Ulster head coach Neil Doak has backed his play-off chasing team to breach fortress Sportsground and see off inter-provincial rivals Connacht on Saturday. Connacht have lost only once at home in GUINNESS PRO12 encounters this season, while second-placed Ulster have proved to be hit and miss on their travels. Ireland internationals Rory Best, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne all come back into the Ulster team, while Roger Wilson returns to the side at No.8 with Iain Henderson picked at blindside and Chris Henry at openside in what will be his first start since recovering from heart surgery. And Doak is under no illusions of the magnitude of the test ahead. “Both sides are fighting hard, us to stay in the top two and Connacht to stay in the top six, so for both teams it’s a huge game,” he said. “They’ve already beat Leinster and Munster in Galway and as Pat Lam said earlier in the week they’ll be looking to make a bit of history by beating us as well. “At home they’ve lost one to Edinburgh, drawn one (to Cardiff) and lost to Exeter in the Challenge Cup, so it’s not an easy place to go to. “They’ll be disappointed on the back of last week’s game, but they’ll be a different animal this weekend.” Connacht boss Pat Lam has made three changes to his team. Bundee Aki returns at inside centre, Craig Ronaldson has been handed the No10 shirt, while George Naoupu represents the only change to the pack and comes in at No.8 to allow captain John Muldoon to revert to blindside flanker. Connacht have suffered three defeats in a row and only beaten Ulster once in their past 17 meetings. But Lam hopes home advantage can give his team the edge. “We are back on our Sportsground for the first time in six weeks and we’re in a really exciting place in the league,” he said. “We have put ourselves in a position where we still have so much to play for at this time of the season. A top-six finish is still very much in our hands. "These are the types of pressure games that you want this young group of players to be playing in and we know we need to put in a big team performance. “We have no doubt that Saturday will be a massive challenge against a quality Ulster side who have been up near the top of the table for the whole season.” At Sportsground, 2.40pm. Live on Sky Sports Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 122nd competition game) Assistant Referees: Leo Colgan, John Carvill (both IRFU) Citing Commissioner: John Cole (IRFU) TMO: Jude Quinn (IRFU)
