PROMISING PROGRESSION

Darren Cave said in the aftermath of the game on Friday night how impressed he was with Ulster for winning a game that a few years ago they would have lost.

And in a way he has something of a point. No more than five years ago Ulster would have been languishing amongst the basement dwellers of the Celtic League, unable to capitalise on promising positions they held in games. Quite frustratingly, it was a common trait of Ulster teams back then to start promisingly, provide the Ravenhill crowd with something to get hopeful about, and then proceed to throw away their impressive position in the second half.

Friday was a welcome reminder that those days are very much gone. Having seen a commanding fifteen point lead slashed to two in twenty second half minutes, the writing was plastered all over the walls. Still the Ospreys pressed, with fly-half Sam Davies in exceptional kicking form, and it looked like a score of some sort was inevitable, especially with the Welsh side’s driving maul ominously powerful.

Yet somehow Ulster held out and managed to flip the Ospreys’ momentum around completely and deny them even a losing bonus point, and let’s not forget how important that may prove to be in the grand scheme of things. A lot of credit must be given to the players for overcoming the fact they were being beaten 13-0 in the second half and plugging away to get that crucial late try.

It is a mark of where Ulster stand now. While the two Champions’ Cup matches maybe didn’t go quite to plan, our Pro12 form has been slowly improving and we now find ourselves unbeaten in four domestic games with the scalps of both Glasgow and the Ospreys taken in that run. All games are now targeted as winnable fixtures, and it is just reward for a good run of form that we find ourselves joint top with the Ospreys at the top of the table.

Neil Doak will be fairly pleased with how his tenure at Ulster has begun all things considered. Arguably the Champions’ Cup is beyond Ulster this season so the main focus will be on the Pro12, and 30 points from 8 games isn’t a bad return for the head coach. And he will be delighted with some of the gems he has unearthed in Clive Ross and Sean Reidy in the back row, and Alan O’Connor at lock too. If Doak is to lead his province to Pro12 glory then those names will be just as important as the Bests and the Bowes.

That’s why he’ll be very glad with how his second fringe players coped with the Ospreys who, it must be remembered, were unbeaten in the league before Friday night and had already seen off Munster at Thomond Park – no mean feat at all. Unfortunately that now means that the Ulstermen have a target on their backs that everyone is going for, and with trips to Munster, the Ospreys (again!) and Leinster three of Ulster’s next four league games that target will be under heavy fire.

However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With big games comes heightened intensity and heightened focus and Ulster will need both of those virtues in abundance over the coming weeks. Any sort of slip in focus and Ulster could find themselves back down in mid-table region with a lot of ground to make up in the final few games of the season or even over the next international period in February.

Munster next, as the tough games just keep on coming.

Staking their claim

Nobody can now argue that Ireland are the form European side, and undeniably the favourites to lead the northern hemisphere charge for the World Cup next summer.

Where Wales failed and where England failed, Ireland have succeeded this autumn in completing a clean sweep of victories over their southern hemisphere counterparts and have leapt up into third in the latest world rankings – no more than they deserve for controlling the tie against the Springboks and then managing a gritty three point win over the Wallabies at the weekend.

How they won is not the main focus point. Against Michael Cheika’s side it was always going to be a loose game, and once the Irish had fallen into the trap of allowing it to be so then they were on the back foot. But all credit to Ireland, in the second half they tightened up considerably and, led admirably by Paul O’Connell, they managed a third victory of the Autumn Series and firmly established themselves as a challenger to the World Champions next October.

Notably however, the All Blacks have not yet been conquered…

MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO

I’m not sure what more needs to be said after Sunday.

The bookies had Ireland to win by 41, and in the end a 49-7 winning margin was probably fair on both sides – the Georgians played well enough to get on the scoreboard, while the superiority of the Irish reflected in their six try demolition of their sub-standard opposition. In the end, Ireland will go away happy with third place in the world rankings, and Georgia will move on with more experience under their belts.

Regardless of the scoreline, it did a disservice to how well Georgia did to stand up to a side vastly their better for the first 50 minutes. Let me remind you that the score at half-time was only a measly 9-0 in the home side’s favour, an advantage that probably made Joe Schmidt go a bit red in the face heading in at half-time. With forty minutes played it was still very much anybody’s game.

Was it Georgia were standing up in the face of adversity? Probably to a certain degree – the thought of the scalp of the defending Six Nations’ champions must have been a tantalising prospect indeed and an impressive first half rearguard effort showed that Georgia were at the Aviva Stadium to at least make life difficult for their hosts at least.

In the end it was probably more to do with Ireland showing their opponents a little too much respect. As much as it is true that you can never underestimate a side, there is only so far that can go as well. With the greatest of respect to Georgia, they aren’t even close to being anywhere near the quality of the All Blacks or the Springboks, and Ireland should have been out of sight by half time. And as one of the best sides in the world, these games are the ones that you show your world class in.

It’s rather a shame, therefore, that none of those selected really put their hands up for selection. Dave Kilcoyne put in a good shift at loosehead prop but was caught out at the set piece, while Felix Jones was on hand to finish two tries well, but beyond those two there was nothing spectacular to catch the eye for Joe Schmidt. And it’s a bit of a shame too as this was the perfect game for someone to put in a stellar performance and really put forward a case for a start against the Wallabies.

In that regard Schmidt may well be concerned. True his side did end up winning by 42 points, but he’ll be worried by the lack of depth shown by his second string players, especially up front where the Georgians possessed a slight bit of superiority. Tighthead is a real area of concern, as Mike Ross started again under Schmidt, with the aptly Irish named Rodney Ah You seemingly unable to make the transition from bench man to starter, while a failing line-out will cost them against better sides.

Criticisms aside (don’t judge how I have any), a win’s a win I suppose. Whether the Kiwi coach is looking forward to the World Cup yet or not is unknown, but certainly this Guinness Series will put his side in good form ahead of their Six Nations title defence in February, regardless of the Wallabies score on Saturday. The ruthlessness which Ireland used to dispose of the Springboks a week ago proved that the Irish belong at the top table of world rugby, and a further victory against the Australians will only further the belief in Dublin.

Speculation is glorious though, the Wallabies come first.

England in awe

Week two and another loss for the Sweet Chariot.

The All Blacks defeat was a decent performance and I’ll give them that, but on Saturday they were bested by a morally devoid Springboks side. In fact, in the end a three point win was very flattering on the home side who managed 14 points while their visitors were down a man in the forwards. Had the Springboks kept their discipline then it would have been a runaway victory.

I was thoroughly disappointed by England actually. I do think they’re overhyped by the media, but for a side that is as well coached as they are they seemed to have no significant way of breaking down the South Africans other than the driving maul. If they want to be one of the sides competing at the World Cup in a few months’ time then Stuart Lancaster needs to up his ideas a bit.

As for Wales, they seem to fluff their lines every time they come up against a Southern Hemisphere side. This week it was fearless Fiji who travelled to the Millennium Stadium and but for Campese Ma’afu’s stupidity (and I don’t exaggerate) they could have continued Wales’ wretched record in the Autumn Internationals. Warren Gatland will surely be losing sleep over his side’s mental barrier against the teams from the South.

And spare a thought for poor Scotland. They did remarkably well to match the All Blacks, changed as they were, toe for toe for the majority of the game and had Greig Laidlaw landed that penalty to put the Scots ahead then maybe things would have finished a little differently. Still, a lot of positives for Vern Cotter to take and build on, especially in the aftermath of last week’s 41-31 win over Argentina, and a welcome reminder that the All Blacks are indeed vulnerable, especially when down a few big names.

Even so, it’s still the southern teams that hold all the power in world rugby.

JOE GO FOR IRELAND

If anyone could mastermind a win over the Springboks it was Joe Schmidt.

Outgunned, Ireland took to the field on Saturday minus key individuals in Cian Healy, Rory Best and Sean O’Brien, yet they launched themselves into their opposition with such tenacity and ferocity that it seemed to take the South Africans ten minutes to actually realise they were in for a real dogfight with the Six Nations champions.

Indeed, everything seemed to be going wrong for Ireland in the build up to the game. Not only were they down three vital players to their first team, they then lost Chris Henry to illness on Saturday morning and the Ulsterman was replaced by relative newbie Rhys Ruddock. Couple that with the fact that Heyneke Meyer had the ability to call on the same twenty-three players who took down the All Blacks a month ago, you would have forgiven the Irish had they thrown in the towel early and preserved their players to fight for another day.

“Back down”, however, does not seem to be a phrase in Joe Schmidt’s vocabulary.

With the doom-and-gloom prediction from George Hook ringing in their ears, Ireland took to the game like a duck to water and hit the Springboks with everything they had from the first minute. And after the platform had been well and truly established, the second half was a case of hammering home the initiative with scores from Rhys Ruddock and Tommy Bowe sealing a famous win at the Aviva Stadium, which is now becoming something of a feared away venue.

Speaking of Ruddock, one cannot sing his praises enough. For a player who only learned he was starting at 10:35 that morning, he was a ferocious ball carrier from openside and thoroughly deserved his try, even if how he got it required a little bit of out of the box thinking. But with those results, who could argue? A promising game from the Leinster flanker, and one which he will be desperate to back up against Georgia on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the battle to replace Brian O’Driscoll, Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne, although centre partners on the field, were probably secretly trying to outdo each other and grab Schmidt’s attention as to who he would like to fill the vacant 13 shirt on a permanent basis. In the end it was the Connacht man who probably edged that battle, with his strong ball carrying and deft kicking over the back line an ever present threat to the misfiring Springboks.

From an Ulster perspective though, Payne had a good game and did not look out of place at 13 – something which is slowly becoming the norm as the season progresses. His ability to track Rob Kearney’s run in the first half and be able to provide the full-back with a pair of hands to pass outside to is something that will benefit him in the long run, while he is a player that does attract that extra defender to haul him down in full steam, even if he isn’t quite a Mathieu Bastareaud yet.

Jonathan Sexton unsurprisingly grabbed the plaudits for another game changing performance from 10, however he does not grab the plaudits from me as I was expecting a stellar performance from him anyway, while I am finding myself very impressed by the difficulty with which defenders cope with Sean Cronin. His line-out throwing and scrummaging may not be on a parallel with Rory Best, but with ball in hand he is a real danger, especially when the play is loose.

But the true winner for Ireland is Joe Schmidt.

Call it cliché or whatever you want to call it, but this man has revolutionised Irish rugby no end. Remember those days only a few years ago when Ireland were fighting with Italy to avoid finishing bottom of the Six Nations – and losing? No longer must we endure that. On Saturday we saw a well drilled and lethal Ireland side put away one of the teams that will be challenging for the World Cup next October with complete ease.

Romain Poite’s decision to sin bin Adriaan Strauss probably benefitted Ireland more than they deserved (Strauss in my opinion was unlucky to spend 10 minutes in the bin) but in the end, the win was no more than they deserved, and Schmidt should reign in all the praise he will undoubtedly receive. As far as tactics went he was spot on, and the belief and endeavour he managed to bring out of his players despite their inferiority on paper was admirable.

Because man for man on Saturday the South Africans had the game won. Remember this side defeated New Zealand and boasted world class names across the park, they were riding the crest of a wave and had the top world rankings spot firmly in their sights. Yet a depleted Ireland side stood tall, they went man for man and played the Springboks into the ground on Schmidt’s orders.

And that is why he is the best man for the job.

TM-Oops

Seriously, what is the point in having a TMO if the referee isn’t going to actually listen to his advice?

England lost to the All Blacks on Saturday, but for me the main talking point of the game was a yellow card to Dane Coles. In my opinion it was a bit of foolishness from both Coles and Dylan Hartley, and neither should have seen a card for it, but the biggest problem I have is Nigel Owens’ handling of the situation.

Owens called upon the help of his TMO Simon McDowell who, upon reviewing the incident several times, recommended that Owens let the incident go with just a penalty to England – the correct call. Yet Owens was determined to push forward his own decision of a yellow card no matter what McDowell said to him, and eventually got his way, probably simply out of pure persistence than mutual agreement.

Now I have no issues with Owens’ refereeing style, it is one of the best in the world if not the best, but this was beyond bizarre. The whole reason that a referee is meant to go to the TMO is to get advice on a difficult call – if the referee is then going to ignore that advice then is the role of the TMO not redundant? If a referee is undecided on a big decision and is going to make his own call rather than listen to his assistant, then is there not an argument to simply have someone provide the replays upon the referees’ request?

Personally I feel the role of the TMO has to be maintained. The whole reason they exist is to make the calls that the referee is unsure about, and by applying for the help of the TMO the referee should forfeit his ability to influence the final call on the play. Because in reality what is the point in having an official at the game that isn’t going to actually have any sort of an influence?

The solution? Get rid of the replays on the big screens. Or the big screens altogether, either solution would work. That way referees are reliant on the TMO’s ruling and the crowd cannot influence his decision. Because if you’re going to call on the help of the TMO, like Owens did of McDowell, then you should listen to his call, not ignore it.

BREAKING BAD HABITS

Apologies to those of you who saw the title and thought that I would be referencing the award winning American TV drama this week – I’ve never even watched one episode of Breaking Bad!

Instead I refer you to the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night. Ignoring the highly irregular Saturday night kick off time, there wasn’t much to talk about following the game as normal order was once again resumed in the Pro12 with Ulster emerging comfortable winners over the Newport-Gwent Dragons. Yet not for the first time this season the crowd left the Ravenhill area with an overwhelming sense of disappointment after the game.

Maybe the torrid weather had something to do with it, but in an increasingly annoying pattern Ulster made heavy going of a straightforward fixture, and they finished without the fourth try that would have given them a bonus point that may be crucial in the grand scheme of things. The most annoying thing about the game, however, is that this isn’t something that is foreign to Ulster fans.

During international periods Ulster make a habit of struggling through games. Last night was a classic example of the status quo as mistakes aplenty and an embarrassing number of handling errors culminated in Declan Fitzpatrick’s final play try counting for naught and an underwhelming seventeen-point victory. You’ll be waiting for a long time before you get another one of those.

And yet you had the sense it was coming.

True with many players reporting for duty to the Ireland camp there were to be changes expected, but the inconsistency in team selections continued with another seven changes to the starting XV. Stuart Olding (who, to his credit was outstanding) and Louis Ludik both made their first starts of the season at full-back and wing respectively, the centre lottery continued with Darren Cave and Stuart McCloskey’s numbers coming up, and Sean Reidy was making his debut in the back row. A settled team that was not.

Now as I say, with international call-ups there’s not much Neil Doak could do about that and I don’t blame him for it for one second, however it just emphasised how too many changes can impact a side. The Dragons were just as impacted by injuries and were down to fielding 17-year old debutant Barney Nightingale on the bench – put simply it was a game that was begging to have five points taken from it.

And yet, like so many times before, Ulster could not find the extra gear required during the international period to put in that top class performance. Granted no side is going to be perfect with their front line players missing, but a coach is determined to see his team put in a coherent and fluid performance even when depleted, and for the past few years Ulster haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s been under Brian McLaughlin or Mark Anscombe or so far under Les Kiss and Neil Doak.

It’s a problem that’s plagued Ulster for years and it’s one that is seemingly persisting as the seasons go by. Winning games is one thing, but making sure that they get the maximum haul from games that are there for the taking, like Saturday night, is another. Even if we are only seven games into the season, that fourth try would have lifted Ulster above Glasgow into second place and it’s always nice to be up there regardless of what stage of the year we’re at.

What needs to be done to amend these shortcomings is beyond me and my lack of rugby coaching knowledge. However what is obvious is that it needs addressed quickly ahead of the visit of the high-flying Ospreys in a few weeks. Already the clash at the Kingspan Stadium is looking like it will go a long way to deciding the final pecking order in the Pro12, and unless Doak can spark his side into action then the Ospreys will punish them.

There’s a two week break before the Welsh side roll into town though, so that gives the coaching staff a bit of time to recuperate and prepare adequately for the challenge the top side will pose. Still, minus their international stars the Ospreys lose a considerable edge to their game, as exhibited against Connacht last week, and that game will surely be a glorious opportunity to take a few points off a rival. But that’s not for another couple of weeks so no point worrying just yet.

As for me, I’m off on international duty on Saturday. Well I need something to pass the time when Ulster aren’t around…

TAUGHT A LESSON

There are times in life where you simply have to put your hands up and admit that someone else was better than you.

Saturday was one of those days, to a certain extent. We weren’t at our best, not by a long shot, but we came up against a side who imposed themselves on us with an immense physicality and then backed that up with pace and movement that cut our defence to pieces. Toulon aren’t the defending Top14 and European champions for no reason, and on Saturday they proved just why – they have talent all over the place.

Take for instance the brilliance of their back row. Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe withdrew through injury in the first minute, and to any other side that would’ve been catastrophic to their ability at the breakdown. Not to Toulon, who replaced him with a World Cup winner in Juanne Smith who combined with Steffon Armitage and Chris Masoe to blow away Ulster in the close encounters, thus highlighting the unrivalled strength of Toulon’s squad.

In the aftermath, some have gone for the nuclear option: declaring that Ulster simply aren’t good enough. That my friends, is rubbish.

I’m not denying that we have areas we must improve in, because we obviously do, but to suddenly write Ulster off as a side that aren’t good enough is a flawed argument. For instance, only two weeks ago we were singing Ulster’s praises after comfortably seeing off Glasgow at the Kingspan – yet two weeks later, according to some, we need a complete overhaul of our coaching staff, players and facilities after two losses to top quality opposition.

Neil Doak will stay, as he should, as it is extremely early to judge his progress as a coach. He’s started his reign as Ulster head coach with three incredibly difficult games and, following the Glasgow triumph, he came up against a Leicester side who have found their form again and the defending European champions who show no signs of giving up their title any time soon.

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Doak. After the win over the Warriors he probably thought he was riding the crest of a wave. But now, with two losses to his name as well, he’s facing the harsh realities of being a head coach at the highest level – he will be scrutinised with every move he makes and if every game isn’t a W in the results column then there will be questions asked of him.

It’s a little early for him to write off Europe just yet. As uphill a task his side face to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions’ Cup, it is by no means impossible, and if Doak can provide some Houdini-esque magic and get Ulster into the quarter-finals then he will be lauded as a great coach by fans and experts alike. It wouldn’t be too bad a start to his tenure in charge either.

But he must move on from Saturday’s disappointment. What we saw from Toulon was a fantastic piece of close down rugby where they negated Ulster’s game plan from the off and restricted them to nothing more than two penalties and a late try – sometimes there is nothing you can do about that except hold up your hands and admit they had you sussed.

Instead, the focus must switch back to the Pro12. While Europe may be something of an unlikely goal, qualifying for the play-offs domestically is quite the opposite. Sitting in a lofty third place with two huge games against the Ospreys and Munster to come at the end of November, there is a real opportunity for Ulster to get some points on the board and also take a few off some play-off rivals too.

Saturday is the perfect opportunity for us to get another five points and close the gap on runaway leaders the Ospreys – the Dragons are missing so many players that if we don’t get at least four tries then there will have to be questions asked. Regardless of whether we are a team in transition or not, you would like to hope that our squad would have the ability to get a bonus point against one of the sides hoping not to finish last in the table.

And it is in these games that Doak will be judged, not the Toulon game. The league is the bread and butter for any team, so how competitive we are in the Pro12 will determine how successful Doak is perceived to be. And that starts with a convincing bonus point win on Saturday over the Dragons that will appease all those fans' fears.

And nothing else will do.

LEAVING LEICESTER BEHIND

I’ve never left a game so bewildered as to how I should feel about Saturday’s defeat at Welford Road. To give you a sample of my bewilderment, here are my notes from the game:

Negatives: First half

Positives: Second half

I’m not quite sure what it was about us on Saturday but, the 22 phase drive in the first few minutes aside, we offered so little in the first half that it seemed like only one side had actually decided to compete. Leicester showed desire and hunger that we hadn’t seen from them before this season and in my opinion had they gone in with four tries wrapped up at half-time I’m not sure too many would have raised a hand to argue.

Yet in the second half it was all change. Owen Williams got us off to a status quo start, but after that it was all Ulster. I’m not sure what was said at half-time, nor do I know just what Neil Doak put in the oranges, but with half an hour left on the clock the Ulstermen sprung into life as only we know they can. Lightning quick backs moves and relentless breakdown work combined for a spirited Ulster comeback which was cut cruelly short by Michael Heaney’s last second knock-on.

The raucous cheers at full-time were of relief, not jubilation.

Whether Leicester will be happier with the result is questionable, and is also where I make my point. For the home side you could argue they’ve gained a valuable four points and a crucial home win that is a necessity in Europe. On the other hand, with three tries gained in the first 40 with relative ease, there has got to be a severe sense of disappointment for Richard Cockerill that his side could not push on and get just one more try, instead handing the initiative to the visitors.

Meanwhile, put the shoe on the other foot. At half-time I think every Ulster fan would have taken a defeat that didn’t leave them thoroughly embarrassed for the rest of the week, yet by the time hands were shaken at the end of the game there was definitely a degree of frustration that we left with just one point. Leicester were there to be beaten, and Neil Doak knows that.

Errors and a faltering set piece cost us dearly, and that will have to be addressed ahead of the visit of Toulon. As for the aftermath of Saturday, I left Welford Road and arrived back at my hotel still extremely conflicted by what I had watched – the extreme capitulation of the first half and the sheer brilliance of the second. It was like watching two different teams, which is probably credit to Doak for turning it around in the fifteen minutes he had at the break.

In the end, I guess it’s a case of a point gained more than anything else, and even more importantly: a rival denied a point. Had Leicester got that fourth try we were facing an uphill battle to qualify for the latter stages, so to finish with a 4-1 match point deficit is a brilliant return. If you recall after Leicester took a bonus point away from Ravenhill at this stage last season everyone claimed they had the upper hand in the pool – could you argue it’s the same for us now?

The performance left a lot to be desired, but there is a lot to draw confidence from in that second period and build upon. Toulon will of course be another step up from the Tigers with all their mega-bucks stars and their desire to become the first side to win Europe’s premier competition for three successive seasons, but if we can continue where we left off from at Welford Road then Toulon are beatable.

A point at Welford Road is not a shameful result and a win against Toulon puts us right back into the mix. In fact, it’s a measure of where we stand in Europe that we are coming away from Leicester, multiple time champions of this event, disappointed with a tight loss. With a mindset like that, and a slight improvement in our play, then there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t cause a major scalp and take down the reigning champions.

Pool Three is still wide open, and if we play our cards right then we’ll be in with a shout come January. Already the game against Leicester at the Kingspan could go a long way to deciding the future of two sides in this season’s competition…

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

For all the critics who were getting on Ulster’s back for the last few weeks, Saturday night was certainly an answer to those criticisms.

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.