| Venue:Kingspan Stadium, Belfast Date: Friday, 20 Mai Kick-off:19:35 BST |
| Coverage:Live on BBC Two NI or the BBC iPlayer |
Both centre Stuart McCloskey and Iain Henderson, the Ulster captain, are fit to play in Friday’s United Rugby Championship match against Sharks.
Both were injured but were named as scrum half John Cooney replacing Nathan Doak in Dan McFarland’s team that defeated Edinburgh.
Tom O’Toole is the prop, replacing Gareth Milasinovich. Alan O’Connor begins in the second row behind Kieran Trudwell.
Cooney will be just one cap away form 100 Ulster appearances as he is named to play fly-half with Billy Burns.
Ulster is currently in fifth place on the URC table, one point behind the Sharks.
Both teams are aware that a win at Belfast’s Kingspan Stadium Friday night would secure them a home quarterfinal in the inaugural URC competition.
Ulster has won one and lost one of the two URC matches they have played since last month’s crushing Champions Cup defeat by Toulouse over two legs.
McFarland’s team lost 24-17 at Munster to McFarland before scoring 16-10 in Edinburgh on 30 April.
Lukhanyo Am makes a return to the Cell C Sharks’ starting line-up. Sean Everitt, the head coach of the Cell C Sharks, also makes three changes after their 41-21 victory over Connacht at end April.
Ruben van Henderden and Reniel HUGO have a new lock pairing. They are in for Le Roux Roets, Gerbrandt Grobler, respectively.
Ulster:Lowry (Capt.), Rea, Timoney, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Andrew, O’Sullivan, Milasinovich, Treadwell, Rea, Doak, Moore, Lyttle.
Sharks: Fassi; Kok, Am, Louw, Mapimpi; Bosch, Hendrikse; Nche, Mbonambi, du Toit (Capt); van Heerden, Hugo; Kolisi, Venter, Buthelezi.
Replacements: Vuuren, Mchunu, Mchunu, Andrews, Labuschagne, Notshe, Williams, Chamberlain.