Ulster Rugby v Zebre Parma Match Preview

Ulster Rugby v Zebre Parma, 5.30pm, Sunday

Ulster will be looking to build on their Champions Cup win over Exeter as they return to URC action.

They claimed an eight-try 52-24 victory over the Chiefs in Belfast - a result that ultimately earned them a place in the knock-out stage of the competition.

Assistant coach Dan Soper said: “I know there’s been a lot of commentary around us not being good enough to be in the last 16 and we would be better off in the Challenge Cup - but we played two of the best teams in the world (Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bégles) in our pool and at periods in those games we competed. You see what they’ve done to other teams.

“We’re into the last 16 and we’re very pleased to be there and looking forward to the challenge.”

Turning the focus to the visit from Zebre, Kiwi Soper said:

“Obviously the result is the most important thing, but we need to develop our game and how we’re trying to play.

“If we get a win, but we’re not developing or growing as a team then, come the back-end of the season in Europe or in knock-out rugby in the URC, we’re not going to be good enough to compete.

“We’ve got to keep getting better as a rugby team and that’s what we’ll be looking for, improvement in our performance. We saw bits of that last weekend and hopefully we see a bit more of that.”

Scrum-half John Cooney will make his 150th appearance for Ulster, with Nick Timoney captaining the side from the back row.

Giving the verdict from the Zebre camp, head coach Massimo Brunello said: “We’re playing in Belfast, one of the toughest venues in the URC, against a very solid team, especially in the forwards.

“They are the second-best team in the league for tries scored from driving mauls. We’ll need to be disciplined and skilled at keeping them out of our 22.

“We’re going through a challenging time with many injuries and some players called up for the Six Nations, but we must stay united and determined to play a great match.”