Ulster coach Alan Solomons has engaged in a balancing act with his Ireland squad players as Ulster face Edinburgh in Hughenden on Friday night in the Celtic Cup semi-final.
While World Cup outhalf David Humphreys is not included in the side, it is possible the other five Ulster players involved with Eddie O'Sullivan's panel will play over the weekend, some for Ulster, others with their clubs.
Humphreys is excluded because he played such a central role in the World Cup, while Tyrone Howe is included on the wing despite enduring a most arduous journey to Australia and back in just seven days. Howe was called over to the World Cup as cover for Leinster's Denis Hickie after he snapped his Achilles tendon in Ireland's final pool game against Australia.
Howe flew out last Monday and returned yesterday to go straight back into the starting line-up. Although he is likely to be jet-lagged, Howe is the least match-rusty of Ulster's Irish squad members and missed only one Celtic League match with the province. He has also had a prosperous run on the wing with four tries to date.
Otherwise Simon Best and Neil Doak are named on the Ulster bench. Best did briefly come on in Australia for an Irish cap as a temporary blood replacement, while Doak was inactive throughout the tournament. But as Ulster are short of props with Ronan Frost currently in recovery, Best travels as cover for that position.
Doak also goes to Scotland as cover and if he plays less than 30 minutes of the match, he will turn out for his club side Belfast Harlequins in their All-Ireland League clash against Lansdowne at Deramore Road on Saturday.
Gary Longwell, who was injured for a substantial part of the World Cup, will also accompany the Ulster squad as the 23rd player.
There is an injury concern over second row Matt Mustchin, who must pass a fitness test tomorrow. In the event of Mustchin not making it Rowan Frost will start and Longwell will sit on the bench as a replacement.
The final player of the six, Paddy Wallace, sits out the cup match but will play for his club, Ballymena, against Dolphin in Cork.
Referring to Humphreys, Solomons said: "David is a key player in the Ulster set-up but with the Irish management ruling that any player who took an active part in the World Cup quarter-finals be out for the next 14 days, David is not eligible for the Celtic Cup semi-final.
"The problem with our other World Cup players is that they have played absolutely no rugby for between six and seven weeks. Simon Best did have a 10-minute cameo appearance but Paddy Wallace, Neil Doak and Gary Longwell have had absolutely no rugby whatsoever.
"In that respect I never gave it a moment's thought to play them. There was no dilemma. The players, who have been there, have done extremely well. There was no question of them being displaced. That said, we are delighted to have the others back.
"Yes, Tyrone Howe is suffering from jet fatigue and jet lag but he was flown to Australia first class there and back and he is now working with our conditioning coach Philip Morrow."
New signing Paul Steinmetz will make his first full start for Ulster, partnering Ryan Constable in the centre, while the pack remains unchanged.
Connacht, who have already beaten Saturday's opponents Edinburgh on the first weekend of the campaign, named a 25-man squad for their semi-final at the Sportsground, which is being billed as the West of Ireland's biggest rugby game. Connacht have never been in a cup final, at least in the modern era. Coach Michael Bradley must, however, wait for progress reports on a number of injured players and won't announce a team until tomorrow.
Doubtful for the clash are outhalf Eric Elwood (leg), hooker Bernard Jackman (ankle) and prop Fabian Boiroux (back), while a number of other players are also nursing minor injuries. Once again children will be admitted free of charge.
ULSTER (v Glasgow): B Cunningham; J Topping, R Constable, P Steinmetz, T Howe; A Larkin, K Campbell; B Young, M Sexton, R Moore, M Mustchin, M McCullough, A Ward, N Best, T McWhirter. Replacements: P Shields, S Best, R Frost, R Wilson, N Doak, S Stewart, S Young.
