Ulster prop Tom McAllister will make his senior debut for the province in Friday's United Rugby Championship clash with Edinburgh at Myreside. The Ireland under-20 international tight-head, who joined the Ulster academy last year, starts in the front row alongside Australia loose-head Angus Bell and captain Rob Herring.

Herring leads the side in the absence of Iain Henderson, called into the Ireland squad for Saturday's Six Nations Triple Crown decider against Scotland. The match, originally scheduled for October but postponed due to Storm Amy, sees several players return from Ireland camp, including Cormac Izuchukwu, Jude Postlethwaite, and Bryn Ward. Number eight Juarno Augustus makes his first appearance of 2026 after recovering from an ankle injury.

With Nathan Doak on Ireland duty, veteran scrum-half Dave Shanahan gets a rare start, his first since November 2023. The 32-year-old's inclusion marks head coach Richie Murphy's only backline change from the Ospreys game. Ulster, currently sixth in the URC table, can climb to second with a bonus-point win over 12th-placed Edinburgh, who defeated them 47-17 in last season's meeting.