Strong Ulster attack lined up for Treviso tie
Ireland trio Andrew Trimble, Craig Gilroy and Jared Payne are all in the starting line-up behind the scrum, while Charles Piutau, Stuart Olding, Peter Nelson and Ruan Pienaar also feature in a really potent attack.
Springbok number eight Marcell Coetzee also starts following illness with Roger Wilson and Sean Reidy his back-row compatriots.
It will be Payne’s first start since injuring his kidney during the autumn Test against Australia. He will wear the number 13 jersey with Olding inside him while Gilroy is named as an attacking full-back with Piutau and Trimble on the flanks.
Rob Herring leads the side and he will have props Callum Black and Wiehahn Herbst by his side. Injury frustrations means it’s just South African Herbst’s seventh start of the season packing down at tight-head.
“Personally it was good to get back into playing again,” said Herbst.
“I was back at the start of the current run against Edinburgh, then Glasgow. I have still a few things to work on after the Zebre game last week, but it is important to bring something for the team and then other things will look after themselves.
“Treviso will bring different things to the table than Zebre, so for us as a team it is important to focus on the basics.
"Win up front then hopefully the backs can cut loose. As forwards, we obviously try to do that every game, but we know we have a quality backline so if we can give them good ball they will do what they can.”
C Gilroy, A Trimble, J Payne, S Olding, C Piutau, P Nelson, R Pienaar; C Black, R Herring (capt), W Herbst, K Treadwell, F van der Merwe, R Wilson, S Reidy, M Coetzee.
J Andrew, A Warwick, R Lutton, P Browne, C Ross, P Marshall, L Marshall, J Stockdale.
L Sperandio; A Esposito, T Iannone, M Tagicakibau, A Buondonno; I McKinley, T Tebaldi; F Zani, L Bigi, T Pasquali; T Paulo, D Budd (capt), M Lazzaroni, F Minto, R Barbieri.
R Santamaria, R Acosta, M Zanusso, F Gerosa, G Zanini, G Bronzini, A Sgarbi, A Pratichetti.
Dan Jones (WRU).
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