Ulster v Ospreys:OSPREYS ARRIVE in Belfast shorn of many of their big names and with questionable enough clout to cause anxiety at Ravenhill tonight. Three of their Welsh stars, centre Gavin Henson, secondrow Ian Gough and fullback Lee Byrne, won't figure through injury and neither former-Ulster wing Tommy Bowe, last year's player of the year Shane Williams or Welsh captain Ryan Jones are considered for the short trip across.
The main threat may come from the James Hook and Mike Phillips pairing at halfback, but this team is certainly Ospreys-lite. Their Heineken Cup quarter-final is clearly to the fore.
Not surprisingly, coach Matt Williams has stripped down his Ulster team that comprehensively lost to Leinster last week in the hope some inspiration will arrive with the changes. Williams has been rightly talking up the Welsh side that is has turned out not to be quite the unit that it might have been.
Niall O’Connor has been given a chance at outhalf in place of Ian Humphreys, who does not even appear on the bench. Robbie Diack is back in the starting line-up at number eight, with Chris Henry moving to blindside flanker as Matt McCullough shifts to the replacements bench.
Andrew Trimble is back on the left wing, with Scottish international Simon Danielli back on the other flank. Bryan Young will start as loosehead prop in the frontrow alongside captain Roy Best and South African BJ Botha, Tom Court reverting to the bench.
This is one Ulster could win.
ULSTER:C Schifcofske; S Danielli, D Cave, P Wallace, A Trimble; N O'Connor, I Boss; B Young, R Best (capt), B Botha, E O'Donoghue, R Caldwell, C Henry, D Pollock, R Diack, Replacements: N Brady, T Court, C Del Fava, M McCullough, C Willis, I Whitten, T Nagusa.
Ospreys:G Owen; D Bishop, J Spratt, A Bishop, J Vaughton; J Hook, M Phillips; P James (capt), H Bennett, C Griffiths, A Wyn-Jones, A Lloyd, T Smith, S Tandy, F Tiatia. Replacements: R Hibbard, R Bevington, F Levi, M Holah, J Nutbrown, D Biggar, S Parker.
Referee:P Allan (Scotland).
Verdict:Home win
Venue: Ravenhill
Kick-off: 7.35 pm
On TV: Setanta Ireland
