesterday. In both cases it looks like the management have went with the more physical option. Marshall, despite his size, is particularly committed in the tackle and he puts himself about a lot more than Porter so he would be the best defensive option. McIlwaine is a big tall unit and it wont surprise me in the slightest if he and D’Arcy are pretty much interchangable throughout the match with McIlwaine taking on the defensive duties with D’Arcy encouraged to counterattack.
I do have a few worries about Marshall’s pass putting undue pressure on O’Connor but I certainly think the young outhalf is a lot easier to play with than the less predictable Humphreys.
Wallace isn’t starting in the centre so I guess he and Court are still under restricted game time, but I note with unease that he is the natural out half replacement and really and truely I’d much prefer to see him in the centre and I hear that Ireland “would like him” to get more game time at 10 which is worrying as he brings so much more to the role of 12 but we’ll just have to see how that one plays out.
Up front they’ve gone for Wannenburg over Diack and I am genuinely surprised as I think it’s putting all our eggs in one basket and I don’t think the O’s are a team we can batter into submission in the opening twenty so I do have genuine reservations here but there you go and by the same token big Wannenburg could be sitting on a brace of tries by half time!
Dissapointed not to see my own personal favourite, Kyriacou on the bench but you can’t really have any problems with Brady. Rest of the team pretty much as expected.
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