Well,
well, well. Sitting here writing this I never ever thought I’d be reporting on
a bonus-point win for Ulster. In fact, after the first ten minutes in the Arms
Park I was considering getting started on a losing blog entry to save me a bit
of time.
But
instead, I held out until the end and I’m glad I did. Because Ulster proved me
wrong once again.
Ultimate Ulster
For me,
that’s the first all-round great performance from Ulster since April in Thomond
Park. Everything operated smoothly – the scrum was utterly sensational, the
defence was solid and the attack was scintillating.
And this
performance was with nearly no preparation at all. Last week was disrupted for
obvious reasons, this week was disrupted by the Ireland training camp on Monday
and Tuesday. In fact, the only training Ulster have had in the last two weeks
has been on Wednesday and a short run through on Thursday morning. That is
impressive.
Not to
mention the unexpected loss of Johann Muller on Thursday, who was ruled out due
to a training ground injury. Neil McComb stepped in to deputise, making his
first competitive start of the season. And deputise he did, putting in a great
effort in the captain’s absence and just emphasising what depth we have in our
ranks.
Welcome
home, Tommy Bowe! Two tries on your return debut is a good way to reintroduce
yourself to your endearing fans back in Belfast. Ulster’s prodigal son has
started the season with a bang and everybody will be hoping that will continue.
It was
great to see Ireland internationals Chris Henry and Dan Tuohy return to first
team action as well. Both were active at the breakdown, carried the ball well
and Tuohy controlled the line-out brilliantly. It was a game where Wales
captain Sam Warburton was shown up by his opposite number – something that
doesn’t happen very often.
Other
mentions go to Paddy Jackson, who is maturing into a fantastic fly half and
Jared Payne who is showing his class every week.
But the
star of the show was Nick Williams. The bruising Kiwi smashed and crashed his
way through the Blues’ defence all night. His work rate was second to none and
his fitness is remarkable compared to what it was a few years ago. In the
backline he draws the defenders to him leaving gaps for other players. What an
acquisition this boy is. Roger Wilson is by no means a guaranteed starter in my
opinion.
Cardiff
were the manufacturers of their own downfall though. Taking nothing away from
Ulster, who played phenomenally, but Cardiff faltered and never looked in it
after Ulster scored their first try. Their scrum buckled under the pressure,
their defence had more holes in it than a golf course, and their attack never
seemed to threaten the Ulster defence much at all. In short, Ulster’s
opposition weren’t much to shout about.
Negatives?
Apart from Michael Allen’s injury, I would honestly say there were none. It was
a complete Ulster performance and we ruthlessly put away the Blues’ efforts. If
we keep this up, it will take a lot to
beat us.
One game less, one point ahead
The result
in Cardiff wasn’t the only one that would have pleased Ulster this week. All of
Ulster’s other nearest competitors fell to defeats this weekend – and heavy
defeats at that.
Edinburgh
were the first to lose, 32-12 at Rodney Parade against the Dragons. Leinster
were soon to follow after being hammered by Connacht in Galway, 34-6. This
evening, the Scarlets were downed by a last minute Alberto di Bernardo penalty,
losing 22-20 at Treviso. And finally, Munster were beaten 30-15 by the Ospreys
in Swansea.
All of
this means Ulster lead the way in the PRO12 by a point from the Scarlets,
despite having played a game less than their rivals. And as many predict, with
Ulster’s game in hand being against ‘whipping boys’ Zebre, that lead may be six
points when they play that game in the middle of November.
It’s all
coming up roses for Ulster at the moment, and with the opening rounds of the
Heineken Cup in just two weeks, they couldn’t be any better prepared. A victory
over Connacht next week would be the perfect way to set up the Castres match,
but Connacht may have something to say about that – especially after beating
Leinster this week…
Current PRO12 table
1. Ulster, 17pts
2. Scarlets, 16pts
3. Munster, 14pts
4. Glasgow, 14pts
5. Cardiff, 14pts
6. Leinster, 13pts
7. Edinburgh, 11pts
8. Connacht, 10pts
9. Ospreys, 10pts
10. Treviso, 10pts
11. Dragons, 9pts
12. Zebre, 1pt
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