ULSTER HAVE RECEIVED a major boost ahead of their Heineken Cup quarter-final with Munster on Sunday.

Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris has shaken off the ankle injury which he suffered during last week’s RaboDirect Pro12 action and has been passed fit to start at Thomond Park.

Coach Brian McLaughlin therefore makes just one change from the team which beat Aironi on Friday as Dan Tuohy returns to the second row in place of Lewis Stevenson.

On the game, McLaughlin said on Ulster’s website:

It will be an unbelievably physical battle. They will be smarting from their defeat to Leinster at the weekend and they will want to make up for that by beating us on Sunday.”

Munster, meanwhile, make seven changes to the side which played Leinster on Sunday as hooker Mike Sherry and winger Tommy O’Donnell come in for their debut starts in the Heineken Cup.

Denis Hurley and Conor Murray are preferred to Johne Murphy and Tomas O’Leary in the backs while Wian du Preez, Donnacha Ryan and Paul O’Connell are all included

Munster: F Jones;  D Hurley, K Earls, L Mafi, S Zebo; R O’Gara, C Murray; W du Preez, M Sherry, BJ Botha; D Ryan, P O’Connell; P O’Mahony, T O’Donnell, J Coughlan.

Replacements: D Varley, M Horan, S Archer, D O’Callaghan, D Wallace, T O’Leary, I Keatley, J Murphy.

Ulster: S Terblanche; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (c), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg.

Replacements: N Brady, P McAllister, A Macklin, L Stevenson, W Faloon, P Marshall, N Spence, A D’Arcy.

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