URC
Ulster count cost of bonus point win over Southern Kings
There were mixed emotions for Head Coach Dan McFarland as Ulster secured five points against the Southern Kings on Saturday night at the Kingspan Stadium.
The win puts Ulster into second place behind Leinster in Conference B, however the loss of Louis Ludik, Marty Moore and Darren Cave adds to the growing list of injury woes ahead of Saturday’s huge European Champions Cup quarter-final clash with Leinster.
Saturday’s fresh injuries leave Ulster depleted in midfield, with Luke Marshall still not fully fit following an ACL injury and James Hume ruled out after breaking his ankle in training last week.
“I have got to wait and see but you saw the same as me and it did not look good,” said McFarland of fullback Louis Ludik’s injury after he was helped off the pitch by the medical team just nine minutes into the game.
Embed from Getty Images“It’s still too early to tell but we will have to assess the injuries and see how Louis is and how Darren is. Obviously James (Hume) is out. We’ll have a look at Lukey and see how he’s going on.”
McFarland joked he may have to call upon former Ireland centre and Ulster’s defence coach, Jared Payne, to fill the gap in midfield.
“Jared Payne’s wondering whether he should play, but we’re saying definitely not – you’ve had your chance,” laughed McFarland.
On a more positive note, McFarland praised Ulster number eight, Marcell Coetzee on his return to action from a hamstring injury sustained in the last European outing against the Leicester Tigers.
“It was good to have him back and he went well tonight. Marcell’s been a strong performer for us this year and it was disappointing for him and us that he hasn’t been able to play this last while but it was great to see him back out there and at his bullish self.”
Despite some superb individual performances, McFarland reflected on his sides rustiness and tendency to turn the ball over or cough it up at crucial moments. Indeed, although the win was somewhat spluttering, Ulster ran in 5 tries tuart McCloskey, Rob Lyttle, Robert Baloucoune, Marcell Coetzee and John Andrew.
The front row did well – Herring was dynamic in his ball carrying and was solid at the set-piece. Andy Warwick put in a serious shift, tackling well can carrying over the hard yards. It was reassuring too, to see Herbst come on at loose-head and create issues for the King’s scrum.
Rob Lyttle looked dangerous in attack, squeezing his way through the King’s defence on a number of occasions – enough to earn him the man of the match award. Michael Lowry and Bobby Baloucoune are improving with every game they play and hardly put a foot wrong. Stuart McCloskey will have divided opinion – his size and power were a definite asset to Ulster however, his once frustrating habit of forcing offloads has now seemingly turned into an inability to pass. He took his try remarkably well however, and remains an important focal point of Ulster’s attack, often drawing in several defenders.
Embed from Getty ImagesSaturday’s win completes an impressive run in the PRO14 for Ulster, taking 21 points from a possible 25. Ulster now have three games remaining in the PRO14 with away games against Glasgow and Edinburgh, and a home fixture with Leinster.
“In the forefront of our minds is that we have to go to Glasgow and Edinburgh with their Scottish internationals back and we have the best team in Europe in the last game of the season, so we’re under no illusions to the size of the task ahead of us,” said McFarland.
“But we’ve put ourselves into the position that we said we wanted to be in.”
Of course, Ulster’s focus will now change swiftly to Saturday’s Champion’s Cup quarter-final clash with Leinster at the Aviva stadium against defending champions Leinster. Although it is hoped Ulster’s fourth consecutive PRO14 win will give Ulster significant momentum ahead of this weekend, McFarland notes that, while Leinster rested a number of key players in their game against Edinburgh this weekend, that was a luxury Ulster could not afford.
“I think it is a question of the context,” he said. “Leinster are top, so in the context of the conference itself it does not matter even if it obviously matters to them that they lost in Edinburgh and they’ll be disappointed in that. They were able to rest a lot of their players.”
“We are in a different position, we are in a ridiculously difficult conference where there is a fight going on and we needed to make sure that we got the maximum points. We do not have as big a squad, guys step up and they play.”
Despite some excellent performances this season, particularly in the Champions Cup competition, McFarland is confident Ulster have a lot more to offer. Indeed, Ulster will now focus their preparation on producing a memorable performance on Saturday against Leinster, who are considered by many to be strong favourites.
“We have put in some good performances in Europe already, but recently we have not strung together a really good 80 minutes yet. In order to win next week we will. There is literally no doubt about that.”
“We will have to be at our best,” added McFarland.
Indeed, Ulster will require an exceptional performance to challenge this great Leinster side. It is worth bearing in mind Leinster have injury problems of their own – Robbie Henshaw, Devin Toner and Josh van der Flier are all expected absent and several players will still be reeling from Ireland’s six nations capitulation.
For Ulster, finding a centre partner for Stuart McCloskey will be crucial as
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Champions Cup
Squad Update | Munster Prepare For All Blacks XV At Thomond
The Munster squad have started preparations at the HPC ahead of Saturday’s sold-out clash against the All Blacks XV at Thomond Park (5.30pm).
The game will be exclusively live-streamed on Access Munster, sign up here.
Pinergy, Munster Rugby’s official energy partner, are the presenting partners for the clash.
On the injury front, there were no fresh concerns following Saturday’s clash against the Sharks in Durban.
Peter O’Mahony (hamstring), who has been included in Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series squad but is continuing his rehabilitation at the HPC, will increase his training load this week. His availability for this weekend’s clash against the All Blacks XV will be determined later in the week.
Brian Gleeson (shoulder) and Diarmuid Kilgallen (leg) came through the weekend with no issues after returning to action with Garryowen in the AIL.
On the international front, Tadhg Beirne, Craig Casey, Jack Crowley, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and Alex Kendellen have travelled to Portugal with the Ireland squad ahead of the Autumn Nations Series.
Continuing to rehab: Shane Daly (leg), Jeremy Loughman (knee), Alex Nankivell (hip), Josh Wycherley (neck), Mark Donnelly (ankle), Dave Kilcoyne (ankle), Oli Jager (neck), Liam Coombes (leg), Thaakir Abrahams (thigh), Patrick Campbell (shoulder), Cian Hurley (knee), Edwin Edogbo (Achilles), Roman Salanoa (knee).
Tickets
Saturday, November 2
Munster v All Blacks XV, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; SOLD OUT – Watch live on Access Munster here
URC Round 7: Saturday, November 30
Munster v Emirates Lions, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 1: Saturday, December 7
Munster v Stade Francais, Thomond Park, 5:30pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 3: Saturday, January 11
Munster v Saracens, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 9: Friday, December 27
Munster v Leinster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 11: Saturday, February 15
Munster v Scarlets, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 12: Friday, February 28
Munster v Edinburgh, Virgin Media Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 15: Saturday, April 19
Munster v Bulls, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 17: Friday, May 9
Munster v Ulster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 18: Friday, May 16
Munster v Benetton, Virgin Media Park, 8pm; Buy tickets here
Images & Content from Munster Rugby
URC
Ulster ready for interpro derby against Connacht in Belfast
Ulster ready for interpro derby against Connacht in Belfast
Ulster Head Coach, Richie Murphy, has named his Ulster side to take on Connacht on Saturday night in Round 4 of the BKT United Rugby Championship (kick-off 8pm).
Iain Henderson captains the side and is joined in the second row by Kieran Treadwell.
Prop, Andrew Warwick, and lock, Alan O’Connor, are in line for their 200th Ulster caps this weekend.
Limited tickets are still available for Saturday’s big game via the link below.
Warwick starts at loosehead prop, joined by experienced hooker, John Andrew, and Irish international prop, Tom O’Toole, at tighthead prop.
In the back row, David McCann, starts as the openside flanker, with Sean Reffell starting on the blindside.
Nick Timoney starts at eight and marks a milestone of his own, making his 150th cap for Ulster.
The half-back partnership this weekend sees John Cooney start alongside Aidan Morgan, who has two tries in his opening three matches for Ulster.
After scoring a superb individual try against the Bulls last weekend, Jacob Stockdale, starts on the left wing, with Werner Kok making his first start at Kingspan Stadium on the right wing.
Jude Postlethwaite returns to the team, following an impressive Emerging Ireland tour, that saw the Lisburn man score a try against Western Force last weekend, before being released to play for the province.
He starts at inside centre and is joined by Stewart Moore, who scored a great try last weekend against the Bulls.
Ethan McIlroy starts at full-back, completing the back-field.
Murphy opts for a 5:3 split on the bench, with James McCormick, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Alan O’Connor and Marcus Rea providing the forward replacement options.
Nathan Doak, Ben Carson and Mike Lowry provide the back options from the bench.
Ulster Rugby v Connacht Rugby, Saturday 12 October, 8pm, Kingspan Stadium (Live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sounds, Premier Sports and TG4):
(1-8) Andrew Warwick, John Andrew, Tom O’Toole, Iain Henderson (C), Kieran Treadwell, David McCann, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney;
(15-9) Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite, Jacob Stockdale, Aidan Morgan, John Cooney.
Replacements: James McCormick, Callum Reid, Corrie Barrett, Alan O’Connor, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Mike Lowry.
The Opposition:
Images & Content – Ulster Rugby
URC
Squad Update | Munster Prepare For Leinster At Croke Park
The Munster squad started preparations on Monday ahead of Saturday’s URC round four clash against Leinster at Croke Park (5.45pm).
In player news, Seán O’Brien returns from the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa ahead of Saturday’s game.
Following Munster’s win over Ospreys on Saturday, Oli Jager (neck) and Peter O’Mahony (hamstring) are both going for scans and are unavailable this weekend.
Mike Haley has a leg contusion and his availability will be determined later in the week.
There is good news for Tom Ahern (ankle) and Alex Nankivell (shoulder) as they are both returning to training this week. Their respective availability for Croke Park will be determined later in the week.
Ruadhán Quinn is following the return to play protocols and his availability will be determined later in the week.
Billy Burns is increasing his training exposure this week and the out-half’s availability will be determined later in the week.
Shane Daly is unlikely to be available this week as he continues to recover from an elbow injury.
Thaakir Abrahams sustained a low-grade thigh injury against Zebre and is unavailable this week.
Long-term absentees Rory Scannell (ankle) and Paddy Patterson (knee) are making good progress and will increase their training exposure this week.
Patrick Campbell will have surgery on a shoulder injury he sustained in AIL action last month.
Josh Wycherley will visit a specialist this week for a neck injury.
Continuing to rehab: Liam Coombes (leg), Diarmuid Kilgallen (leg), Brian Gleeson (shoulder), Cian Hurley (knee), Edwin Edogbo (achilles), Roman Salanoa (knee).
Tickets
Saturday, November 2
Munster v All Blacks XV, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; SOLD OUT
URC Round 7: Saturday, November 30
Munster v Emirates Lions, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 1: Saturday, December 7
Munster v Stade Francais, Thomond Park, 5:30pm; Buy tickets here
Champions Cup Round 3: Saturday, January 11
Munster v Saracens, Thomond Park, 5.30pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 9: Friday, December 27
Munster v Leinster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 11: Saturday, February 15
Munster v Scarlets, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 12: Friday, February 28
Munster v Edinburgh, Virgin Media Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 15: Saturday, April 19
Munster v Bulls, Thomond Park, 5.15pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 17: Friday, May 9
Munster v Ulster, Thomond Park, 7.35pm; Buy tickets here
URC Round 18: Friday, May 16
Munster v Benetton, Virgin Media Park, 8pm; Buy tickets here
Images & Content from Munster Rugby