Ian Madigan will have to wait for his first taste of competitive action for Ulster after Billy Burns was given the nod to start in Sunday's PRO14 Aviva Stadium clash with Connacht (4.30pm).
Billy Burns will lead out Ulster as captain and, with John Cooney, the province's formidable half-back combination will try to put the Ulstermen on their way to the semi-finals.
Dan McFarland's team require just two points from their last two regular season games to secure a last four place.
Thus along with Madigan, new signing Alby Mathewson - who had performed so well for Munster in the recent past - will be on the bench, whole Wallabies second row Sam Carter will hope to be sprung from it for his first appearance since November, having recovered from a shoulder operation.
Jacob Stockdale is given the nod at full-back, with Louis Ludik and Craig Gilroy completing the back three.
James Hume, 21, partners Stuart McCoskey in midfield, where they will try to contain Bundee Aki, who looks in prime condition to restart the campaign.
Aki, in fact, makes his 100th appearance for the westerners, who have a very outside chance of still making the play-offs but in reality are looking for performances over the next two weekends to provide a platform for next season.
Alex Wooton, who has signed from Munster, and Academy graduate Peter Sullivan are named on the wings for Andy Friend's side, with John Porch at full-back.
Experienced duo Jack Carty and Kieran Marmion are Friend's half-back selections, while Finlay Bealham returns to the front row after suffering a serious injury against Edinburgh in February.
A further three players could make their bow off the Connacht bench - props Jordan Duggan and Jack Aungier, and back row Conor Oliver.
And Friend commented: “We have selected a squad of 23 that we believe can win this fixture.
"We have a neat blend of experience and youth, with the potential of five new debutants for Connacht, along with Bundee making his 100th appearance. It’s therefore a special occasion in many ways, and we intend to put out a performance that warrants that.
"It has been almost six months since our last game and two months since we commenced pre-season training, so we are delighted our return has finally arrived.
"I have been really impressed with how the squad as a group have reacted to the uncertainty of the last few months, and it’s now our opportunity to show that hard work against an opposing team".
ULSTER: Stockdale, Gilroy, Hume, McCloskey, Ludik, Burns (capt), Cooney; McGrath, Herring, Moore, O'Connor, Treadwell, Timoney, Murphy, Coetzee. Replacements: McBurney, O'Sullivan, O'Toole, Carter, Rea, Mathewson, Madigan, Lowry.
CONNACHT: Porch, Sullivan, Farrell, Aki, Wooton, Carty, Marmion; Buckley,Heffernan, Bealham, Dillane, Thornbury, Masterson, Butler (capt), Boyle. Replacements: Murphy, Duggan, Aunger, Murray, Oliver, Kerins, Dean, Daly.
