Ulster restart the game from a scrum on halfway.

An early stoppage in play as Damian Willemse goes down holding his face after tackling a dominant Jude Postlethwaite.

The centre leaves for treatment and on comes Jurie Matthee temporarily.

Jack Murphy of Ulster kicks the ball long to get us under way in Belfast.

Ulster prop Eric O'Sullivan said that his side know that two wins in their final United Rugby Championship [URC] games "make our season look a lot different".

Richie Murphy's side have a Challenge Cup final against Montpellier to look forward to but successive defeats by Leinster and Munster have dropped Ulster from third to eighth in the URC with two games left.

Ulster face the top two in Stormers and Glasgow Warriors with O'Sullivan acknowledging that the importance of winning those games and reaching the play-offs is helping players to put their European final at the back of their minds.

"The fact the two games matter is a huge part of it, we know we need two wins," he told BBC Sport NI.

"Two wins makes our season looks a lot different. Knowing each game matters is really important and we have to out and get wins and it will prep us well for the final.

"If you can compete with the two top in the league you can compete with anyone and its two important games coming up before the final."

Stormers have won 12 of their 16 URC games this season and O'Sullivan expects they will come with their full cohort to ensure they secure top seeds and home advantage in the play-offs.

"We're expecting them to come here fully loaded. They have a lot to play for, home advantage would be huge for them," he added.

"You want to go up against the best teams with their full depth and hopefully we can get a good result.

The 30-year-old hopes his side can use the feel-good factor around the club to propel them to a big victory tonight.

"I'm a confidence player and when things are going well its easy to snowball from that and I'm sure there are guys in the squad that feel the same.

"You have league leaders coming to town, you're going into another big physical match, so you have to be switched on and ready to go.

"Going into the game its good to have the confidence and the European win but you have to park that."

Image source, Getty Images

The immediate priority for Ulster is tonight's penultimate United Rugby Championship (URC) regular-season game against the Stormers at Affidea Stadium according to head coach Richie Murphy.

While Ulster have a European Challenge Cup final against Montpellier to look forward to on 22 May, thanks to their semi-final victory over Exeter on Saturday, there is no downplaying the importance of Friday's fixture with a URC play-off berth still to be secured.

Currently, Ulster sit in eighth position, three points above Connacht who host Munster on Saturday (19:45).

A top-eight finish would not only mean they continue their quest for domestic silverware this season, but would also stamp their ticket for a place in next season's European Champions Cup.

While victory over Montpellier in Bilbao in a fortnight would also be enough for them to qualify for Europe's top competition, Murphy is certainly not prioritising that game and insists their meeting with the Stormers "is huge for us".

"It's a massive couple of weeks for the club and for the players," Murphy told BBC Sport NI.

"We haven't been in this situation where we are fighting on two fronts, trying to get into the top eight [of the URC] and that's where our focus is this week.

"They [Stormers] are a massive team coming over, top of the league at the moment, [with a] big scrum, big maul and loads of exciting backs, so it's a huge test and on a six-day turnaround it's tight, but hopefully we have got the balance right of training and freshness to get the lads to perform.

"Our set-piece is going to be huge, but there are weaknesses in their team and we know if we get enough possession, we can cause any team problems."

Image source, Inpho

Image source, Getty Images

Ethan McIlroy insists Ulster remain confident of securing a top-eight finish in the United Rugby Championship despite a recent downturn in results in the competition.

Successive defeats by Leinster and Munster have dropped Richie Murphy's side from third to eighth with two games left before the play-offs.

But while winning the European Challenge Cup final against Montpellier later this month would secure the province's return to the Investec Champions Cup, McIlroy says the players still believe they can compete for silverware on the domestic front.

"It's not really in our thoughts right now [not making the top eight]," said the 25-year-old back-three player.

"We all believe and we're all confident we can at least make the top eight if we put good performances out against the Stormers and Glasgow at home."

McIlroy, who missed the first half of this season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury he picked up against Leicester in January 2025, helped Ulster reach their first European final in 14 years after replacing Jacob Stockdale at half-time in the semi-final win over Exeter Chiefs.

And while the former Ireland Under-20 international said there was a great buzz in the dressing room after the Exeter game, he says the squad have their feet back on the ground as they prepare to welcome URC leaders Stormers to Affidea Stadium tonight.

"You have to come back right back down to earth," he said.

"You're told pretty quickly that's where you need to be. You walk in on Monday, there's obviously still an excitement around the place and it's special, but there's no time to be living up in the clouds.

"It's the Stormers, who are top of the table, coming here and it's a pivotal game with where we are in the table, getting top eight is still a massive thing for us."

Ulster

Australian prop Angus Bell returns in one of six changes made by Richie Murphy for tonight's United Rugby Championship game against the table-topping Stormers.

Bell missed the Challenge Cup semi-final victory over Exeter Chiefs with a foot injury but is passed fit to start on Friday and comes in for Sean Crean.

Jacob Stockdale (facial fracture), Stuart McCloskey (hamstring) and David McCann (knee) suffered injuries in the last four win and are out of the game in Belfast.

Werner Kok is restored to the starting line-up at right wing, with Zac Ward shifting to the left flank.

Jude Postlethwaite moves to inside centre and is partnered by Ethan McIlroy in midfield.

Tom Stewart drops to the bench to be replaced by James McCormick while Charlie Irvine comes into the second row with captain Iain Henderson.

Cormac Izuchukwu moves to blindside flanker as a result and he is joined in the back row by Nick Timoney and Juarno Augustus.

There is an unchanged half-back pairing of Nathan Doak and Jack Murphy while Scott Wilson returns from injury and will start after Tom O'Toole's late withdrawal through illness.

Ulster: Lowry; Kok; McIlroy, Postlethwaite; Z Ward; Murphy, Doak; Bell, McCormick, Wilson, Henderson (capt), Irvine, Izuchukwu; Timoney, Augustus.

Replacements: Stewart, O'Sullivan, McAllister, Sheridan, B Ward, McKee, Flannery, De Klerk.

Stormers: Gelant; Simelane; du Plessis, Willemse; Zas; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Khan; Mchunu, Venter, Sandi, Smith, Heerden, Fourie (capt); Dixon, Roos.

Replacements: de Villiers, Kebble, Porthen, Evans, Dayimani, Morabe, Ungerer, Matthee.

Hello and welcome to our coverage of tonight's United Rugby Championship game between Ulster and Stormers at the Affidea Stadium.

Ulster booked their place in a European final last weekend with an impressive win over Exeter Chiefs, but they still have work to do to ensure they make the top eight in the URC and the play-offs.

Richie Murphy's side welcome table toppers Stormers to Belfast, hoping to bounce back from successive defeats in the competition against a team that are hunting a win that could help them finish top of the table and secure home advantage throughout the play-offs.

We will have live text commentary of the big game in Belfast.

It should be a good one so enjoy!

Image source, Getty Images