| Venue: Le Stadium, Toulouse Date: Saturday, 9 April Kick-off: 15:15 BST |
| Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Ulster; match report on the BBC Sport website |
Robert Baloucoune is back in the Ulster team for Saturday’s European Champions Cup last-16 first-leg tie against holders Toulouse.
The Ireland wing missed Ulster’s two recent games in South Africa.
With Ethan McIlroy ruled out by concussion, wing Ben Moxham will make his first European start for Ulster.
The side has eight changes from the defeat by the Bulls with Stuart McCloskey, Billy Burns, John Cooney and Marcus Rea among those recalled.
Toulouse’s starting line-up has six men who played in France’s Grand Slam-clinching victory over England last month.
Scrum-half star Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack started at half-back in last month’s Six Nations contest while Francois Cros was in the France back row that night.
Full-back Thomas Ramos, hooker Peato Mauvaka and flanker Thibaud Flament came on as replacements in the Grand Slam match while Cyril Baille, who started at the Stade de France, is named on the Toulouse bench.
With Luke Marshall dropping to the Ulster bench, Stuart McCloskey returns at centre with Burns and Cooney in at half-back in place of Ian Madigan and Nathan Doak, with the latter included in the replacements.
Eric O’Sullivan and Rob Herring are drafted into the front row as Bradley Roberts and Andy Warwick are named in the replacements while Alan O’Connor and Rea take over from Kieran Treadwell and Jordi Murphy, who both drop to the bench.
With the last-16 ties being played over two legs, it could make a different dynamic to usual in the closing stages of this weekend’s games with away teams possibly content to take points rather than taking chances in the hope of chasing wins.
Toulouse: Ramos; Mallia, Holmes, Ahki, Lebel; Ntamack, Dupont; Netil, Mauvaka, Aldegheri; RO Arnold, Meafou; Elstadt, Flament, Cros.
Replacements: Cramont, Baille, Faumuina, RI Arnold, Jelonch, Placines, Page Relo, Guitoune.
Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Moxham; Burns, Cooney; O’Sullivan, Herring, Moore; A O’Connor, I Henderson; Marcus Rea, Timoney, Vermeulen.
Replacements: Roberts, Warwick, O’Toole, Treadwell, Murphy, Doak, Marshall, Lyttle.
