Libbok's second effort is no better than the first.

Ulster were caught not releasing in the tackle but again Libbok did not make them pay from a very kickable penalty.

Ulster fans, of course, will remember well how Manie Libbok broke their hearts in the 2022 URC semi-final here with his touchline conversion to seal victory.

His radar is off here, though. The Springbok World Cup winner sends his first effort off the tee wide of the posts.

Stormers flanker Hacjivah Dymani has 'Stay Cool' dyed into his hair.

After the temperatures Ulster have enjoyed/endured out in South Africa over the past ten days, a few of his opponents are no doubt thinking 'if only'.

An early change for Ulster after that opening score with Stewart Moore taking the place of Mike Lowry. A centre by trade, Moore has played plenty of full-back for Ulster in the past.

On the field, Steven Kitshoff is certainly enjoying his return to the DHL Stadium with Ulster taking encouragement from the initial scrums.

Richie Murphy said he wanted to see his side look after the ball better today than they did against the Sharks last week and they certainly did in the initial stages here, racking up the phases without making too much progress across the gain-line.

And we're underway...

The teams are out at the DHL Stadium with Tom O'Toole first out of the tunnel for Ulster as he marks his 100th outing for the province.

Results elsewhere have dropped Richie Murphy's side down to ninth in the table so plenty at stake here.

With his second game in charge of Ulster about to begin, interim head coach Richie Murphy has said he has been made to feel wholly welcome despite his short-term job status.

"It's not been difficult," he said. "I've only been in two weeks so I'm trying to get a feel for it but the guys have been brilliant. "We've driven them in a slightly different direction but we're both learning off each other. The vibe and the welcome has been really good."After last week's defeat, the former Irish Under-20s coach has said his side must look after the ball better seven days on.

"We put some good phases together early in the game and then we went into our shell a little bit," he added.

"We stopped passing, stopped moving the ball, and against a team like the Sharks, or against the Stormers, you're going to find it had to get across the gain-line in that situation.

"We're looking to build on our game this week."

Not for the first time this season, Ulster may well simply be relieved to have the focus of a game after another week of off the field headlines.

On Monday Jonny Petrie left his role as CEO, replaced by Hugh McCaughey on a short-term basis.

With Richie Murphy only installed as interim head coach following Dan McFarland's departure last month, there is little certainty around key positions moving forward.

Speaking to BBC Sport NI, Ulster legend Stephen Ferris said supporters want answers.

"What fans have been crying out for is to have a lot more clarity on what direction Ulster are going to go in," said Ferris.

He added: "There's so many questions around sponsorships, head coaches coming and going, now the CEO Jonny Petrie leaving his post two or three weeks after saying he was fully committed to seeing this project through.

"I think fans are at a point of 'what's going on here?' and I think Hugh McCaughey will be able to explain that better than most.

"He has a serious job on his hands. Is he the guy to take Ulster forward as CEO? I think the next couple of months might decide that."

Ferris does think that McCaughey has the character to make a success of the role.

"I believe that Hugh McCaughey will take this challenge head on," he added. He's not going to be somebody who sits in the back and delegates, sees the time out, and puts another few markers on the CV. Hugh McCaughey will give this 100%.

"He's a well-respected guy, he's a good fella, he's a rugby man and he'll get the backing of everyone else in the organisation. Hopefully the players that don't know him, will get to know him and they'll back him also."

As was the case when Ulster came here with Duane Vermeulen in their ranks, all eyes will be on former Stormers skipper Steven Kitshoff.

The two-time World Cup winner lifted the URC trophy in Stormers' colours in 2022 but results have been frustrating since he arrived in Belfast last autumn.

His head-to-head at scrum time with Neethling Fouche, and Frans Malherbe should Kitshoff's Springbok team-mate be sprung from the bench early, figures to be important.

The Stormers possess a rapid-fire attack - witness their seven tries against Edinburgh last week - and Ulster will need to do all they can to slow their attacking ball.

In that regard, Dave McCann and Nick Timoney will have their hands full at the breakdown with opposite numbers Hacjivah Dayimani and Evan Roos.

Both sides rely heavily on their inside centres, Stuart McCloskey and Damian Willemse, too.

Image source, Inpho

Despite the return of Rob Baloucoune to the starting line-up today, fellow winger Ethan McIlroy has kept his place in the team for this one.

The 23-year-old has now started four games in a row having returned from the nasty facial injury he sustained against Munster back in November.

"As you can probably imagine, it was a tough bang to take," he said.

"I was looked after really well on the night. The staff, physios and the doctor got me to the hospital, got everything sorted and then there was no rush for getting me back in.

"I had a bit of a fracture in my eye, so there was no rush to get me back in concussion-wise, with the normal routine to get back in.

"I had plenty of time to get back on my feet and get back into shape," he said.

"I had no real symptoms after that. There was no rush to get me back into any contact because of the eye socket so I had plenty of time, weeks and weeks, to get back on my feet and get into contact.

"I felt fully confident getting back in there and building myself into that game scenario."

McIlroy was a part of the side who lost that semi-final here two seasons ago but believes this group are capable of pulling off what would be an impressive victory against the 2022 league champions.

"The semi-final was memorable, playing that game. That last kick at the end was pretty devastating for the season we were having," he said.

"That's how tough it is. It's those fine margins and you have to really be on the money when you are over there playing against them.

"We have all the confidence in the world that when we are on our game, if we get together, we can beat them and have a good game."

Image source, Inpho

Ulster were victorious when these sides last met but that was in the friendly confines of the Kingspan Stadium.

They have no such positive memories of the DHL Stadium.

In the shadow of Table Mountain, Ulster have played two and lost two here since the Stormers came into the URC for the 2021/22 season.

They were controversially beaten in March 2022 when a late Callum Reid try was incorrectly ruled out for a knock-on.

That score would have given Ulster victory and the result loomed large at the end of that season, essentially giving the Stormers home advantage when the sides met in the URC's semi-finals a little over two months later.

In that one, Ulster held the lead against 14 men as the clock ticked into the red but Warrick Gelant's last-gasp score was converted by Manie Libbok to send the hosts through to a final they would go on to win.

Can Ulster flip the script this evening?

Image source, Inpho

Ulster are boosted by the return of Cape Town native Rob Herring who will lead the team out back in his hometown.

The Irish international hooker hasn't played since the win over Leinster on New Year's Day having suffered a biceps injury that saw him miss the entire Six Nations campaign.

He is straight back into Richie Murphy's starting line-up for this one with Tom Stewart dropping down to the bench.

Just as one experienced international returns, however, another is absent.

Club skipper Iain Henderson is out through illness resulting in further changes to the visiting pack.

Harry Sheridan, who impressed in the back-row during the losing effort against the Sharks, moves forward into the second-row spot vacated by Henderson, with Matty Rea coming in on the blindside flank.

There are two changes in the backline as well with winger Rob Baloucoune to see his first action since the Champions Cup defeat to Harlequins in January. Mike Lowry switches to full-back and Will Addison drops out of the matchday panel.

In the final change to the starting side, the injured Billy Burns is replaced at fly-half by Nathan Doak.

An interesting one to watch that with Burns heading Munster this summer and Doak expected to see plenty more time in the number ten jersey next season.

Stormers: Gelant; Hartzenberg, Du Plessis, Willemse, Zas; Libbok, De Wet; Harris, Dweba, Fouche; Moerat (capt), Van Herden; Englebrcht, Dayimani, Roos.

Replacements: Kotze, Lyons, Malherbe, Smith, Dixon, Theunissen, Jantjies, Loader.

Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, McIlroy; Doak, Cooney; Kitshoff, Herring (capt), O'Toole; Sheridan, Treadwell; Matty Rea, McCann, Timoney.

Replacements: Stewart, Warwick, Wilson, Izuchukwu, Rea, Shanahan, Flannery, Moore.

Image source, BBC Sport

After another tumultuous week at Ulster, the northern province are back in action against the Stormers in Cape Town at 17.15 GMT.

CEO Jonny Petrie left his post on Monday afternoon while the playing squad were in South Africa.

The former Scottish international had been in the role since 2019 and his departure came just weeks after he told media he was fully committed to seeing Ulster through this rocky period.

With head coach Dan McFarland having also departed last month, it has certainly been a period of upheaval in BT6.

On the field, last week's 22-12 loss to the bottom of the table Sharks was a poor way to start this two-game tour and interim head coach Richie Murphy will be desperate for some sort of return this evening to bring back to Belfast.

We have live coverage on BBC Radio Foyle and BBC Sounds in addition to our text commentary and look forward to you joining us.