/”The URC’s sixth round brings Ulster to face off Cardiff at Arms Park, Saturday night at 7.35. The game will be live broadcasted on Premier Sports 2. After recovering from their challenging South African fixtures, Ulster has secured two consecutive bonus-point wins in their hometown of Belfast. Now, they are gearing up to once again hit the road, this time to face Cardiff, which seems less intimidating on paper.
Riding on the back of their home turf victories over Connacht and the Ospreys, Ulster’s solid choice of team led by Richie Murphy will enter Cardiff with a reasonable chance of making their first away victory this season. This endeavour happens right before they brace for a break.
Ulster welcomes back Iain Henderson, post his concussion during the Connacht match. Henderson will captain the team, which includes his fellow Irish squad members – Tom O’Toole, Cormac Izuchukwu, Nick Timoney and Stuart McCloskey.
There’s yet to be any news on Rob Herring and Tom Stewart, but double try-scorer from the previous week, James McCormick, is set to start again after his successful debut against Glasgow. He exclaimed, “Our team is improving every week, which is hopeful for a robust finish”. McCormick, a promising talent, had emerged as an Under-20s Grand Slam winner for Ireland in 2022.
Henderson will be teaming up with Kieran Treadwell in a new engine room adopted from the Ospreys match. Timoney will be stepping in as openside flanker, leading to Marcus Rea repositioned on the bench.
Behind the scrum, Nathan Doak is set to start in the ninth position, a mere third time in this season, despite featuring in all games. Jacob Stockdale, along with McCormick, made a remarkable impression by scoring twice against the Ospreys. Michael Lowry will be occupying the left-wing position, shifting from his usual fullback role.
Ethan McIlroy seems to have recovered from his ankle injury, securing the number 15 spot. In the midfield, Ben Carson and Jude Postlethwaite will switch, leading to Postlethwaite starting alongside McCloskey and Carson on the bench with Harry Sheridan, John Cooney and Scott Wilson.”/
Cardiff, having suffered three consecutive defeats, is heading into the next match with six alterations to their squad, following their 27-8 downfall against Edinburgh. Ben Thomas assumes the captain’s role for the hosts, who will be flaunting six of Warren Gatland’s autumn squad members. Cardiff’s forward line sees the inclusion of old Leinster prop, Ed Byrne alongside Welsh recruits Evan Lloyd and Keiron Assiratti.
In terms of the backline, Mason Grady and Cameron Winnett comprise a significant part of Cardiff’s back three, joined by the seasoned Rey Lee-Lo as a central player along with Thomas.
CARDIFF’s squad comprises C Winnett, M Grady, R Lee-Lo, B Thomas (captain), I Stephens, C Sheedy, A Davies, E Byrne, E Lloyd, K Assiratti, J McNally, T Williams, B Donnell, D Thomas, and A Lawrence. The replacement lineup includes D Hughes, C Domachowski, R Litterick, R Thornton, J Botham, T Young, J Mulder, and R Jennings.
ULSTER’s roster features E McIlroy, W Kok, J Postlethwaite, S McCloskey, M Lowry, A Morgan, N Doak, E O’Sullivan, J McCormick, T O’Toole, I Henderson (captain), K Treadwell, C Izuchukwu, N Timoney, and D McCann. The replacement team includes J Andrew, A Warwick, S Wilson, H Sheridan, Marcus Rea, J Cooney, B Carson, and B Moxham. S Grove-White (SRU) will be the referee.