United Rugby Championship: Will Addison makes Ulster return in opener with Robert Baloucoune not named

Addison broke his leg in October 2021

Will Addison will make his competitive Ulster return after almost two years out injured in Saturday's United Rugby Championship opener away to Zebre.

Addison will play at full-back in Parma after recovering from a broken leg to come through pre-season matches.

New signing Dave Ewers will make his debut at flanker but wing Robert Baloucoune is not named in the squad.

Hooker Tom Stewart will captain a side missing Ireland's World Cup players as well as several who are out injured.

Ulster Rugby said Ireland international Baloucoune has been going through a graduated return to consistent playing over the last number of months, and that his absence from the squad this weekend is part of that plan.

The 26-year-old was severely hampered by injuries last season, with a recurrence of a hamstring problem in January ruling him out of Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam success.

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Addison, who moved to Belfast in 2018, had not long returned from 15 months out with a back injury when he broke his leg against the Lions in October 2021.

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has selected Angus Curtis alongside James Hume at centre, with Nathan Doak at scrum-half and Jake Flannery preferred to Billy Burns at fly-half.

The versatile Mike Lowry is on the wing with Jacob Stockdale, one of the players left out of the Ireland World Cup squad when boss Andy Farrell made his final cut, on the other wing.

Ewers, who moved to Ulster from Exeter Chiefs in the summer, is joined in the back row by Marcus Rea and David McCann at number eight, with Matty Rea and Kieran Treadwell the second rows.

Andrew Warwick and Greg McGrath are the props either side of captain Stewart, who scored 16 tries last season.

Ireland squad members Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Stuart McCloskey and Tom O'Toole are unavailable along with South Africa's Steven Kitshoff.

The squad is further depleted by injuries to senior players John Cooney, Alan O'Connor and Luke Marshall, with Eric O'Sullivan, Sean Reffell and Greg Jones also on the injury list.

Marty Moore remains unavailable for the Parma contest as he continues his rehabilitation from the serious knee injury he sustained against Munster on New Year's Day while James McCormick will also not be considered for selection because of a shoulder injury.

Ulster finished second behind Leinster in the regular 2022-23 URC season but lost a home quarter-final to Connacht.

Ulster: Addison; Lowry, Hume, Curtis, Stockdale; Flannery, Doak; Warwick, Stewart, McGrath; Matty Rea, Treadwell; Ewers, Marcus Rea, McCann.

Replacements: Andrew, Reid, French, Izuchukwu, Timoney, Shanahan, Burns, Moore.