RICH PICKINGS
Interim boss Murphy blessed with strong first Ulster squad
SIX NATIONS winners Iain Henderson and Stuart Mccloskey have been named by new interim boss Richie Murphy for Ulster’s clash with Sharks in Durban.
Murphy, who guided Ireland Under-20s to second place in the Six Nations last weekend, is facing a whirlwind start in his new role having made the trip with the province to South Africa.
He takes hold of the reins from assistant coach Dan Soper who oversaw a 49-26 win over Dragons in Ulster’s last outing earlier this month.
And Murphy has a strong squad at his disposal, with Ireland fringe players Nick Timoney, Tom Stewart and Tom O’toole also in the line-up.
Kieran Treadwell starts for the first time since suffering a rib injury against Harlequins in January.
Treadwell and Henderson form a new second row partnership with Mccloskey replacing Jude Postlethwaite at centre.
Murphy will hope for a winning start against a Sharks side that has won only once and is stuck at the foot of the table. “When you look at the Sharks team it is star-studded and when you look at their results they have been a little off,” said Murphy.
“But that’s not going to stay that way forever. We have to go there, be ourselves and play our game.
“We’ve been trying to build on who we are and what we are about, hopefully we see that Saturday.”
But Sharks’ Springbok lock Eben Etzebeth (right) warned: “We as a Sharks team must get our confidence right for next season and finish on a high – hopefully we can produce a great performance.
“We need to step up in the physicality department, we haven’t had a great set-piece this year and we as South Africans love that battle.
“But I just feel we’re letting ourselves and the supporters down with what we’ve produced.
“The plan is to be a lot more physical this weekend. There’s always a sense of pride when we wear the jersey and win games and that motivates the guys to not give up but to make it difficult for the teams coming to Durban.” ULSTER: W Addison, E Mcilroy, J Hume, S Mccloskey, M Lowry, B Burns, J Cooney, S Kitshoff, T Stewart, T O’toole, K Treadwell, I Henderson, H Sheridan, D Mccann, N Timoney.