AFTER a disappointing trip to South Africa resulted in defeats to the Lions and the Bulls, Ulster now find themselves on home soil facing opponents a little closer to home.
Irish rivals Connacht will make the trip to Belfast as Ulster face their first inter-pro derby of the season at home.
Ulster will be hoping their double southern hemisphere defeat was just a wobble early in the season after an impressive opening-day victory against reigning URC champions Glasgow Warriors.
Last time out, the Ulstermen came up short against the Vodacom Bulls in Loftus Versfeld.
The Bulls, last year’s beaten URC finalists ran out 47-21 winners but Ulster showed some signs of good play and gave their fans hope for the rest of the season.
Connacht have faired rather differently this year, after finishing as the worst Irish side in the competition last year.
The Westerners started off their season with a derby against Munster, which the southern province just shaded in an 11-try thriller.
Since that defeat in Limerick, Connacht have strung together two wins in two games, against the Hollywoodbets Sharks of South Africa and the Scarlets of Wales, both wins by under seven points.
Last week, the Scarlets game ended up with outside-centre Cathal Forde kicking the winning penalty for the province.
When and where is Ulster Rugby playing Connacht in the URC?
Ulster will play Connacht at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast on Saturday, October 12, with kickoff scheduled for 8pm.
Where can I watch the game on TV or live stream?
The game is being shown for free on BBC Sport NI, and can be watched by those who have a Premier Sport or URC.tv subscription.
