THE final runout ahead of a new URC season takes place at Sandy Park on Saturday for Ulster as they travel to face Exeter Chiefs (5pm).

Certainly, there won’t be the same bite about this game as there will be in January when Ulster host the Premiership side in the Investec Champions Cup pool stage, but it is still an opportunity for both teams to get a feel for the other and seek to put their best foot forward ahead of new league seasons.

Ulster scored a 26-19 home win over Benetton last weekend as head coach Richie Murphy gave game time to no fewer than 31 players but will reduce that number this weekend as they travel to England with a smaller squad that will not include the internationals who will be held back for next week’s URC opener at home to Glasgow.

Last week’s win saw established names through to academy players get their chance to show what they can do and considering the high number of players used, it was never going to be the most fluid of displays.

They will be hoping to see some progress this week against a Chiefs side that fell to a 14-10 defeat against Ospreys in a friendly and Murphy admits there is still plenty to work on this week.

“Maybe not quite what we wanted but it was a physical test which was good,” he said after the Benetton win.

“First half there was a bit more rugby, the second half was a bit more stop/start. We would have liked to have gotten the ball in play a little bit more but from our end, there is nothing like playing a game.

“The things that have been working well in training, you get that tested under match physicality and it can break a little bit but that’s great for us to try to review that and practice on it for next week.

“We started off with a more experienced team and it was great to see those younger lads come on in the second half when we were behind and find a way of winning the game, which was satisfying.

“We probably would have liked to be more together in our attack at times.

“I thought some of our defence was great and then the odd lapse or missed tackle cost us dearly, so we have to work at those transitionary moments.

“It will be slightly trimmed down (this week). It won’t be a matchday 23 so we might have 26 or 27 players going to Exeter. There is also an Ulster Development game next week where guys will go to Glasgow. We won’t be using our international players, they will come back in week one.”

Murphy got the opportunity to run his eye over new signing Aidan Morgan, while Sevens star Zac Ward also got a runout as he seeks to transition the traditional game.

Morgan, Ireland-qualified, showed glimpses of what he can do as he adapts to his new surroundings, while Ward has put his shoulder to the wheel as Murphy said he is happy with how he has approached the challenge.

“There were things that he (Morgan) did well and there are things in his game where we want him to be a little bit better at,” Murphy admitted.

“You can see he’s physical, he defended well at times and we want to see him marshal around the pitch a bit more. He is a carrier, he wants to play an abrasive style, it’s a different style to the tens we have had in Ireland over the years so it’s a mix of keeping that good, natural ability he has but trying to add a bit more in terms of how he organises and uses those around him.

“(Ward) has literally been here two weeks and done five training sessions.

“He was a back row forward when he was with the sevens and is now standing on the wing, it is so different but over the next number of months we will be trying to up-skill him and get him into a place where he feels comfortable.

“When you look at him from a defensive point of view, he’s done really well to make some tackles but he’s slightly in the wrong position.

“Those are learning curves and we’ll sit down with him and work with him going into next week. He’s a good lad, mad keen and fitted in really well.”