Ulster Rugby v Benetton Rugby

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camp, and Crowley is depending on the largesse of national coach Conor O’Shea to discover if he has enough firepower to add to the scalp of Glasgow taken just three weeks ago. Dean Budd, Justin Hayward, Tomasso Allan, Ian McKinlay, Braam Steyn, Titi Tebaldi and Alessandro Zanzini, Ilieasa Ratuva, Edoarda Gori and Marco Fuser have been crucial to the club’s emergence to near-parity with the best of the PRO14. O’Shea immerses himself in the development of Benetton and Zebre, and Italian rugby may still select from too shallow a pool but it is one which is making a splash – particularly in Conference B. Before the glitter of that Champions Cup trip to Leinster in March, Ulster will be ambitious, because that is when it thrives, when the Ospreys and Zebre appear in February, and when the Dragons and Southern Kings complete the PRO14 phase immediately before that Aviva Stadium quarter-final. Dan McFarland’s mantra of fighting for every inch in every game has never been more prescient. Success on two fronts would surely mark a watershed in fortunes and indicate concrete promise for the future. PRO14 mediocrity is not an option. Ulster wants and demands more days at the exciting top table of knockout rugby. Bring it on!

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