Ulster close to full strength for Champions Cup opener

Ulster are hoping to field their best available team when they travel to France for the Pool 5 Champions Cup opener against Bordeaux-Begles.

Andrew Trimble, Luke Olding, Stuart Olding and Franco van Der Merwe along with Charles Piutau, trained with the squad yesterday which will make up for the expected lengthy absence of Louis Ludik who underwent surgery yesterday for a fractured cheek bone, and Darren Cave’s torn calf.

Travelling to France was annually bogey territory for Ulster until 2012 when they defeated Castres, which was quickly followed by wins in Montpellier, and former champions Toulouse. Bordeaux-Begles are new kids on the block under the gaze of former France hooker and captain Raphael Ibanez, attack coach Emile Ntamak and defence coach Joe Worsley, the former England flanker.