Glasgow, who have been scoring tries for fun so far this season, were
reduced to nothing more than a side in Ulster’s way and Neil Doak’s men
routinely delivered. For a side that scored 21 tries in the previous five
games, the Scottish visitors did not even seriously threaten the Ulster line
once and that was down to a well drilled and robust Ulster defensive line,
coached fantastically well by Allen Clarke.
For the first time this season you could say that Ulster thoroughly
deserved their victory. Zebre and Cardiff were put away with performances that
could be improved upon, while the Edinburgh win was such a formality that it
seemed ludicrous to even mention the word ‘contest’ in the match report, so it
was a welcome relief that Ulster were comfortable and composed as they saw off
the form side in the Pro12.
It wasn’t a case of Glasgow being poor either, which would be an easy
way to sum up their shortcomings, rather Ulster didn’t allow them to play their
free-flowing offloading game that has drawn their admirers. From the first
minute the hosts adopted their high press defence and sucked the Warriors into
a tight, physical affair, and from there the Scots had no Plan B to go to.
It was a stroke of tactical genius from the Ulster coaching staff and
it showed on the field.
With nowhere to go without the ability to fling the ball around with
abandon, Glasgow looked like they had nothing to offer. Sean Maitland at least
provided an ever potent threat from full-back but beyond him the Warriors were
about as sharp as a balloon. Even their dangerous ball carriers Leone Nakarawa
and Josh Strauss were kept relatively quiet too – Strauss’ first half foray
into the Ulster 22 about as penetrating as the visitors got all evening.
It goes without saying that the win will give Neil Doak an immense
lift heading to Welford Road this Saturday. He extracted an intensity from his
Ulstermen on Saturday that we hadn’t seen before this season and in the end,
while a twenty point winning margin maybe flattered Ulster slightly, denying
Glasgow the losing bonus point was the least they deserved for a ruthless
rearguard effort and some clinical finishing in the second period.
Two players will stand out specifically for Doak though: Alan O’Connor
and Stuart McCloskey, two young players whom the coach has put his trust in and
they have rewarded him handsomely.
O’Connor, making only his second competitive start for his province,
looks as if he’s been a first team regular for years and has adapted to
professional rugby exceptionally well, taking full advantage of injuries to Dan
Tuohy and Iain Henderson and seizing his chance with both hands. If he
continues playing like this for the next few weeks then he certainly won’t look
out of place against two European heavyweights in Leicester and Toulon.
The same goes for Stuart McCloskey, chosen at inside centre over
namesake Stuart Olding, who brings an incredible amount of physicality to the
back line with his ability to seemingly break the first tackle on nearly every
occasion. Maybe not the first choice centre at the start of the season, his
last three games have proven what a player he actually is and should he
continue this form then the 12 shirt could be his for the foreseeable future.
And it will be his physical nature that will serve Ulster well against
Leicester. There is the small matter of Manusamoa Tuilagi in the centre for the
Tigers, and to see how the abrasive England centre gets on against an equally
abrasive centre in McCloskey will pique more than a few pundits’ interest. Of
course, this will be the 22-year old’s biggest test so far with the
international centre a massive step up from his previous three opponents, but
it will be a challenge he will undoubtedly relish.
The same goes for Mr. O’Connor who will line up opposite possibly the
most seasoned lock in the game of rugby at present in Brad Thorn (should he survive his citing). The 40-year
old has been there, done that and got the medals to prove it, and still
possesses the ability to start for Leicester in the latter stages of his career
– that is some achievement. So no less of a challenge for O’Connor than his
team-mate in the centre.
Still, Saturday’s clash is one that I think every Ulster fan has been
preparing for for a long time. Even with Ruan Pienaar sidelined, there is an
air of optimism around the Kingspan following last Saturday’s result and a
genuine belief that an early initiative in a very difficult Champions’ Cup pool
could be grasped with a second win at Welford Road in nine months. We’ve done
it once already, why not do it again?
Because it’s Leicester. And they do not lose at home very often. Any
sort of win will be an incredible achievement and will put us on cloud nine
ahead of Toulon’s visit to Belfast with an away win already registered. The
Tigers are decimated by several key injuries and if the Ulstermen can seize an
early initiative then there is no reason why we can’t leave England with four
vital points in the quest to qualify.
You can’t help but think that this is the best chance we’ll get
though, and it needs taken. Badly.
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