News

Match Day Guide | Ulster v Scarlets

28th November 2019

Ulster welcome Scarlets to Kingspan Stadium on Friday night in Round 7 of the 2019/20 Guinness PRO14 Championship. Ulster go into Friday night's game full of confidence following last weekend's Heineken Champions Cup win over French giants ASM Clermont Auvergne, which moved the Ulster men to the top of Pool 3 with two wins from the opening two rounds. In the Challenge Cup, Scarlets suffered an agonising defeat away to Toulon, conceding a last-minute converted try, despite playing the whole of the second half with 14 men. Dan McFarland’s Ulster side have been very strong at home, with four wins in all competitions from as many games and can consolidate their charge for a PRO14 Final Series position with a win here. However, they take on a Scarlets team who have lost just one match in the Guinness PRO14 this season. Here is everything you need to know about the game…

Match Details

Date: Friday 29 November 2019
Kick-Off: 7.35pm
Venue: Kingspan Stadium
Competition: Guinness PRO14
Referee: Sam Grove-White (SRU, 6th competition game), Assistant Referees: Rob O’Sullivan (IRFU), Ben Blain (SRU), TMO: Charles Samson (SRU)

Key Stats

Overall Guinness PRO14 head to head record: Played 33, Ulster won 17, Scarlets won 14 with 2 games drawn.
Ulster Rugby’s only defeat in their last six matches in all competitions was 16-22 to Munster in Limerick in round 6 of Guinness PRO14.
Ulster are unbeaten at Kingspan Stadium in any competition since Connacht defeated them there in the PRO14 on 5 October 2018.
The Ulstermen have lost only once to a Welsh region since March 2018: 12-29 at Scarlets twelve months ago.
Scarlets only defeat in Guinness PRO14 this season was 7- 46 to Edinburgh at BT Murrayfield in round 4.
The Welshmen have won their last two matches against Irish provinces but their most recent victory away to such opponents was when they beat Munster in the 2017 Guinness PRO14 Final at Aviva Stadium.
The last six meetings between the two side in Guinness PRO14 have all been won by the home team on the day, but Ulster did win both encounters in last season’s European Cup pool phase.
Scarlets only victory in Belfast since 2008 was by a solitary point 21-20 in February 2016.

Team News

Louis Ludik will make his 100th Ulster appearance on Friday night, five years after he earned his first cap against the same opposition. There are six changes to the starting XV that defeated Clermont last week, with Robert Baloucoune, Craig Gilroy, Matt Faddes, Bill Johnston, Kieran Treadwell and Matthew Rea all coming in. David Shanahan is set to win his 50th cap from the bench, while David O'Connor could make his Ulster debut if called upon.

Ulster team: (15-9) Louis Ludik, Robert Baloucoune, Matt Faddes, Stuart McCloskey, Craig Gilroy, Bill Johnston, John Cooney. (1-8) Eric O'Sullivan, Rob Herring (Capt.), Marty Moore, Alan O'Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy, Marcell Coetzee.

Replacements: Adam McBurney, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, David O’Connor, Nick Timoney, David Shanahan, Angus Curtis, Angus Kernohan. Scarlets team: (15-9): Steff Evans; Corey Baldwin, Steff Hughes (capt), Paul Asquith, Morgan Williams; Dan Jones, Kieran Hardy; (1-8): Phil Price, Ryan Elias, Samson Lee, Lewis Rawlins, Sam Lousi, Uzair Cassiem, Josh Macleod, Blade Thomson. Replacements: Marc Jones, Dylan Evans, Werner Kruger, Steve Cummins, Jac Morgan, Jonathan Evans, Ryan Lamb, Ryan Conbeer.

Ticketing

A limited number of tickets are still available, from £17 for adults and £12 for juniors. To purchase tickets, simply click here or contact the Ulster Rugby Ticket Office for more information – (028) 9049 3222 (option 2). Tickets will be available on the gate from 6.05pm on Friday, but it is recommended to book in advance for best available tickets and to avoid queues.

Team Talk

Travel & Security

Useful links

Entertainment

There will be live music with Steve Gilkeson in The Clubhouse Bar, and the Cool FM Street Team will be providing live entertainment in the Fan Zone. Also in the Fan Zone, you can test your skills with the River Rock Passing Challenge. Junior Season Ticket holders can pop along to the ‘OUR Club’ headquarters (located in Players Lounge at corner of Family Stand / Grandstand), where they can take part in fun activities and meet some of their playing heroes. Also in the Players Lounge, you can experience Ulster Rugby’s first virtual reality (VR) project, supported by Bank of Ireland. The 3-minute clip features highlights of the players’ pre-match routine, including the team talk by Rory Best, as well as on-pitch action and reaction from the crowd. View a preview of the VR experience below.

Festive Drinks Huts

Warm up your singing voice with a selection of hot spirits and hot chocolate, available from the Festive Drinks Huts located in the Fan Zone and outside OUR Club headquarters.

Commentary Sets for Visually Impaired

Did you know that Ulster Rugby currently has 30 commentary sets available on match nights for supporters who are visually impaired? To make use of this service, simply call into the admin building reception on match nights, or call Jen in the Ticket Office on (028) 9049 3222 to book yours for an upcoming game.

Match Programme

In this week's 64 page match programme, we have feature interviews with the newest club centurion Louis Ludik and scrum-half David Shanahan, in addition to all the regular team news, squad profiles, kids activities, plus much more. Pick up your programme at both main entrances for just £3 from the Cooke Women's RFC sellers.

Meet the Players

Prior to the game, non-playing squad members will be making appearances at various locations throughout the Fan Zone and and new Kukri Pop-Up Shop (located at the back of the Grandstand). After the game, members of the playing squad will meet supporters, sign autographs and pose for photos at the back of the Grandstand approximately 15 minutes after full-time.

Looking Back

In September 2018, John Cooney landed a late, late penalty to give Ulster a dramatic 15-13 win over Scarlets in the opening round of the 2018/19 PRO14 Championship. The game was also Dan McFarland's first in charge of the team.