John Cooney will make his 100th appearance after being named in the Ulster team for tomorrow night’s United Rugby Championship (URC) championship quarter-final against Munster at the Kingspan stadium (7.35, live on Premiers Sports, TG4).
Michael Lowry is a notable absentee so Stewart Moore will reprise a role at fullback in the only change from the team that beat the Sharks in the final match of the league stage of the tournament. Marty Moore won’t play again this season because of concussion issues so Tom O’Toole starts in the front row while Gareth Milasinovich is named among the replacements.
Munster head coach Johann van Graan has made four changes to the side that lost to Leinster last time out. Peter O’Mahony returns to captain the team, while Damian de Allende, Stephen Archer — he becomes the second most capped Munster player of all time (248) tomorrow night — and Gavin Coombes comes into the team.
Coombes has recovered from an ankle injury sustained at the start of April. Van Graan has elected for a six-two split on the bench with Craig Casey and Ben Healy acting as backline cover.
RM Block
Ulster: S Moore; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, E McIlroy; B Burns, J Cooney; A Warwick, R Herring, T O’Toole; A O’Connor, I Henderson (capt); Marcus Rea, N Timoney, D Vermeulen. Replacements: J Andrew, E O’Sullivan, G Milasinovich, K Treadwell, M Rea, N Doak, I Madigan, B Moxham.
Munster: M Haley; A Conway, C Farrell, D de Allende, K Earls; J Carbery, C Murray; J Wycherley, N Scannell, S Archer; J Kleyn, F Wycherley, P O’Mahony (capt), A Kendellen, G Coombes. Replacements: D Barron, J Loughman, J Ryan, J Jenkins, T Ahern, C Casey, B Healy, C Cloete.
