The Ulster Rugby Medical Performance team has issued a squad update ahead of Friday’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Benetton at Kingspan Stadium.

The side has no new injury concerns arising out of Saturday’s game against Zebre, a 36-3 win in Parma.

Stuart McCloskey (hamstring) and Jordi Murphy sustained recent injuries in training and are currently unfit for selection.

Jacob Stockdale (ankle) and Rob Lyttle (back) also sustained recent training ground injuries and will have their fitness for selection monitored through the coming week.

Cormac Izuchukwu and Luke Marshall remain out with knee injuries while winger Robert Baloucoune recovers from a groin injury.

Captain Iain Henderson is sidelined with a thumb injury while former Leinster prop Jack McGrath is working his way to full fitness after a hip injury.

Kieran Treadwell is still sidelined with the shoulder injury he picked up during pre-season and is currently working his way back into contention.

Nathan Doak earned his first start for the province against Zebre after coming on in place of Cooney against Glasgow Warriors.

The Ireland international had to leave the field after 30 minutes and has recently had an MRI scan to determine the severity of his injury.

Doak scored one of Ulster’s conversions in the 33-point win over Zebre at the Stade Sergio Lanfranchi.

Dan McFarland’s side scored six tries to get their second win of the season and continue their strong start to the inaugural United Rugby Championship season.

Ethan McIlroy and Nick Timoney both scored braces on Saturday as the visitors blew away their hosts in a clear showcase of the gulf in class between the sides.

Will Addison also got on the scoresheet for the side as well as James Hume but Ulster could only manage to convert half of their kicking opportunities following the tries.

McFarland’s team will hope to go three-from-three against Benetton to maintain their impressive start.

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The competition involves all 12 teams that took part in the Pro14 last season, as well as four South African sides – the Bulls, Stormers, Sharks and Lions.

All four sides were set to get a taster of the new-look competition during the Rainbow Cup, but coronavirus worries derailed those plans – only the Bulls faced a side in the Pro14; a loss to Benetton Treviso in the final of the competition.

The 25-year-old Irish-capped lock is working on his fitness as he looks to regain the starting berth he had nailed down last season.

He noted that the new rules set to be implemented in the upcoming season also encourage himself and the rest of the Ulster squad to continue improving their fitness.

Former Limerick senior hurling strength and conditioning coach Mikey Kiely will be at the centre of that focus, having joined the province following the Treaty County’s successful Liam McCarthy defence this year.

“He’s a great guy,” Treadwell said. “He’s really knowledgeable and he gives a different perspective.

“His background, it’s very fitness-based and he’s very knowledgeable in what he does and how he delivers it. As a bloke he’s a really, really good guy and I’ve a lot of time for him.

“[Rugby is] similar [to hurling] in that it’s a team sport but the difference is that there’s more continuous play.

“They’re quite transitional is how he put it to me, I’ve spoken to him quite a few times about how it differs.

“He seemed to be saying it was quite similar, but there’s more boys over 100 kilos so it is a bit different.

“We obviously saw that they [Limerick] got to the final and won, obviously the boys were talking about that.

“You see the way that they play, they have serious engines on them, the way they look, they’re big guys.”

Kiely is expected to further improve Dan McFarland’s Ulster setup following the side’s growth under the former Scotland assistant coach.

Ulster begin their season on Friday, September 24 when they play host to McFarland’s former team, Glasgow Warriors at the Kingspan Stadium.

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