Jack Carty captains Connacht against Ulster in the URC interpro

Jack Carty will captain Connacht as Kieran Marmion, Tom Daly and Eoghan Masterson return for tomorrow’s URC inter-pro meeting with Ulster at the Aviva Stadium.

Daly partners Sammy Arnold in the centre, with Bundee Aki being monitored for a knee injury. AKi is expected to return to full training next week with the National Team.

The back three is again made up of wingers Mack Hansen and John Porch, and full-back Tiernan O’Halloran.

The tight five is unchanged with Matthew Burke, Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham in the front row and locks Niall Murray and Ultan Dillane.

Eoghan Masterson is a direct replacement for injury absentee Cian Prendergast on the flank, with Conor Oliver and number 8 Paul Boyle alongside them.

The Connacht coaching team have gone back to a 4-3 split on the bench, with Conor Fitzgerald coming back into the match-day squad.

“We’ve been looking forward to tomorrow for a long time” explained head coach Andy Friend. “The opportunity to return to the Aviva Stadium, but this time with thousands of Connacht supporters behind us, is something we’re all incredibly excited about”.

“The importance of this fixture is not lost on us either” added Friend. ”So far this season the performances have been good but the results haven’t matched up to that. So now we have to give absolutely everything to make sure we end this block of fixtures on a winning note.”