Back on the top of the Pro12 tree, Ulster are
now in the prime position to finish top of the table once again and with a
bonus point win, Ulster have got back into the flow of things after their
disappointing loss in Twickenham.
They cut through their opponents with ease
and but for a few unlucky breaks, the scoreline could have been a lot worse.
But the scoreline isn’t what will please Mark Anscombe the most – it is the
match points and the performance to go with it.
Two games left to secure top spot…
Professional
and precise
There were a lot of very good individual
performances on display at Ravenhill too, especially from Ulster’s younger
players. More specifically, from eventual Man of the Match Stuart Olding and
newly-capped Ireland player Iain Henderson.
Being stuck behind Paddy Wallace and Luke
Marshall in the Ulster reckoning must have been frustrating for young Olding
but in the absence of the other two, the Ireland U20 star has excelled, drawing
the plaudits in his matches and proving that he too can challenge the first
teamers for their spots. If his first few games are anything to go by, he has a
bright future ahead of him.
Henderson did what he did best – made several
strong runs and attacked the breakdown with ferocity. At the age of just 21 he
has the brute strength of someone much older than he and even playing in the
unfamiliar position of lock he didn’t look one bit out of place. Another young
player with a very promising future, and possibly a replacement for the
departing Stephen Ferris.
Beyond them there were many good performances
too, all over the park. Rory Best was back to his usual form with a great
performance all round, proving his critics that he can still lead the Lions to
Australia. Also throwing their hats into the Lions ring are Tommy Bowe and
Craig Gilroy who both had sparkling performances on the wing, with the former
having a point to prove after being injured last December.
Another honourable mention has to go to Ricky
Lutton who has really impressed over his last two matches. Thrown in at the
deep end against Leinster, he deserved his start this weekend and he didn’t
disappoint. He was strong in the scrum and he made his presence known around
the pitch as well. If he gets more game time, Ulster may have unearthed a
hidden gem.
Probably the most impressive thing about
Ulster’s performance was their professionalism. They didn’t do anything rash or
stupid and they were well disciplined in defence too. Anscombe wanted a
reaction after Twickenham, and he more or less got it. The game itself may have
been rather scrappy but Ulster came away with the four tries and the win and
that’s all that mattered.
So now Ulster head west to Galway in the hope
of securing a home semi-final. A win of any kind would guarantee that, but a
loss would throw them right back into the middle of a dogfight for the top two.
It won’t be easy either, because as unlikely as their chances may be, Connacht
are still battling to qualify for the Heineken Cup as one of the top three Irish
sides. A win over the league leaders would be an incredible boost for their
morale.
But Ulster will have most of their big names
back. From here on in it will have to be a fully committed effort from every
player in order to finish top of the league, and then go on and win the
tournament outright.
And it will be all that the Ulstermen
deserve.
Leinster
crank up the pressure
Everyone knows it’s not easy for teams to go
away to Thomond Park and win, but Leinster did exactly that on Saturday night
and now sit three points behind Ulster in second looking to try and leapfrog
their provincial rivals into first. It was rather fitting that the returning
Brian O’Driscoll scored the winning try for the Dublin side and they have sent
out a marker to the rest of the Pro12 – this time they want to win it.
Across the water it was good news for Ulster
and Leinster fans as the Scarlets did a job over Glasgow and beat them handily
at the Parc y Scarlets. It allowed Ulster and Leinster to jump above the
Scottish side and the first signs of cracks began to appear in the Glaswegians’
armour. Proof that not all sides are invincible, no matter how good they seem.
Final congratulations to Ulster’s opponents
this week, Connacht. Away to Edinburgh they battled their way to an impressive
32-24 win which takes them into ninth in the table, only twelve points behind
Munster with a game in hand. They will not be pushovers on Friday.
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