CENTRE STAGE

Alright class, calculators at the ready? Let’s start doing some permutations.

Actually, I’m not going to do that. Much has been made of what Ulster need going into this last weekend in Europe and, quite frankly, it’s going to take a lot for Les Kiss’ men to reach the last eight of the Champions’ Cup because, not only do Ulster need to take the maximum haul at home to Oyonnax on Saturday afternoon, but they’re also relying on two of about six results going their way and even within that there are permutations inside permutations.

Five points against Oyonnax should not be the problem, in fact should things do according to plan Ulster should rack up something resembling a cricket score against the Top14 strugglers at the Kingspan Stadium. How they played in the second half over in the Stade Charles Mathon is more of a representation of how Ulster can play and how they should tear apart their opponents this Saturday.

As for the other results, there are too many that need to fall in Ulster’s favour for them to progress. For example, can you really see Bordeaux-Begles taking four points from Clermont? Or Leinster’s cubs stealing a win from Wasps who were so cruelly denied a deserved win at the Stade Felix Mayol on Sunday afternoon?

Realistically all Ulster can do is set the benchmark and wait and see which teams meet it and which fall short.

What I’m more interested in is Ulster’s problems, and while I’m not referring to the defeat to Saracens, I am referring to their sudden strength in depth across the park following the return of one player and the signing of another.

We start in London where, although four tries were leaked and a bonus point was not acquired, I do not feel Ulster disgraced themselves. Saracens are simply streets ahead of the rest of the competition, us included, and are so well financed and drilled that it would have taken an unbelievable performance to even secure that losing bonus point. It is very likely we were just beaten by one of this season’s main contenders, if not the champions themselves.

Instead, there are a few things Ulster can take from the game, none more so than the return of Jared Payne at full-back, and within 15 minutes of coming back he proved exactly why he is a crucial member of Ulster’s squad.

Having seen Stuart McCloskey and Luke Marshall excel as a partnership in his absence, Payne was put into a vacant shirt at full-back and proceeded to remind all Ulster fans just what they have been missing since he was ruled out during the World Cup with a foot injury - his early stab kick through for Luke Marshall to score was nothing short of inch perfect, and it had to be, and was a perfect reflection on Payne’s class.

Where he fits in is another question entirely. With the aforementioned McCloskey and Marshall pushing to be Ireland’s centre partnership come the Six Nations next month, Payne may be better served at full back as opposed to trying to wrestle one of them out of their shirt, especially with Rob Kearney simply going through the status quo down in Dublin and not setting anything alight with his performances.

Being injured for so long won’t have helped Payne’s hopes of securing a starting place in a very competitive Ulster back line, but Saturday was an apt reminder of what he can do.

Meanwhile, the arrival of the most un-Irish sounding Irish international ever has increased our depth in a position where we needed it most. Rodney Ah You will join us next season and will compete with current tighthead duo Wiehahn Herbst and Ricky Lutton for a starting place in our front row, an area where we are getting stronger but could use as much depth as possible in case of injuries.

Despite falling down the Irish pecking order of late, Ah You is still an exciting acquisition for Ulster. He is a very dynamic ball carrier (something Ulster are in short supply of with the departure of Nick Williams) and if the Ulster coaching staff can sort out his scrummaging, which has been the subject of criticism, then he will be a very handy player to have in the squad, especially as someone to add impact off the bench.

Reasons to be cheerful this week, both in the short and long term. Payne’s return will be a catalyst that will hopefully see us ride a wave into the quarter-finals of the Champions’ Cup, while Ah You’s transfer north has filled a hole in our squad and has increased competition in a position where we need like-for-like replacements in a match.

For a week that started with a loss, not too bad I say.