ULSTER HAVE made six changes for their upcoming clash with the Dragons at Kingspan Stadium on Friday (kick-off: 7.35pm, live on ViaPlay and URC.tv).

Rory Sutherland, Rob Baloucoune and Rob Herring — all of whom started in the recent Champions Cup defeat by Leinster — are among the players listed as unavailable.

Craig Gilroy comes into the team in place of Baloucoune, while John Cooney is also included at scrum-half, with Nathan Doak dropping to the bench.

In the forward line, Eric O’Sullivan,  Tom Stewart, Sam Carter and Marcus Rea get the nod, replacing Sutherland, Herring, Kieran Treadwell and Nick Timoney, with the latter two players dropping to the bench.

Ulster are hoping to make it a fourth successive win in the United Rugby Championship.

They currently sit third in the table and are already guaranteed a top-four spot and home quarter-final on the weekend of 5/6 May.

However, they will be eager for a win that would boost their chances of a top-two place and home advantage should they progress to the semi-finals.

The Dragons, by contrast, come into the game on the back of a difficult season — they sit 15th in the current standings and have picked up just three wins from their last 16 matches.

Ulster Rugby:

• 15. Mike Lowry

• 14. Craig Gilroy

• 13. James Hume

• 12. Stuart McCloskey

• 11. Jacob Stockdale

• 10. Billy Burns

• 9. John Cooney

• 1. Eric O’Sullivan

• 2. Tom Stewart

• 3. Tom O’Toole

• 4. Alan O’Connor (Captain)

• 5. Sam Carter

• 6. David McCann

• 7. Marcus Rea

• 8. Duane Vermeulen.

Replacements:

• 16. John Andrew

• 17. Andy Warwick

• 18. Jeffery Toomaga Allen

• 19. Kieran Treadwell

• 20. Nick Timoney

• 21. Nathan Doak

• 22. Stewart Moore

• 23. Ethan McIlroy.

Players unavailable for selection: Rory Sutherland, Callum Reid, Rob Herring, Marty Moore, Iain Henderson, Cormac Izuchukwu, Matty Rea, Sean Reffell, Ben Moxham, Shea O’Brien, Rob Baloucoune, Will Addison.