ULSTER SHOWING THE WAY TO GO

The Ulster bandwagon keeps going. And going. And going. That’s eight in a row we’ve won now and the unbeaten run doesn’t look like being stopped any time soon. Ulster have been transformed into a formidable European force. Teams will now look at their fixture list and think to themselves, ‘Uh-oh, we’ve got Ulster next.’

But what is so different? Last season, we were good, but not great. This year we can’t stop winning. But why?

Walking in an Anscombe wonderland

It’s 56 days till Christmas so I’m getting in the holiday spirit!

Speaking of Christmas, anybody else think that we could still be unbeaten on the 25^th December? At the start of the season I think every Ulster fan would’ve laughed if we were seriously thinking that would even be a faint possibility let alone a real aim.

But, lo and behold, we enter November at the top of the tree with a game in hand and a big fat 0 under the Loss column in the table. Sometimes stats like that can be misleading, but for Ulster it is the complete opposite. Three wins away in Wales, two at home against Irish rivals and one at home to Glasgow confirm Ulster as a real and potent threat. And that’s not including two more wins in the Heineken Cup.

Look at the difference in Ulster’s games in Wales this season:

             Last season – Played 4, Won 0, Lost 4, Points: 2
            This season – Played 3, Won 3, Lost 0, Points: 14
That is some difference. Winning away last year was not Ulster’s forte, with only three wins (again, not including Heineken games) in Edinburgh, Monza and Treviso. This year, we’ve already matched that. In three away games. And we’ve yet to play Zebre, who are considered an easy four points.

And another stat: the record for an unbeaten run by Ulster is eleven. Two wins will do it, starting in Belfast against Edinburgh and then Zebre in Parma. Both are what should be considered easy victories. But Ulster will have to keep their composure, and heed Anscombe’s warnings to keep their feet on the ground, or it could just end up being an embarrassment.

But there is still that question on the table – what is so different from last year?

There would be the simple answer – the players are different. Well, not that different. But the new guys who have arrived in Belfast have made a massive impression. Rob Herring has proved himself to be an ample understudy to Rory Best;  Sean Doyle is a menace at blindside flanker; while returning faces Roger Wilson, Tommy Bowe and Niall O’Connor know what they’re doing. But the players tab goes beyond the new signings.

No, the young players making the move up from the Academy to the 1^st team are extremely important to the club’s development as well. Iain Henderson has stepped up in Stephen Ferris’ absence and managed to earn himself an Irish call-up, proving what talent is in the ranks. The same goes to Luke Marshall who has deputised for Paddy Wallace while he was injured, and is pushing the veteran for his place every step of the way. He’ll head to Dublin this week as well.

Mike Allen is another talent making the breakthrough as well, and he’ll get another chance to try and take Darren Cave’s place during the Autumn Internationals. The unfortunate Chris Farrell, who is now out for the season, was also very impressive at the beginning of the season and no doubt will get another chance next year. Not only that, but Rob Herring and Sean Doyle are both 22 and have great futures ahead of them.

So the players are one reason for the success. But there is more to it than that.

I was reading Munsterfans today (the Munster fans’ forum – please don’t judge me) and they were speaking about the unity and belief that Ulster seem to have at the moment. The fans, the staff, the players, everybody connected with Ulster seem to believe that we can win every game this season. And that is vital to keeping the run going.

So there’s two reasons. But there’s one more which I think is the most important. Or rather, who I think is most important. A certain man by the name of Mark Anscombe.

Before he arrived in the province, many had their doubts, myself included. This was a guy who led Auckland to mid-table finishes in the league for five years straight. Why am I complaining? One reason - Auckland are arguably the best side in the league. That’s like Leinster finishing sixth in the PRO12 from now until 2017.

On the flipside, he led the New Zealand U20s to the 2011 Junior World Championship. This is an obvious success, but considering the ‘Baby Blacks’ have won the competition four out of the five times they’ve entered and only lost twice ever, this could be called no more than formality.

But the past has been forgotten within two months of his first game in charge. Anscombe has shown that he has the ability to turn Ulster into a trophy-winning team – not just in Europe, but in the league too. If the team’s current form is anything to go by, he will have no problem in stepping up for the ‘Coach of the Year’ award at the end of the season.

But most of the plaudits are not being given to him. What is being noticed is the work on the field of the players and, as I have mentioned, they have a big part to play. But off the field, on the training ground, it is Anscombe who is making the moves, making the tactics, picking that match-winning team and making sure those players will win that game – no matter what.

Another person who was considered to be a risky addition to the side was Nick Williams. But back with his old coach in New Zealand has brought the best out in the Kiwi back rower once again and he is playing the rugby of his life. Even the style that Anscombe has brought to the table is one which Ulster have never seen before, but have grasped and embraced. It is the quick off-loading style that is most usually seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and more locally at Leinster (under the tutelage of another New Zealander, Joe Schmidt). And it is working up north as well.

So hats off to Mark Anscombe. What he has done for Ulster is fantastic. How long is his contract – two years? Might be a bit longer if he keeps this form going…

Dragons’ fire extinguished

I’m giving just a brief recollection of the game from Friday since I watched it on Sky+ at double speed last night. After being away for the weekend, it was nice to come home and watch a super victory.

It was good to see Andrew Trimble play so well ahead of the Autumn Internationals. A performance like that surely grabbed the attention of Declan Kidney. And with Ireland’s injured wingers, Trimble could be just what the team needs. It seems likely that Tommy Bowe will be forced to play at full-back in the absence of Rob Kearney and Keith Earls, leaving the 14 shirts up for grabs.

But the main thing that I took from the game was Ulster’s ability to take the bonus point away, even with the many, many, many, MANY mistakes that they made. They managed to notch up six tries over the course of 80 minutes, and managed to butcher about another six with basic errors. But rather than look at the negatives – I say look at the positive instead. Five points gained in the quest for the league title and the unbeaten run is still intact.

It’s good to be an Ulsterman right now.