Wales Under 20 star Jason Tovey is set to start at outside half following strong performances in the LV Cup last month, with Martyn Thomas retaining the number 15 shirt as they take on Ulster at Ravenhill on Friday night (KO 7.05pm).
Welsh lock Luke Charteris will return to captain the Dragons with Welsh teammate Danny Lydiate is also set to start in the back row.
Following his strong performances against both the Ospreys and Saracens, Will Harries returns from the Las Vegas of the Sevens circuit with Wales to start on the wing.
It’s all change on the centres as Tom Riley comes in for Matthew Watkins and Rhodri Gomer Davies replaces Ashley Smith at 12.
Rory Best makes his Ulster return starting as hooker, after recovering from injury, in-place of Nigel Brady who starts this match on the bench. With Stephen Ferris away on international duty, TJ Anderson pulls on the No6 jersey. Ian Humphreys returns to the starting line-up at outside half. Chris Henry will once again captain the Ulster Team.
Commenting on the Magners League clash, Ulster Coach Brian McLaughlin said: “It’s a vital game for us tomorrow night. The Dragons are sitting on the same points as us in the League, so it’s a game that we must win.
“Whenever we played them at Rodney Parade, at the start of the season, they out-muscled us; they beat us around the contact area, so we have a few scores to settle. I’m hopeful on Friday night, at Ravenhill, that we can come out and show how much we’ve improved, as the season has progressed.
“We’re looking forward to getting back out in-front of a home crowd, after the fantastic support we received away against Bath. At Ravenhill this season, the fans have been great every match we’ve played, so we’re hoping for the exact same this week.
“We really need them to get behind us, because it’s going to be a very difficult game. The Dragons are a tricky side to beat, and they’re coming here off the back of a great win over Saracens. They’ll arrive very confident, so we’ve got to make sure that come Friday night we’re hitting the pitch running and play a good game of rugby,”
continued McLaughlin.
Ulster: Jamie Smith, Andrew Trimble, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Simon Danielli, Ian Humphreys, Isaac Boss; Bryan Young, Rory Best, BJ Botha, Daniel Tuohy, Ed O’Donoghue, TJ Anderson, David Pollock, Chris Henry (Capt)
Replacements: Nigel Brady, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Caldwell, Robbie Diack, Ian Porter, Ian Whitten, Timoci Nagusa
Dragons: Martyn Thomas, Will Harries, Tom Riley, Rhodri Gomer Davies, Aled Brew; Jason Tovey; Wayne Evans; Hugh Gustafson, Steve Jones, Pat Palmer, Rob Sidoli, Luke Charteris, Danny Lydiate, Gavin Thomas, Grant Webb.
Replacements: Tom Willis, Ben Castle, Adam Jones, James Harris, Matthew Watkins, James Arlidge, James Leadbeater
