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.