Trimble: Ulster ready to start again
Rob Dewey makes way for Steinmetz while Wallaby Justin Harrison returns to the second row, with Ulster taking a major risk in playing lock Matt McCullough at number eight.
McCullough has not played in the middle of the back row since he was losing captain in the 2000 Ulster Schools’ Cup final. The switch is caused by injury to Roger Wilson.
Says Trimble: “We just have to start again really, and that’s not the first time we have said that this season,” said the winger. “We thought we were going places after the previous few weeks. But we returned to training with another defeat and had to reassess.
“Yes, we are the bottom of the Magners League, but this is a different competition, and we are gearing ourselves to tackle the Ospreys.
“They are a very good team. A lot of money has been poured into the club and they have bought well. But in a way that puts more pressure on them than us. They have big expectations after their massive expenditure.
“The Ospreys have bags of individual flair with half-a-dozen big names in the back line, with game breakers you would not want to meet too often.
“But playing to those players has been lacking and there’s more grunt up front, so it promises to be physical.”
Ospreys are without Gavin Henson after the utility back broke his hand. Fly-half James Hook is back from a dislocated finger, while captain Filo Tiatia and Ian Gough — named on the bench — also return from knocks.
L Byrne; N Walker, M Taylor, S Parker, S Williams; J Hook, J Marshall; D Jones, H Bennett, A Jones, A Wyn Jones, I Evans, J Thomas, M Holah, F Tiatia (capt).
R Hibbard, C Griffiths, I Gough, B Lewis, M Phillips, S Connor, A Bishop.
B Cunningham; T Bowe, A Trimble, P Steinmetz, S Danielli; P Wallace, I Boss; J Fitzpatrick, R Best (capt), B Young, J Harrison, C Del Fava, N Best, D Pollock, M McCullough.
D Fitzpatrick, M Miles, R Caldwell, K Dawson, K Campbell, N O’Connor, R Dewey.
Chris White (England).
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