It was simply too much for Ulster to handle,
Saracens played superbly in Twickenham on Saturday.
Hopes were high, the team were buzzing after
their superb win over Leinster, but their performance on the day let them down.
Not to take anything away from Saracens who played extremely well themselves,
executing their gameplan to perfection, but Ulster’s performance definitely
could have been better.
What went wrong for Ulster isn’t quite clear.
Maybe the occasion got to them, similarly to the last time they graced the
Twickenham pitch. Certainly they did not live up to the hype they were being
given. Quite possibly the win over Leinster worked against them instead of for
them – it gave them a false sense of security. Leinster definitely weren’t at
their best on Easter Saturday.
But that definitely isn’t an excuse that the
Ulstermen can use for their loss. In fact they can’t really use any excuse –
they were, as my title suggests, outclassed by their opposition. Saracens were
hungrier at the breakdown, better in defence and sharper in attack. It was
obvious who wanted it more, and that team won.
Ulster must now move on. If they dwell on the
loss then they run the risk of throwing away their Pro12 chances as well. With
the start they had to the season, if they reached the end of May without a
trophy to show for it then they will be incredibly disappointed. Thirteen games
unbeaten going to waste would not be ideal for Mark Anscombe.
It wouldn’t lose him his job no but it would
certainly cause him some concern that he couldn’t capitalise on Ulster’s great
position.
It was failure to capitalise that cost Ulster
in the Heineken Cup too. Ulster fans won’t be pleased to be reminded of the
humiliating 10-9 defeat to Northampton at Ravenhill back in December, but they
will now have to realise how badly it cost them. Had Ruan Pienaar kicked that
late penalty, then Ulster would have been at home in the quarter-final, and all
sides know exactly how important home advantage is in a European knock-out
match.
It will be crucial for Anscombe to drill it
into his players – this must not happen again. With three games to clinch that
all important home semi-final and final in the Pro12, all three games are must
win games, and they possibly have to win with bonus points too, otherwise
Glasgow could snatch top spot away from them.
The visit of the Newport-Gwent Dragons is the
perfect opportunity for Ulster to get back on track. They will be a wounded
animal ready to prove that they are more than just Heineken Cup quarter-final
standard and that they are Pro12 champions standard.
With no European competitions to worry about,
there should be no excuses either. From here on in it should be full steam
ahead looking to secure that top spot in the league. Obviously they would
rather still be involved in the Heineken Cup, but with that no longer an
option, it’s time for the Irish province to cut their losses and kick on
domestically.
Admittedly it will be a task in itself
because no matter how easy Ulster’s games look on paper, their three opponents
are resilient sides. Connacht away is particularly nerve-wracking for Ulster as
the Sportsground has been a bit of a bogey ground for them, and Connacht have
already had some major scalps in Galway, none more so than hammering Leinster
with a bonus point.
Cardiff are another side that can easily
cause sides problems. Not doing so well this year, their side is still stocked
full of internationals and world class players and when they click they can be
lethal. Ulster will have to be at the top of their game to come away with two
wins from those games, let alone the probably needed bonus points as well.
Ulster need to get a move on. Their
up-and-down season has been a real rollercoaster and it’s now coming to an end.
If they really want to finish a season on a high then they will have to focus,
knuckle down, and target these final three games as big wins, otherwise they
could end up away in another crucial knockout match, and we all know how well
that went last time…
Entering the crunch stage of the season is
always nervy for fans. It’s exhilarating, it’s exciting, and it always provides
plenty of fireworks. Bring on the great rugby!
No comments:
Post a Comment