Ulster v Racing is a Champions Cup tie with massive stakes for Dan McFarland's team.
After a weekend where Finn Russell cut them to shreds at his new home in the West Country, Ulster welcome his former employers to the Kingspan Stadium.
The Parisian Galaticos arrive in Belfast off the back of suffering a stunning upset at the París La Défense Arena as a Marcus Smith inspired Harlequins pulled out a remarkable 31-28 victory. Both sides know they are in a position where two losses to open the campaign could put them in a very tough spot in this competition.
When is Ulster v Racing 92?
Ulster play Racing under the lights at the Kingspan Stadium kicking off at 8:00pm.
How to Watch Ulster v Racing 92?
The match will be available on TNT Sports 3 with coverage starting at the conclusion of Lyon v Bulls.
Ulster Team News
Ulster went in at half time 14-8 up at the Rec with aspirations of taking four points back to Belfast. Much like Connacht and Munster, the second forty was nightmarish stuff from an Ulster perspective. 29 points conceded without reply in what was arguably Ulster's worst half of the season. In a week littered with comments from McFarland that the standard of training was not good enough. This was not the response he would have been hoping for from his team.
"Ulster have turned this on its head" 🔥
A lovely sweeping move and Nathan Doak has @UlsterRugby ahead at half-time!#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/rbhYNHCcKh— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 9, 2023
In the midst if a three game skid, Ulster now face one of the Top 14's premium outfits. With this game feeling like fixture upon which the season hangs by a thread, it has prompted these comments from Ulster's newest signing Stephen Kitshoff this week:
“It’s definitely a bit of a wake-up call and I need to make sure I get my own s*** right before I expect to perform as I should. I haven’t been on par yet."
It is a particularly big night for Kitshoff and his front row comrades as Racing possess four international props, one of which is Kitshoff's Springbok team mate, Trevor Nyakane. After Beno Obano claimed man of the match for his demolition job on the Ulster scrum, it will be vital that the Ulster pack are able to keep Guram Gogichashvili and Eddy Ben Arous in check at the set piece.
"In this competition, there's all those fine margins you have to get right... and the scrum was our fine margin today" ✅@BathRugby prop Beno Obano speaks following the convincing 37-14 win over Ulster...#InvestecChampionsCup pic.twitter.com/vwJ1X04HPB
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) December 9, 2023
Ulster make two changes to the pack that struggled so much in that second half at the Rec with Rob Herring starting at hooker ahead of Tom Stewart and Matty Rea coming in for academy product James McNabney.
There are changes at either end of the backline as Michael Lowry makes a first start at full back this season after coming off the bench last week and John Cooney gets the start ahead of Nathan Doak. Aside from that it is an otherwise unchanged group, despite worries earlier in the week for Billy Burns after he sustained an elbow injury against Bath.
Eric O'Sullivan takes Andrew Warwick's place among the replacements and Harry Sheridan provides the back row cover. Ulster have an exciting young trio of backs substitutes with Jake Flannery and Stewart Moore accompanying Nathan Doak.
🏆 @ChampionsCup Team News
Your Ulster side to take on @racing92 at Kingspan Stadium tomorrow 🔥
🎟️ | https://t.co/RSFNVVWSD6 pic.twitter.com/gFrZDLuvTM— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) December 15, 2023
Racing 92 Team News
Racing 92 bring a their own World Cup winner to Ravenhill this week in the form of Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi. Kolisi in company with Stuart Lancaster and the recent extension of Henry Arundell until 2026, along with his willingness to abandon hopes of further England caps, shows the ambition of this club. Their fans will be expecting silverware in the here and now as will those in charge of the club. As much as Ulster's season feels finely balanced, there will be alarm bells ringing for les Parisiens if they were to suffer the same fate as their last trip to the Kingspan Stadium in 2019 when they were downed, 26-22.
Siya Kolisi is cooking on his Champions Cup debut #SaffasAbroad pic.twitter.com/uComgdLQj6
— Rugby Bits (@RugbyBits) December 10, 2023
Changes come all over the park for Racing 92 as Trevor Nyakane starts against his fellow World Cup winner, Stephen Kitshoff. Welsh international Will Rowlands starts in the second row as the impressive Cameron Woki moves to blindside flanker alongside Kolisi and Wenceslas Lauret at number 8. Ibrahim Diallo is amongst the replacements.
Racing legend Henry Chavancy returns to the #12 shirt to replace Francis Saili, who struggled last week against the power of Andre Esterhuizen. Arundell, off the back of signing a new 3 year deal with the club, returns to the wing as Max Spring gets the start at fullback.
Racing 92 - Les Ciel et Blanc & la@ChampionsCup
Chap. 2 : to Kingspan Stadium ✋
Avec @randstad_france, découvrez les 23 Racingmen qui affronteront l' @UlsterRugby demain ! #ULSvR92 #RacingFamily pic.twitter.com/F0wgRlDqNw— Racing 92 (@racing92) December 15, 2023
This is a simply fantastic team of players at Racing 92. Woki was in bulldozing form this past weekend as were Boris Palu and Ibrahim Diallo in what is a large forward pack. Nolann Le Garrec was outstanding in orchestrating the Racing attack against Harlequins in a wild contest. You would not expect this side to struggle early on in the Champions Cup this year but Ulster have an outstanding record at the Kingspan in this competition and they will need all of that home support this Saturday.
