Chris Cochrane (right) is set to make his senior Ulster debut.
Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin has handed competitive debuts to five players for the RaboDirect PRO12 Boxing Day clash against Leinster at the RDS (kick off 5.30).
With two games in the space of just four days, McLaughlin has had to make full use of his entire squad over the festive period. Following the Boxing Day match in Dublin, Ulster will face Munster at a sold out Ravenhill on Friday 30th December.
Three debutants will start in the backline; centres Chris Farrell and Michael Allen, along with fullback Peter Nelson who has been very impressive for the Ravens in their British & Irish Cup campaign so far this season.
Elsewhere in the backs, Paul Marshall will be partnered at half back by James McKinney, who will make his first start for the Province after a brief substitute appearance against the Ospreys in September. Simon Danielli returns to the team and will occupy the left wing berth, with Phoenix Academy winger Chris Cochrane lining out on the other flank.
Up front, Callum Black, who arrived in Belfast during the summer from Worcester, will make his senior Ulster debut at loosehead prop, while Academy player Ali Birch, a mainstay of the Ulster Ravens side, will make his first senior appearance at openside flanker. Birch is joined in the back row by Robbie Diack and Neil McComb, who while more used to the second row, will don the No. 6 jersey.
Tim Barker and Lewis Stevenson form an experienced second row combination, while Black is joined by captain Nigel Brady, and Adam Macklin in the front row.
On the bench, Niall Annett, James Simpson, Conor Joyce and Stuart Olding are all in line for a debut if their services are required while Jerry Cronin, Ian Porter, Conor Gaston and Ireland international Tom Court are the other replacements.
RaboDirect PRO12 table topping Leinster are unbeaten in their last eleven fixtures in all competitions since Glasgow lowered their colours at the RDS on 17 September. The Leinstermen’s only defeat in their last five clashes with a fellow Irish province was 9-19 to Munster in last season’s final.
Ulster have won their last three games but have not won away from home in the RaboDirect PRO12 since a trip to Aironi on 10 September. The Ulstermen’s most recent victory on the road to a fellow Irish province was on 25 September 2009 in Connacht.
Ulster (15-9): Peter Nelson, Chris Cochrane, Michael Allen, Chris Farrell, Simon Danielli, James McKinney, Paul Marshall. (1-8): Callum Black, Nigel Brady (capt), Adam Macklin, Tim Barker, Lewis Stevenson, Neil McComb, Ali Birch, Robbie Diack. (16-23): Niall Annett, Jerry Cronin, Tom Court, James Simpson, Conor Joyce, Ian Porter, Stuart Olding, Conor Gaston.
Leinster (15-9): Luke Fitzgerald, David Kearney, Fergus McFadden, Gordon D’Arcy, Fionn Carr, Ian Madigan, Eoin Reddan. (1-8): Cian Healy, Sean Cronin, Mike Ross, Damian Browne, Devin Toner, Kevin McLaughlin, Shane Jennings, Leo Auva’a. (16-23): Richardt Strauss, Jack McGrath, Jamie Hagan, Steven Sykes, Rhys Ruddock, Isaac Boss, Eoin O’Malley, Andrew Conway.
Feck me this will sort the men out from the boys. A huge gamble in selection by Humphreys and McLaughlin and one that will spectacularly backfire if Ulster lose to Munster on the 30th December.
Expectations for this one will be for Ulster to get well and truly hoked but even if we sent down our first team the expectation would be for Ulster to get well and truly hoked, and that would be even more embarrassing , but there is a faint glimmer of hope.
With Cochrane, Danielli, McKinney and Marshall in the back line, Ulster have a degree of parity with their opposite numbers, and while extremely inexperienced at this level the rest of the back line are reasonable enough players. The question is whether they will get any ball.
The forwards look well out gunned, facing an all Ireland International front row and a useful back row. Leinster’s back row look all the more useful with Ulster’s Neil McComb playing well out of position, and while he’ll run till he drops big Neil wouldn’t be the fastest man on the pitch at the best of times. He has added a much harder edge to his game this season and if McComb in combination with the abrasive duo of Stevenson and Barker can get in amongst the Leinster pack then things might happen.
More exciting for Ulster is the inclusion of two youngsters, in the replacements, that I’ve heard a lot of great reports about this season. Namely wing forward Conor Joyce and out half Stuart Olding, both of whom have the potential to create problems late in the game.
I would guess that the tactics for this one would be nothing more sophisticated than kicking long through McKinney and hoping that our three second rows and “Mr Nice Guy” Robbie Diack find their humpy heads and all four of them make a bit of a nuisance of themselves at lineout time!
As I write this I can see ways that Ulster could win but they all involve Ulster playing out of their skins and Leinster having a nightmare. Barring that I see a spirited effort from Ulster but Leinster should pull away in the second half and record a comfortable bonus point win. Anything less for the home side would be a big bonus for Ulster.
I’m looking forward to this one in the hope that it ends up as an entertaining rear guard action from Ulster - hopefully not an immensely frustrating hiding!
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