NO FEAR IN FRANCE

My initial reaction after the game on Friday night was slightly upset. You’re probably wondering why considering we’d just beaten the current Aviva Premiership champions, and slightly convincingly at that too. However, on the other hand, we let them away with something that may prove extremely crucial at the end of this pool campaign: the losing bonus point.

I think even the Leicester fans will admit that we probably were the better side in that match and we deserved to win it, however they will be absolutely delighted to leave with the point from the game. They came to Ravenhill with that aim firmly in mind. A win would have been a bonus, but to leave with the point probably puts them in pole position in the pool.

In what is a very competitive pool, bonus points may prove crucial, as they did two years ago. To let them away with the losing bonus point at the very end of the game is very disappointing, and as much as Mark Anscombe will defend that we are happy with just winning the game, but the unavoidable (and annoying truth) is that Leicester will be more than happy with the point (as highlighted by David Mele kicking the ball out at the end) and Ulster will be angry that they got it.

On the other hand, you have to win your home games in the Heineken Cup and that comes first. Four points on the board is exactly what Ulster required and it means we go to Montpellier next weekend with a chance to take a massive step towards the knock-out round. It will be a massive ask too, but one that we are perfectly capable of answering.

It’s a good job we won in Castres last season though. If we were going to the bearpit that is the Stade Yves-du-Manoir with the French hoodoo still hanging over us then I doubt we’d be as confident as we are right now. With the boost of a solid comeback win over the Ospreys and that controlled win over Leicester, right now we could easily return from the south of France with the win.

However, Montpellier are a very very strong side. They have signed well over the summer – Nicolas Mas is a massive acquisition for their squad, while in the backs Jonathan Pelissié has been a superb signing at scrum-half, while Anthony Tuitavaké and Wynand Olivier have added another dimension to their back line. They aren’t many people’s favourites to win the Top14 outright for no reason.

Therefore, Ulster will have to be at their very best to even leave with a bonus point on Saturday, which is definitely the minimum that they must leave with. You saw Leicester’s joy when they left Ravenhill with a losing bonus point – I will be that happy if we do the same this weekend. As Clermont and Toulouse have found out, the Stade Yves-du-Manoir is a difficult place to go to and get a result.

However, it all depends on the team Montpellier put out. I reckon it will be a strong team, however considering they are doing well domestically it wouldn’t be completely surprising if they put out a weakened team to keep them fresh for their league campaign instead. No matter what team they put out, Montpellier will probably be the biggest test we have faced this season so far.

Slightly confident this week. Emphasis on slightly.

Heineken highlights

I’m going to sum up the Heineken Cup weekend in three S’s.

SUNDAY – What a Sunday that was. Firstly we had Exeter steamrolling over Cardiff, then Cardiff coming back in the second half to take the try bonus point. That was some game, one that couldn’t be repeated, right? Wrong! Only half an hour later, the exact same thing happened in Toulon as the home side crushed Glasgow in the first half, only for Glasgow to score the four tries in the second half. You’ve got to love the magic of the Heineken Cup.

SCARLETS – Hands down the win of the weekend. The misfiring Scarlets haven’t been in the greatest form, but inspired by Liam, Scott and Jordan Williams, the Llanelli side romped to a 33-26 victory at the Twickenham Stoop, against an also-misfiring Harlequins side. Conor O’Shea said after the match he was “furious” at his team and rightly so, they never got out of the starting blocks and they were rightly beaten. A massive blow for the Quins who went 6 from 6 last season, their chances at reaching the quarters have been hugely reduced.

SHOCKS – And not big shocks like you expect. OK, there was one as winless Edinburgh managed to take all four points at Murrayfield against Munster who now face an uphill battle to get a home quarter-final. Connacht nearly beat Saracens at the Sportsground on Friday night, while Treviso managed to limit the superstars of Montpellier to just two tries and Racing Metro managed to defeat Clermont Auvergne. The Heineken Cup never fails to disappoint.