| Venue: Kingspan Stadium, Belfast Date: Friday, 22 December Kick-off: 19:35 GMT |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app, with text updates, report, reaction and highlights on the BBC Sport website |
Ulster hooker Rob Herring has been ruled out of Friday’s United Rugby Championship interprovincial game against Connacht at Kingspan Stadium.
Herring suffered an ankle injury in the second half of Saturday’s Investec Champions Cup win over Racing 92.
Fly-half Billy Burns is a fitness doubt after sustaining an arm injury in the European Pool 2 encounter.
Luke Marshall, who injured his ankle in training last week, is unavailable for selection for the pre-Christmas match.
On a more positive note, flanker and long-term absentee Sean Reffell has resumed full training and is now available for selection following the ankle injury he sustained last January.
A squad update issued by Ulster also revealed that wing Ethan McIlroy has returned to team training this week.
McIlroy sustained a facial fracture and concussion during the home URC win over Munster.
The update confirmed that Burns’ availability for Ulster’s second meeting of the season with Connacht “will be assessed during the week”.
The westerners ran out 22-20 winners over Dan McFarland’s side at the Sportsground in Galway in early November.
That win took Peter Wilkins’ side top of the URC table, but they have now lost five of their last six outings in all competitions, including three reverses in league action.
Ulster lost their last two URC matches against Glasgow and Edinburgh but should take confidence from their success over the Top 14 leaders on Saturday.
Connacht are expected to welcome back Mack Hansen for Friday’s match after the Ireland wing sat out his side’s defeat by Saracens at the weekend with a foot problem.
Ulster sit seventh in the standings after seven rounds of fixtures, with their opponents on Friday one point worse off in eighth.
