Williams names Ulster squad for Reds clash

Included in the line up are two former Reds players, Ed O'Donoghue and Clinton Schifcofske, both players arrived with Ulster during the pre season build up and proved themselves on the pitch against Bath last weekend. O'Donoghue has settled into life in Belfast well and the strong lock is looking forward to playing against his old team mates,

"I didn't think I would play against any Southern Hemisphere teams here in Ulster let alone the Reds, but I am really looking forward to the game. I enjoyed the Bath game, it was tough going at times and I can definitely see why the lads talk about the Ravenhill factor on match night, the crowd were brilliant."

Also included in the squad are Irish Internationals Bryan Young, Rory Best, Isaac Boss and Paddy Wallace, all four players were rested last week following on from the Irish training camp in Cork the week before.

Ian Humphreys is named in the squad and the former Ballymena Academy pupil and Leicester fly half will be eager to be involved in his first game for the senior Ulster side.

Ulster Coach Matt Williams is looking forward to the fixture and watching his new recruits in action again,

"Clinton has a wealth of experience and what we are looking from him is that leadership as well as knowledge about the ELVs. Ed O'Donoghue is also an experienced guy who has been about a bit and is an abrasive player.

We were pleased with the performance on Friday against Bath but we have a lot of work still to do and these friendlies are a great opportunity to see how the players are progressing and give the younger guys a chance as well.

The Magners League is just weeks away and we are determined to make a vast improvement on our results from last season. We didn't have a good time last season. Winning the Magners League and getting to the knock-out stages of Europe isn't beyond this squad."

Tickets are still available for the game, you can buy them online at www.ulsterrugby.com over the counter at Ravenhill or by calling 02890493222 Option 2.

Tickets will also be available on the gate but supporters are advised that it is cheaper to pre buy tickets.

ULSTER SQUAD
FORWARDS
Bryan Young; Rory Best; Tom Court, Ed O'Donoghue ,Carlo Del Fava, Matt McCullough, David Pollock, Robbie Diack ,Neil Hanna, Jarlath Carey,

BACKS
Simon Danielli; Isaac Boss; Ian Humphreys, Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave, Timoci Nagusa, Clinton Schifcofske, Thomas Anderson, Cillian Willis, Rob Dewey, Bryn Cunningham, TBC.