Jacob Boyd to make Ulster senior debut against Benetton in URC

Jacob Boyd of Ireland during the U20 Six Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland at The Recreation Ground in Bath. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Academy prop Jacob Boyd will make his Ulster senior debut in Treviso on Saturday evening, as the province take on Benetton Rugby in Round 11 of the URC (KO 5.15pm).

Head Coach Richie Murphy also welcomes back a trio of Ireland internationals, with Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole and Cormac Izuchukwu all included in the starting XV.

Boyd, a former Danske Bank Schools’ Cup winning captain with RBAI, featured off the bench in last weekend’s friendly versus Queensland Reds, and the 20-year-old will start at loosehead prop. Herring and O’Toole will provide international level experience alongside him in the front row.

Alan O’Connor returns in the second row and will captain the side, with Izuchukwu joining him in the Ulster engine room.

Nick Timoney and David McCann continue at openside flanker and number eight respectively, with Matty Rea getting the nod at blindside.

Behind the pack, scrum-half Nathan Doak and fly-half Aidan Morgan make up the half-back partnership.

After completing their comebacks from injury lay-offs against the Reds last week, Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey and James Hume all return to competitive action in the Ulster backline.

McCloskey and Hume resume a familiar midfield partnership, with Stockdale named on the left wing, joining right wing Michael Lowry and fullback Stewart Moore in the back three.

Another prop, Bryan O’Connor, is also in line to earn his first Ulster cap from the bench. John Andrew, Scott Wilson, Kieran Treadwell and Reuben Crothers are the other forward replacements, with Dave Shanahan, Jake Flannery and Jude Postlethwaite named as the backline options.

ULSTER: 15. S Moore, 14. M Lowry, 13. J Hume, 12. S McCloskey, 11. J Stockdale, 10. A Morgan, 9. N Doak; 1. J Boyd, 2. R Herring, 3. T O’Toole, 4. A O’Connor (captain), 5. C Izuchukwu, 6. M Rea, 7. N Timoney, 8. D McCann.

Replacements: 16. J Andrew, 17. B O’Connor, 18. S Wilson, 19. K Treadwell, 20. R Crothers, 21. D Shanahan, 22. J Flannery, 23. J Postlethwaite.