Well the wheels came off Ulsters Heineken Cup run earlier in the month with defeat to a rampant and inform Northampton team. I was at the game and the I have to say barring the location (never go to Stadium:MK for a rugby match!) it was an all round great day out with the weather and atmosphere being perfect. Watching the game back myself during the week and then watching the expects on The Rugby Club break it down you can see the small things that lead to Ulsters defeat but also take a lot of positives from the performance. We'll be be back stronger, wiser and more prepared next season!
So it is to the Magners League that Ulster turn their full attention too, not that we ever really took our eye off the ball or at least one Mr Ruan Pienaar did not. I have enjoyed the coverage that the Magners League and especially Ulster have got this season from the BBC and to be able to sit on my sofa in London and cheer on my boys has been fantastic but also nerve racking, I think my neighbors were starting to wonder what happened around 20:30 each Friday night for three/four weeks when loud cheering could be heard from my front room as a last minute scores went in for Ulster to get another victory.
The last time that Ulster completed 6 victories in a row was in 05/06 season when we went on to win the league and I have to say that it has nearly been that long since I have seen Ulster finish games off in the way they have towards the end of this season. In my opinion we have been very good over the past couple of season at throwing games away, whether through stupid penalties, inexperience or even in some cases just lack of fitness but this team is different. Brian McLaughlin and David Humphreys have together built a team that I think has an excellent balance of young and experienced players but even more so, all of them hungry and keen to win. Looking at the players faces and body language after the Heineken Cup game against Northampton there were genuine looks of disappointment and anger that they had let the game get away from them. With the spine of South African players running through the team from the front row to 9 the Ulster management have build around it with players who want to pull on the white shirt week in week out, from young Academy Players to good old fashioned Ulstermen who have come up through the ranks of school and club level in Ulster to represent their provenance, throw in a sprinkle of "blow-ins" and you have the making of a very good team.
Ulster have two games left now to cement their place in the four and get into the play-offs for the first time since they came into play and with those games against two teams who are currently in the bottom half of the league it would seem that Ulster have the easy run in, but not in my eyes. This weeks game (the last at Ravenhill this season) is a local derby against Connacht and nobody wants to loose a derby match. Connacht are going to come to Belfast to try and take advantage of Ulsters lose to Leinster on Saturday evening and with key players like Trimble and Wallace along with the longer term Ferris unavailable due to injury for Ulster it is not going to be a walk in the park, Ulster will need to get the points on the board early and keep the pressure on Connacht and hopefully just wear them out, we need to take maximum points from both games and a bonus point victory in-front of the Ravenhill crowd for the last time will help Ulster get up for this game. Then it is onto Newport-Gwent Dragons for the last game of the season. It was way to tight for comfort at Ravenhill just over a month ago and Dragons will use this along with the home advantage to spur them on knowing that only a Pienaar drop goal in the last play of game lost them the game, Ulster will need to be on top of their game that night and everyone focused, no missed tackles, no stupid penalties and we will have the victory.
Ulster are having a good season so far and if it all ended now I would have to say that all in all I would be happy. But knowing how close we are to the play-offs not to make them now would be a a real kick in the teeth. A semi-final place for me is expected, a home semi would be really good, a final place would be great, a home final would be brilliant. Winning the league, well that would just be fantastic!
We have the team, we have the ability but most of all we have the belief!
Stand-up for the Ulstermen!
So it is to the Magners League that Ulster turn their full attention too, not that we ever really took our eye off the ball or at least one Mr Ruan Pienaar did not. I have enjoyed the coverage that the Magners League and especially Ulster have got this season from the BBC and to be able to sit on my sofa in London and cheer on my boys has been fantastic but also nerve racking, I think my neighbors were starting to wonder what happened around 20:30 each Friday night for three/four weeks when loud cheering could be heard from my front room as a last minute scores went in for Ulster to get another victory.
The last time that Ulster completed 6 victories in a row was in 05/06 season when we went on to win the league and I have to say that it has nearly been that long since I have seen Ulster finish games off in the way they have towards the end of this season. In my opinion we have been very good over the past couple of season at throwing games away, whether through stupid penalties, inexperience or even in some cases just lack of fitness but this team is different. Brian McLaughlin and David Humphreys have together built a team that I think has an excellent balance of young and experienced players but even more so, all of them hungry and keen to win. Looking at the players faces and body language after the Heineken Cup game against Northampton there were genuine looks of disappointment and anger that they had let the game get away from them. With the spine of South African players running through the team from the front row to 9 the Ulster management have build around it with players who want to pull on the white shirt week in week out, from young Academy Players to good old fashioned Ulstermen who have come up through the ranks of school and club level in Ulster to represent their provenance, throw in a sprinkle of "blow-ins" and you have the making of a very good team.
Ulster have two games left now to cement their place in the four and get into the play-offs for the first time since they came into play and with those games against two teams who are currently in the bottom half of the league it would seem that Ulster have the easy run in, but not in my eyes. This weeks game (the last at Ravenhill this season) is a local derby against Connacht and nobody wants to loose a derby match. Connacht are going to come to Belfast to try and take advantage of Ulsters lose to Leinster on Saturday evening and with key players like Trimble and Wallace along with the longer term Ferris unavailable due to injury for Ulster it is not going to be a walk in the park, Ulster will need to get the points on the board early and keep the pressure on Connacht and hopefully just wear them out, we need to take maximum points from both games and a bonus point victory in-front of the Ravenhill crowd for the last time will help Ulster get up for this game. Then it is onto Newport-Gwent Dragons for the last game of the season. It was way to tight for comfort at Ravenhill just over a month ago and Dragons will use this along with the home advantage to spur them on knowing that only a Pienaar drop goal in the last play of game lost them the game, Ulster will need to be on top of their game that night and everyone focused, no missed tackles, no stupid penalties and we will have the victory.
Ulster are having a good season so far and if it all ended now I would have to say that all in all I would be happy. But knowing how close we are to the play-offs not to make them now would be a a real kick in the teeth. A semi-final place for me is expected, a home semi would be really good, a final place would be great, a home final would be brilliant. Winning the league, well that would just be fantastic!
We have the team, we have the ability but most of all we have the belief!
Stand-up for the Ulstermen!
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