Ulster milestone puts Darren Cave centre stage at Kingspan

The 31-year-old is now seven behind most capped player Andrew Trimble.

However, while that will take centre stage today, it was the outhalf selection which grabbed the attention when the team was announced yesterday.

Peter Nelson, who had an impressive game at fullback last weekend in the 8-0 away win over Ospreys, gets the nod to start ahead of benched Johnny McPhillips.

Billy Burns and Michael Lowry are both ruled out and it was widely expected McPhillips would get an opportunity in a game where he could perhaps gain some redemption after disappointing performances in difficult situations away to Connacht and Leinster.

Nelson has played at outhalf on occasions previously over the years, a stop-gap at times of injury crisis in the fly-half role.

It forms a new half-back partnership from the Ospreys victory with Dave Shanahan coming in for John Cooney who is on the bench for Ireland in Rome.

Winger Robert Baloucoune has returns from injury to start on one wing, with Robert Lyttle on the other flank - Louis Ludik reverting to fullback.

With call-ups to Ireland for both Jordi Muprhy, who starts in the backrow against Italy, and Iain Henderson, named on the bench, Sean Reidy and Kieran Treadwell return for the home Province.

Last week’s win over Ospreys saw Ulster climb to fourth in PRO14 Conference B and are two points behind Edinburgh and Benetton who are occupying two of the three still available play-off places for the PRO14 Championship.

This home game against Zebre - sitting bottom of Conference A - affords a good opportunity for five match points, but Dan McFarland will be warning his side against complacency.

Centre Giulio Bisegni and fly-half Carlo Canna are in the Zebre team, having been released from the Italy squad.

The visitors also feature former Northampton wing Jamie Elliott who scored in last weekend’s 40-24 home defeat by Leinster.

LINE-UPS

Ulster: Ludik; Baloucoune, Cave, McCloskey, Lyttle; Nelson, Shanahan; O’Sullivan, Herring, Moore, O’Connor (capt), Treadwell, Ross, Reidy, Timoney.

Replacements: Andrew, Warwick, Kane, Nagle, Jones, Stewart, McPhillips, Hume.

Zebre: Brummer; Balekana, Bisegni, De Battista, Elliott; Canna, Renton; Bianchi, Brown, Tauyavuca, Biagi (capt), Krumov, Bello, Fabiani, Rimpelli.

Replacements: Luus, Fischetti, Tenga, Masselli, Mordacci, Raffaele, Azzolini, Venditti.