DAVE Shanahan will make his first senior start for Ulster in their crunch Champions Cup tie against Exeter on Sunday evening.
In the absence of the injured Ruan Pienaar, the young scrum-half is preferred to Paul Marshall and will pair up with Paddy Jackson, who kicked a late drop-goal to snatch the win for Ulster when these two met back in October.
There is no Tommy Bowe in the Ulster 23, with Charles Piutau back in the side on the right wing after having been rested in last week’s controversial, and potentially costly, defeat by Scarlets.
Ross Kane will make his first European start in an unchanged front row, with Iain Henderson moving to the back row alongside Chris Henry and Sean Reidy.
Ulster: L Ludik, C Piutau, L Marshall, S McCloskey, A Trimble, P Jackson, D Shanahan; C Black, R Best, R Kane, K Treadwell, P Browne, I Henderson, C Henry, S Reidy
Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick, J Simpson, F van der Merwe, C Ross, P Marshall, B Herron, J Stockdale