Ulster v Connacht Friday February 4 8:15pm KO BBC2NI / TG4 / Premier Sports 1

[Neill_M]

Dan Soper saying Cooney and McCloskey are unlikely to be available for Friday.

Via @admckendry on twitter.

[jean valjean]

A fired up connacht missing fewer players than us will be dangerous. A similar performance as last Friday night will result in them doing the double on us. Hopefully Moore is available in the centre. Will there be any released from ireland camp?

[StandUp]

This is a real banana skin for us. Leinster did us a favour last weekend and we can’t pay that favour back this week but Connacht will be really up for this with a belief they can take us again.
We will struggle in the centres against the likes of Daly and Porch and I don’t think we can afford to play Moxham at 13 for this but we are bare bones.

[justinr73]

They were very much second best to Glasgow in Galway at the weekend.

No sign of Daly or Porch (in the back three). Farrell went off injured. Their set piece was creaking.

Even allowing for their usual 20% Interpro improvement, I’d say they’d be desperate to get Bealham and, especially, Carty back.

[allezlesverres]

Surely we will get some players released back to us? Treadwell maybe? I can't imagine him being on call even as a reserve. They might keep Hume and Herring as break glass options in case someone gets injured on the Captain's run or whatever. Ireland have a lot of back row options so we could perhaps get Timoney back too.

The worry again is in the centre. Curtis has been largely reliable if not stellar in both the 12 and 13 jersey. I hate slagging young players having a hard time but it has to be said that Moxham has had a few difficult days at the office in the 13 jersey. The amount of missed tackles is not sustainable in such a pivotal defensive position. If we don't get Moore back or some other option in the Centre, it could be a long night for us.

[Jackie Brown]

Our centers are the biggest issue. Moxham isn't the answer.

Would like to see Sexton involved a bit more this week.

[Neill_M]

Always a guessing game re Irish squad release. Both the Ulster and Ireland 23s being named on Thursday. Expecting Ireland to name 23 as close to New Zealand game in Autumn.

Baloucoune could start with no Lowe in squad. Good chance Hume, Timoney and Treadwell will be released, Lowry and O'Toole may be kept in squad as cover. Henderson and Herring will probably be in the Ireland 23.

[Neill_M]

Connacht Squad Update:
- Tom Daly, John Porch, Conor Fitz and Peter Robb all back available this week.
- Tom Farrell still waiting to hear on a time line.
- Jack Aungier is out this week due to a rib injury.
- Robertson-McCoy out for the next few weeks with hamstring injury.

via @masterofnonepod on twitter

[StandUp]

Daly and Porch will be a nightmare. We looked absolutely stacked at centre not so long ago.

[jean valjean]

Curtis and Moore could hold their own if both are available. Assume gilroy hasn't been cited so same back 3 as last week also.

[Neill_M]

Andrew Brace will ref Ulster vs. Connacht on Friday night in the #URC.

Andrew Cole and Paul Haycock are the assistant refs, Joy Neville is the TMO.

Via @Murray_Kinsella on twitter.

[Neill_M]

The Ulster Rugby Medical Performance team has issued a squad update ahead of Friday’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Connacht at Kingspan Stadium.

Marty Moore sustained a concussion in the recent URC game against Scarlets and will not be available for selection this weekend.

Matty Rea, Jordi Murphy, and Cormac Izuchukwu have started their reintegration into rugby training.

Squad updates in association with The Ulster Independent Clinic.

[Neill_M]

So looking at something like (assuming we get zero players back from Irish Camp):

(15-9) Ethan McIlroy, Craig Gilroy, Stewart Moore, Angus Curtis, Rob Lyttle, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak.

(1-8) Eric O’Sullivan, John Andrew, Gareth Milasinovich, Alan O’Connor (Capt.), Sam Carter, Greg Jones, Marcus Rea, Duane Vermeulen.

Replacements: Brad Roberts, Jack McGrath, Ross Kane, Mick Kearney, David McCann, David Shanahan, Ian Madigan, Ben Moxham.

[big mervyn]

The Ulster Rugby Medical Performance team has issued a squad update ahead of Friday’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Connacht at Kingspan Stadium.

Marty Moore sustained a concussion in the recent URC game against Scarlets and will not be available for selection this weekend.

Matty Rea, Jordi Murphy, and Cormac Izuchukwu have started their reintegration into rugby training.

Squad updates in association with The Ulster Independent Clinic.

Return to play protocol failure then?

[So It Is]

Big Marty has had a few concussions recently?

Worrying sign if the case. He's probably been our most consistent forward over the last season or 2.