Iain Henderson returns to captain Ulster in Edinburgh

Jacob Stockdale starts at fullback in Friday night’s crucial Pro14 fixture at Murrayfield

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland with Iain Henderson who returns to captain the team this Friday night. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images
Ulster head coach Dan McFarland with Iain Henderson who returns to captain the team this Friday night. Photograph: Michael Steele/Getty Images

Iain Henderson returns to captain Ulster in Friday night's crucial Pro14 fixture against Edinburgh (Kick-off 7.35pm, BT Murrayfield).

Dan McFarland and his coaching team have made three personnel changes to the starting XV that lost to Glasgow last weekend. Henderson returns while Nick Timoney and academy winger Robert Baloucoune are also included.

Henderson is joined in the secondrow by Kieran Treadwell, with Jordi Murphy and Marcell Coetzee selected alongside Timoney in the back row. Rob Herring, Marty Moore and Eric O'Sullivan are retained in the frontrow.

John Cooney and Billy Burns continue on halfback duty, while Stuart McCloskey and Luke Marshall are again named in midfield. Baloucoune's inclusion sees Rob Lyttle move to the left wing and Jacob Stockdale shift to fullback.

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A win for Ulster against their Conference B rivals will be enough secure a place in the end-of-season play-offs.

ULSTER: J Stockdale; R Baloucoune, L Marshall, S McCloskey, R Lyttle; B Burns, J Cooney; E O’Sullivan, R Herring, M Moore; I Henderson (Capt), K Treadwell; N Timoney, J Murphy, M Coetzee.

Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick, R Kane, A O’Connor, S Reidy, D Shanahan, P Nelson, A Kernohan.