Baloucoune back for Ulster's crucial Stormers game

Robert Baloucoune (right) has not featured for Ulster since last April because of a hamstring injury

Robert Baloucoune's inclusion for the first time this season is one of five Ulster changes from the last-gasp win over Dragons for Friday's United Rugby Championship home game against Stormers (19:35 GMT).

After a long recovery from a hamstring injury, Ireland wing Baloucoune is named at right wing as Stuart Moore drops out of the backline with Michael Lowry switching to full-back.

John Cooney, who will depart Ulster at the end of the season to join French club Brive, starts at scrum-half with Nathan Doak relegated to the bench.

Fit-again Andrew Warwick replaces Callum Reid at loose-head prop with the other forwards changes the inclusion of lock Kieran Treadwell and back row Matty Rea in place of Matthew Dalton and James McNabney.

Rea's selection means that David McCann switches from flanker to number eight.

Reid and McNabney are named on a replacements bench that includes fit-again hooker Tom Stewart.

Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey will be making his 200th Ulster appearance in Friday's contest.

Currently unavailable for selection due to injury are Ethan McIlroy (knee), Ben Moxham (knee), Werner Kok (hamstring), Cormac Izuchukwu (ankle), Jake Flannery (knee), Iain Henderson (hamstring), Eric O'Sullivan (knee), Jude Postlethwaite (thumb), Sean Reffell (calf) and Lorcan McLoughlin (knee).

Friday's contest is crucial to ninth-placed Ulster's hopes of staying in contention for the play-offs as they face a Stormers side who currently occupy the eighth and final qualification spot, one point ahead of the Irish province.

Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Cooney; Warwick, Herring, O'Toole; O'Connor (capt), Treadwell; Matty Rea, Timoney, McCann.

Replacements: Stewart, Reid, Wilson, Sheridan, McNabney, Doak, Carson, Ward.