DOMESTIC STRUGGLES

With just three games of the regular season left to go for Ulster, Friday night was the perfect remedy to the previous week’s disappointment.

Eight tries in a dominant display against Connacht was exactly what the doctor ordered, and although the crowd that was at Ravenhill did not total that of the one that watched them play Saracens, they were as loud as ever, and the demons of the quarter-final were banished. It was slightly disappointing that Connacht did not really live up to their billing as a side chasing the final European spot, but even so the Ulstermen were tremendously ruthless and disposed of their Irish rivals with the efficiency required over the next four weeks, and hopefully beyond.

It sets up Ulster beautifully heading into May. With the five points it means that Mark Anscombe’s side are highly likely to make it into the end of season play-offs, probably at the expense of the Ospreys, for the second year running, although that is the least of Ulster’s aims – they are now into second place in the league, and with games against Glasgow, Leinster and Munster still to come, there is still an outside chance that they could top the league after the regular season again.

But the one player that stood out for everyone was Andrew Trimble.

The rise of Trimble has been monumental. We all knew how good he was before this season, and how he has been overlooked for Ireland for so long is beyond me. But even this season he has improved immensely and Friday night was testament to that – three tries, two assists and what was pretty much a flawless performance. On a night when Joe Schmidt was in attendance at Ravenhill, and international rivals Robbie Henshaw, Tommy Bowe and Craig Gilroy were also on showcase, Trimble was by far the best player on the pitch and will have done his chances of holding onto the Ireland wing berth no harm.

It is rather ironic that in the year that Trimble is recalled to the Ireland team they win the Six Nations. Now obviously I am not advocating that he was the sole reason, there were plenty of other factors that were at play, but it’s also true that Trimble played a massive role in helping Ireland to their first Six Nations triumph for five years. He displayed a wide range of skills that he was never allowed to show during the Kidney era and now he can look forward to an extended (and deserved) run in his international team.

As for Ulster we are now looking at probably our three toughest games of the year in four weeks, and right at the business end of the season too. Whoever creates the fixture lists for the Pro12 would have some questions to answer if I was let at them, but as it is we must plough on in our quest for the top four. With the injuries we have if we can come out of our final three games with two or even all three victories then it will be a credit to our team and it will be a huge motivational boost heading into the play-offs. One win will get them into the final four, three will probably get them the top seeding.

This week it’s Glasgow who are fresh off their incredibly controlled victory at Thomond Park on Saturday night. Possibly an extra day’s rest will be very beneficial for the Ulstermen, but it’s extremely hard to get away from the fact that this is going to be a very tough test for us. We’ve already lost to Glasgow once this season (and no-one needs reminded of that train wreck) and even though they sit in fourth, their league position belittles how good they are – Glasgow are one of the most consistent sides in the Pro12, and but for a few unlucky results they would be above us and more than likely above Leinster too. In my opinion, they are our second biggest challengers for the Pro12 title.

It’s unavoidable to think that Friday’s game is a must win. It is a perfect chance for us to solidify our position in the play-off places and knock one of our rivals down a peg too. If we lose that crucial home semi-final could be beyond our grasp and I fancy our chances a lot more at Scotstoun than at Thomond Park due to its hostile atmosphere. No pressure on the guys, but if we lose this Friday night, we may be looking at travelling down south for a play-off game. Again.

Hopefully it’s a Good Friday for us anyway.

END OF THE LINE

To put Saturday into context I will recall my recent golf trip to Hilton Templepatrick. I started off quite well with two pars on the first two holes and I thought I was going quite well. Then I came to the par 5 third hole and walked off the green with a disappointing triple bogey 8 having duffed a chip up at the green. It was hard to come back from that and in the end I posted a disappointing +12 (off a handicap of 6). Similarly, once Ulster found themselves behind in the number of players they had on the field, it was very hard for them to compete with their opponents.

So, where to begin?

Saturday’s game will go down as a classic in Heineken Cup history. A red card, two sides going at it hammer and tongs, and a final assault that ultimately came up short. While the game may have been effectively over as a contest by the fourth minute with the dismissal of Jared Payne, nobody told Johann Muller and his Ulster players that it was and but for a few inches, Paddy Jackson’s kick might have sneaked over the posts and Ulster would be heading to Dublin in two weeks’ time to take on the might of Clermont.

It was a game of incredibly fine margins and sadly it was one that ended up being decided by who had more players. Maybe the red card would have blown over had Saracens then run away with the game but the sheer commitment and desire shown by the Ulster players made sure that there were only two points in it by the final whistle. As it is, the sending off will be a massive talking point for the next few weeks and Ulster have every right to feel slightly aggrieved that they won’t be at the Aviva on the 26^th.

We could debate the red card for the next month if we wanted, there are so many ifs and buts surrounding it, but all that’s left to say is that it was reckless and Payne can’t have too many complaints over it: he effectively made Garces’ case for him. Maybe a red card was a little harsh but you can see why the Frenchman elected to send off the Kiwi full-back altogether.

Moving on though, and you can’t underestimate how much of a boost this will give Ulster. To be down to fourteen men for seventy-six minutes yet still be within a penalty or drop goal at the end of the game is incredible. But that is what Ulster have created within this squad: a belief and a resilience. They may have lost on Saturday night, but this loss will do a lot for the squad’s confidence.

On the other hand though it is a bit worrying that the best that the PRL can offer could only just about see off the fourteen men of Ulster. Whether it was down to the brilliance of the home side or not, Saracens did not cover themselves in any glory whatsoever. The usually reliable Owen Farrell was uncharacteristically off-form and they could only score their three tries by exploiting the space left by Payne’s absence, although to be fair that was very tactically astute and their defence at the end was exemplary.

But even so, it is evident that if they play the same way against Clermont in the semi-finals they will be in for a tough time. Good luck to them nevertheless and that will be a cracking semi-final, as will be Toulon vs. Munster – c’mon you Munstermen!

As for Ulster it is back to the Pro12, although it will be without two influential players in Ruan Pienaar and Rory Best. It will be a very tough ask to even get to the final of the league without them let alone win it so for the rest of the season it looks like Ulster will have their backs up against the wall if they didn’t already. With games to come against Glasgow (away), Leinster (home) and Munster (away) to come, finishing in the top four may be a difficulty too.

The season isn’t over, but it’s looking likely it will be another trophyless season for Ulster. It’s hard to see us winning in Thomond Park without Pienaar and Best and presuming we go away to either there again or the RDS Arena in the semi-finals then it’s looking even more unlikely that we’ll be back in the Grand Final in May.

End of the line. Maybe in more ways than one.

THE BIG ONE

We’ve been waiting a long time, but after three long months, the big game is finally here!

Let’s leave last Saturday in the past. For whatever reason we simply didn’t show up against Cardiff, and I guarantee that won’t happen again, especially not this week. If our mindset isn’t in the right place for a Heineken Cup quarter-final then to be quite frank we don’t deserve to go through, and if we aren’t near top form on Saturday then Saracens will steamroll over us – they are a top quality side.

In fact, Saturday will be by far the toughest test we will have faced all season. Saracens are a team that ooze quality all over the park and they deserve the respect they get – top of the Aviva Premiership, putting in some formidable performances recently and boasting eight current internationals, they are a team that will test us in every area of the pitch. Anybody else remember their 64-6 humiliation of Connacht back in January?

Look no further than an incredibly talented back line for where their biggest threats will come from. Chris Ashton and his “Ash Splash” we know all too well after last season’s quarter-final, Owen Farrell is lethal off the kicking tee, and Alex Goode is one of the best counter-attacking full backs in European rugby. Add in the attacking potency of Charlie Hodgson off the bench and that is one lethal back line.

Where we can compete is up front. In the two games they lost against Toulouse, Saracens were outmuscled and battered about by the French side at the breakdown, and with Rory Best, Dan Tuohy and Chris Henry on the field, we have more than enough to actively compete with them at the breakdown this Saturday. The reintroduction of Namibian openside Jacques Burger will help Saracens’ plight but it is an area they definitely struggle in.

Don’t forget, we are still the only team unbeaten in the competition, we are at home in front of a sell-out 18,100 capacity Ravenhill crowd, and therefore the expectation will be fully upon us. And rightly so, with 75% of quarter-finals being won by the home team, and with our stellar record in the competition so far, strictly speaking this should be the game that will be won by the home team!

Of course it’s anything but that. Ask Munster last year who took down Harlequins at the Stoop, or even us a couple of years ago in our smash-and-grab effort at Thomond Park – winning away from home in the quarter-finals is far from impossible. Improbable yes, impossible no. Therefore, you wouldn’t blame Saracens for coming over with high expectations, especially after last season’s clash.

I won’t remind you of it. But needless to say, things appear to be lining up slightly in their favour: they have the advantage of winning last season, they carry the better result into the game from last week, and effectively they have nothing to lose as they are the side expected to be knocked out. They can come to Ravenhill and give it a good go knowing if they lose they’re simply sticking to the status quo.

Mark McCall knows exactly what a Ravenhill crowd can be like and therefore he will concentrate on making sure his side get off to a quick start and silence the Ulster faithful. That will put them at a huge advantage, and if the crowd goes silent then Saracens will very much have the upper hand.

But still, Ulster have the players and the belief to do it. The Cardiff result will have slapped some sense into them and they will be determined to exact revenge on the English side after last season’s humiliation at Twickenham. With a 6 from 6 record to maintain too, you can guarantee that Mark Anscombe’s men won’t go down without a fight either – how sweet would it be if in the final season of the Heineken Cup we could be the first team to go win every single game.

So wherever you are, however you watch it, make sure you stand up, sing loud, and sing proud for your Ulstermen this Saturday night!

This is the time of champions.

Super Eight

No, I’m not referring to the cricket, although how sweet was it to see England capitulate against the Netherlands!

There are eight super teams left in the Heineken Cup and three other cracking ties to watch this weekend, and I’ll take a brief look at the other three ties.

Munster v Toulouse: Irish allegiance shines through here and I’d like to see Munster put away the French giants with relative ease. Toulouse haven’t been brilliant this season and if they are missing Louis Picamoles then I don’t fancy them storming Thomond Park and leaving with the win, especially with Munster in decent form. If the Limerick men can play their usual game and maintain the same clinical finishing that they have so far this season then they should be just fine.

Clermont v Leicester: Probably the easiest tie to call, Leicester are not the force they were a few years ago and we all know about Clermont’s ridiculously long home record. With the Cyber Vulcans cheering them all the way and a full set to pick from, Vern Cotter and his team simply need to do the basics right and let the home advantage carry them through. Will Leicester break the record against all the odds? Don’t count on it.

Toulon v Leinster: The second best tie of the weekend (!) and what a tie it is. The defending champions at home to arguably the best team in Europe and it’s a very tough one to call. Toulon have been in and out of form this season yet still find themselves third in the Top14, while Leinster are hitting their usual end of season stride and are confident after dispatching Munster last weekend. You’re a brave man to bet against either of these teams, home advantage may be the clinical factor.

I’m going for four home wins this weekend. History states that there will be one away win this weekend, but I’m going to go against the grain and say home advantage will pay dividends for the top four seeds. Well, at least I hope it will.