Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has made 11 changes for Saturday's United Rugby Championship trip to inter-provincial rivals Connacht.

Dave Shanahan and Jake Flannery are in at nine and 10, with Nathan Doak and Billy Burns dropping to the bench.

Will Addison, James Hume, Nick Timoney and Alan O'Connor are the four players retained from the win over the Bulls.

It is a changed front row of Eric O'Sullivan, John Andrew and James French, with the latter making his first start since joining the club in the summer.

There is a senior debut for flanker Reuben Crothers, who captained Ireland to the Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam in 2022. He is joined in the back row by Timoney and Matty Rea.

With Stockdale (ankle) and Baloucoune (hamstring) absent, McIlroy and Sexton make their first starts of the season on the left and right wings.

Academy lock Joe Hopes is also in line to earn his senior debut after being named among the replacements.

Ulster are currently without 19 players. Rob Herring, Iain Henderson and Stuart McCloskey are yet to return following their Rugby World Cup campaign with Ireland while international prop Tom O'Toole, who played last week, is facing at least a month on the sidelines after groin surgery.

Steven Kitshoff remains unavailable after helping South Africa win the World Cup with McFarland hoping to have the prop back in time for the Glasgow game on 25 November.

Connacht and Ulster have both started the new URC season with back-to-back wins, although the northern province are hoping to avenge last season's quarter-final loss in Belfast.

Connacht make three changes for Saturday's match with former Ireland fly-half Jack Carty starting for the first time this season, replacing the injured JJ Hanrahan. Oisin Dowling replaces Niall Murray at lock while Conor Oliver is in for Jarrad Butler in the back row.

Line-ups

Connacht: Tiernan O'Halloran; Byron Ralston, Tom Farrell, Cathal Forde, Diarmuid Kilgallen; Jack Carty, Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Dylan Tierney-Martin, Jack Aungier; Oisin Dowling, Joe Joyce; Shamus Hurley-Langton, Conor Oliver, Cian Prendergast.

Replacements: Tadhg McElroy, Jordan Duggan, Dominic Robertson-McCoy, Niall Murray, Jarrad Butler, Colm Reilly, David Hawkshaw, Andrew Smith.

Ulster: Will Addison; Aaron Sexton, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy, Jake Flannery, Dave Shanahan; Eric O'Sullivan, John Andrew, James French; Alan O'Connor (capt), Harry Sheridan; Matty Rea, Reuben Crothers, Nick Timoney.

Replacements: Tom Stewart, Andy Warwick, Greg McGrath, Joe Hopes, David McCann, Nathan Doak, Billy Burns, Ben Moxham.