Tommy Bowe could yet have some part to play for Ulster in tomorrow's Heineken Cup quarter-final against Saracens after being named among the replacements for the match at Twickenham.
The Ireland international has not played any rugby since December but returns to the fold following a successful operation on a knee ligament injury.
“Tommy has trained very well,” Ulster coach Mark Anscombe said this morning. “He is chomping at the bit to get out there – he has missed a lot of rugby and he wants to play. We want to accommodate him because he is a world-class player. It is a credit to our head of strength and conditioning, Jonny Davis, and to Gareth Robinson, Alan McCaldin and the rest of our medical staff that he is ready.”
John Afoa, who only returned to training yesterday after travelling home to New Zealand for the birth of his third child, is drafted straight back into the front row while Iain Henderson is named at number six instead of Robbie Diack.
The only other change to the side that beat Leinster on their own patch last weekend sees Luke Marshall come back to the Ulster midfield after he missed the trip to the RDS with concussion.
“We're playing in the quarter-final of a great competition, at one of the best grounds in rugby, against the side leading the Aviva Premiership and there's going to be a big crowd,” Anscombe added. “It doesn't get any better than that.”
Saracens coach Mark McCall has included Brad Barritt, David Strettle, Schalk Brits, Matt Stevens, Alistair Hargreaves and Kelly Brown in his selection with the former Ulster centre wary of the threat the visitors will pose.
“Ulster have players all over the pitch who are capable of winning games on both the domestic and international stage,” he said. “In the past two seasons, they have been one of the form teams in Europe and of course, reached the final of this competition last season – so we are fully aware of the size of the challenge ahead of us.
“We go into the game in a good place in both the Premiership and a home quarter-final in Europe. Twickenham is a familiar venue as many of our squad have played here frequently in recent years and of course, several of the team were also in action here just a few weeks ago in the Six Nations – so everyone is really looking forward to the occasion.”
Saracens: A Goode; C Ashton, J Tomkins, B Barritt, D Strettle; O Farrell, R Wigglesworth; M Vunipola, S Brits, M Stevens; S Borthwick, A Hargreaves; K Brown, W Fraser, E Joubert. Replacements: J Smit, R Gill, P du Plessis, M Botha, J Wray, N de Kock, C Hodgson, C Wyles.
Ulster: J Payne, A Trimble, D Cave, L Marshall, C Gilroy, P Jackson, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa; J Muller, D Tuohy; I Henderson, C Henry, N Williams. Replacements: R Herring, C Black, R Lutton, R Diack, R Wilson, P Marshall, S Olding, T Bowe.
