It’s become something of a recurring theme. Jared Payne was taken off
early in Llanelli. Three-try Tuohy will need surgery on his arm after Friday
night’s win. And although it didn’t happen in the same match, watching Ruan
Pienaar be carried off for the Springboks against New Zealand the morning after
a bonus point win over Zebre certainly lowered the mood in Belfast.
Les Kiss is facing something of a dilemma. True, Payne will probably
return this week away to Zebre and the province still hold a sliver of belief
that Pienaar will make it back in time for their trip to Welford Road, however
the undeniable truth is that as the weeks pass Ulster look increasingly more
vulnerable in several positions.
Certainly in the second row there is a serious cause for concern. With
Tuohy gone for twelve weeks and Iain Henderson facing an even longer period on
the sidelines due to hip surgery, the lock cupboard is worryingly bare, with
only Franco van der Merwe, Lewis Stevenson and Neil McComb fit for service for
the next twelve weeks at least. Beyond that Kiss and co. will have to delve
into the Academy – a prospect that is looking more and more likely as the days
pass.
Still, Friday night provided many reasons to be positive. While the
interim head coach has yet to witness his side put in a complete performance,
their ability to suffocate the Blues’ constant attacks as the match wore on was
impressive, and they got their due reward as Ian Humphreys capitalised on
Gareth Davies’ loose pass near the end of the game. Maybe a seventeen point win
wasn’t a true reflection on how the game went, but it is a margin of victory
that Ulster will happily take.
Even more pleasing was the platform created by the forwards, in
particular the driving maul. Allen Clarke will undoubtedly be very happy to see
his work during the week pay off as van der Merwe dominated the aerial battle
and then let the rest of the pack do the hard work. Indeed, had Neil Paterson
enforced his multiple warnings to Blues captain Matthew Rees then Cardiff
should have been reduced to fourteen men, probably more than once.
Not that that mattered. What we saw from Ulster’s pack was a
controlled and measured approach to the set piece and quite rightly they
exerted a lot of pressure on the Blues front row. If Adam Jones was feeling
confident lining up against the still-proving-himself Andrew Warwick, then the
British & Irish Lion was to be badly mistaken as the Ballymena man shunted
him backwards at a rate of knots. Joe Schmidt are you watching?
And of course, credit must go to his propping partner in Wiehahn
Herbst who, as the weeks go by, continues to look like a very astute
acquisition with another powerful performance in the tight. Although the bigger
tests in the form of the powerful Leicester and star-studded Toulon packs are
to come, at this stage of the season Warwick and Herbst look to be forming a
very impressive front row trio along with Rory Best.
Where concern still lies is the ineffectiveness of the backs. For a
back line that featured five Irish internationals, plus the more than likely to
be capped Stuart Olding, they were found severely lacking, and instead had to
rely on the barnstorming run of top try scorer Dan Tuohy (yes, you read that
right) to force their way over the line.
Ironically it was the only back who seems the likeliest to end his
career without a cap (and based on his performances so far that is a tragedy of
sorts), Louis Ludik who looked the most threatening, as he has done all season.
Always a danger to defenders with ball in hand, he seems to find the spaces and
ghost through them with ease. Another strong performance from the former Agen
man and he is certainly making a name for himself in Belfast.
Grant the backs a little bit of relief though, they were playing
behind a fly-half who was playing his first game for four months and some ring
rustiness was to be expected. Although for a first game back I don’t think too
many will have any major issues with Jackson’s performance, especially his
place kicking which was nearly exemplary and kept the scoreboard ticking over
nicely.
Bottom line, job done in Cardiff and a solid fourth place after three
games. With two potential banana skins in Wales safely navigated – if you’d
call the heart-stopper in Llanelli just that – being two points behind early
pace-setters the Ospreys is nothing to be sniffed at. That said, there’s always
things to be looked at and a lot of work to do.
Work to do, both for the coaching staff, and the medical staff too.
West is Best (but not that
West)
Great things come in small packages, or so the saying goes.
Take Connacht for example. Ireland’s forgotten fourth province have
made one of their best starts to a Pro12 season in their history and based on
their performances, it is fully deserved too. They comfortably saw off the
Newport-Gwent Dragons in week one, provided a dramatic late comeback at
Murrayfield a week later and on Friday night they claimed their first major
scalp of the season: a 10-9 victory over provincial rivals Leinster.
As far as dream starts go, Pat Lam will be wishing he never wakes up
from this one.
Sitting in a lofty third position with twelve points from a possible
fifteen, things are looking up for Connacht. Granted, they maybe aren’t going
to be challenging for silverware come the business end of the season, however
they will be delighted with the positive strides they have made in September
and will head into October hoping to push on and solidify their position in the
top six of the league.
But even the most diehard of the Clan will admit that there is a lot
of rugby to be played, and tougher opposition to face, starting with this
Friday’s trip to the Glasgow Warriors, who are looking as strong as ever. A
33-13 triumph over the Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade shows that they
are determined to go one step further this season than they did last time out.
If anyone thought Gregor Townsend’s side were going to suffer from
second-season syndrome then they were badly mistaken. So far the Scots have
flattened all before them, including exacting their revenge on Leinster for
last season’s final defeat. With Townsend at the helm and the strength in depth
that the Warriors have the ability to call upon, you’d be a brave man to bet
against them to be in the top four for a third consecutive season.
And spare a thought for the Ospreys who currently top the table.
Amassing 62 points against any opposition is nothing to be sniffed at,
and to do so in the manner that they did against Edinburgh on Sunday was
extremely impressive. With a sense of control and an attacking prowess that
very much resembled that of the All Blacks, the men of Swansea imposed
themselves on their visitors and in the end the result could have been similar
to a cricket score.
If anybody thought that they would be negatively affected by losing
several players over the summer, then those fears have been dispelled early on,
with the Ospreys seizing early control of the Pro12. Still, much like Connacht,
their start hasn’t exactly been the most taxing and their biggest tests are still
to come with a trip to Thomond Park on Saturday night looming large.
Nevertheless, the Ospreys still lead the Welsh charge, and the way in
the Pro12 so far.
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