A preliminary 27 man Ulster squad to face Glasgow in the crucial Heineken Cup Pool 4 clash on Friday at Ravenhill has been announced (kick off 8.00pm).
Centre Luke Marshall and fullback Adam D’Arcy have been ruled out after suffering injuries in the PRO12 win over Scarlets at the weekend. Marshall will have surgery on a fractured finger and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks, while D’Arcy fractured his ankle. He will see a specialist later in the week when an approximate timeframe for a return to action will be confirmed.
Dan Tuohy, who suffered a recurrence of a calf injury against Scarlets, has been named in the squad and will be monitored throughout the week. Jared Payne, who missed the game against the Welsh outfit with a groin strain, is also included and could play some part on Friday.
It is all to play for in Pool 4, although Ulster, the 2012 finalists, are in the box seat, three points clear of Castres Olympique. Northampton are five points adrift of Ulster but both will be wary of their away trips in Round 6 to Glasgow and Castres respectively. Glasgow are yet to register a win despite coming close on all four occasions, especially in their nail-biting back-to-back games against Castres.
Glasgow have two victories to Ulster’s one in the history of this Heineken Cup fixture after the Irish Province triumphed 19-8 at Scotstoun earlier this season. The Scots have just four wins and a draw to their name from 42 away matches in the Heineken Cup. One of those wins came at Ulster (1997), their only win away in Ireland.
Supporters are encouraged to make use of the complimentary Park ’n’ Ride facilities on Ulster Rugby match days located at Pirrie Park on the Ravenhill side of the ground, and along Montgomery Road, on the Mount Merrion side of the ground.
There is ample parking at both locations and they are just a short distance from the ground. Supporters can either walk or take advantage of the free buses that run to and from the parking areas and the ground from two hours prior to kick off until 90 minutes after the final whistle.
Provisional Ulster squad to play Glasgow, Heineken Cup Pool 4, Fri 11th January, Ravenhill (kick off 8.00pm):
Forwards (16):
Callum Black, Tom Court, Declan Fitzpatrick, Adam Macklin, John Afoa, Rob Herring, Rory Best, Lewis Stevenson, Dan Tuohy, Iain Henderson, Neil McComb, Mike McComish, Chris Henry, Robbie Diack, Roger Wilson, Nick Williams.
Backs (11):
Ruan Pienaar, Paul Marshall, Michael Heaney, Paddy Jackson, Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave, Michael Allen, Craig Gilroy, Andrew Trimble, Chris Cochrane, Jared Payne.
