THE DRAGONS may not have Welsh internationals Ross Moriarty or Aaron Wainwright with which to try to blunt Ulster's Springbok No.8 Marcell Coetzee, but Dean Ryan is banking on some of his young back row guns to step up to the mark today.
Ryan, like so many other coaches in the PRO14, is a huge admirer of the South African back row bulldozer and is hoping his young guns can join forces with the returning Ollie Griffiths to keep him in check.
Welsh international Griffiths is back from injury and will pack down at No.8, while former Wales U20 caps Harrison Keddie and Taine Basham will join him in the vital back row battle.
Another of the young, rising stars Ben Fry is on the bench, while Lennon Greggains misses out this time on getting involved in a potential back row masterclass at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.
“Ross and Aaron going into the Welsh camp gives a chance to the youngsters behind them to get a game,” said Ryan. “We have to remember how young they are, and how quickly they are coming into the PRO14. They will be going up against a real quality overseas signing if Marcel plays. What he does for Ulster is set the standard for them every week.
“He is their talisman and at the heart of a very physical side. He takes a bit of handling, that's for sure.
“We often talk about the influence that an overseas player can have on a wider group and he's a great example of that. As a back rower that physical contest is one of the biggest parts of your job.
“Ollie will have to keep him quiet and stop him from giving them go-forward. He will also have to get our attack going.”
While Ryan has lost his two back row men to Wales, as well as centre Nick Tompkins and prop Leon Brown, he has had full-back Jonah Holmes released to him to play in Belfast.
Former Leicester Tiger Holmes launched his Dragons career on the wing in the Challenge Cup quarterfinal defeat to Bristol and also featured there against Leinster and Zebre.
But Ryan is keen to give him a run at full-back to rest Jordan Williams who is easing back into action after knee surgery.
Dragons haven't beaten Ulster in Belfast for 12 years and are seeking backto- back PRO14 wins for the first time since November, 2016, having beaten Zebre 26-18 in Round 2.
Australian Lock Sam Carter will captain Ulster as the province look for their third straight league win.
TEAMS
ULSTER: Lyttle; Faddes, Hume, S Moore, Ludik; Madigan, Cooney; O'Sullivan, Andrew, M Moore, O'Connor, Carter (c), Reidy, Murphy, Coetzee
Replacements: McBurney, McCall, Kane, Treadwell, Timoney, Shanahan, Johnston, Lowry
Dragons: Holmes; Rosser, Warren, Dixon, Hewitt; S Davies, Williams (c); Bateman, Hibbard, Fairbrother, J Davies, Screech, Keddie, Basham, Griffiths
Replacements: Shipp, Harris, Coleman, Maksymiw, Fry, Knoyle, Robson, Roberts
Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi (Ita)
