Also back in the frame will be international hooker Rob Herring, but there are doubts over talented young tight-head Tom O’Toole, who will undergo the return to play protocol following a bang on the head in the victory against the Scarlets last weekend.

A question mark also hangs over former Sale skipper Will Addison who had a superb first appearance in an Ulster jersey at full-back. He took a bang on the ribs, and he will be monitored this week before any decision is made. Former Leinster and Wasps prop Marty Moore is hoping to recover from a calf strain in time for his first competitive start.

Former Leinster prop and coach Aaron Dundon, now the forwards mentor at Ravenhill, was satisfied with the way things turned out up front against last season’s runners-up on Saturday night, particularly with the way the new guys are progressing.

I thought at scrum time we were challenged a bit,” he said, “I thought the young lads in there fought hard and it was just a couple of scrums that looked a little bit creaky, but we fought out of it.

"We ended up getting by and doing well. I thought the line-out attack was good, especially in defence. There were a couple of key moments, especially Iain Henderson at the end putting a lot of pressure on, and getting a steal.

“But Edinburgh are going to be another big test but a different sort of challenge. They’re going really well with Richard Cockerill coaching them. They’re massively strong at the set-piece so that’s going to be a real test for us and defensively they’re well set up. Hopefully we can improve on the areas we need to this week, and keep building step by step.”