The Ulster coaching team have gone for a five-three split among the replacements, with Rob Herring, Angus Bell, Bryan O’Connor, Harry Sheridan, and Marcus Rea providing the forward cover.
Conor McKee, Jake Flannery, and Ben Carson are the bench options for the back-line, as Murphy’s charges, who are fourth in the table with a game in hand, aim to improve their recent record in Wales with only one win in their last four visits.
Nonetheless, Ulster have only lost once in their last six matches in all competitions – going down 27-22 to the Scarlets in round 10 of the URC – and they have visited Brewery Field twice before, beating the Celtic Warriors back in 2004, and the Ospreys in 2019.
“We’re coming into the business end of the season, we know how important these points will be over the next number of weeks. It’s an exciting time,” said Murphy.
“We’ve been in Wales twice this year and lost twice and that’s something that we need to put right. All the lads are looking forward to the weekend. Tough task to go to Ospreys, playing on that pitch in Bridgend.
“We have young guys coming up after doing well in that ‘A’ game (last week against Munster) looking for senior spots, and those international players, when they come back it’s really important they bring us forward.
“Their confidence is high, and there’s a feel-good factor in the camp. It’s important we keep focused and keep our feet on the ground and keep doing the things that got us in this position in the first place.”