Ulster Rugby vs Zebre

FRANCO VAN DER MERWE FEELING FRESH AND READY TO PROVE A POINT With it being three weeks since Ulster's last outing, we caught up with lock Franco van der Merwe to see how he spent the time...

Last week, we had a really good break, I stayed at home, we just welcomed a little baby girl, Isabella, into the world, so it was nice to spend a lot of time with her and to help my wife. We've had a couple of sleepless nights but she is really good, she is starting to show some reactions which is great so it’s an exciting time for us. She was born in the Ulster Hospital on 2nd October, it was a life changing experience and great that we will always have a connection to Belfast! There has been a lot of preparation for Zebre this week, an important fixture following a disappointing few performances before the break. Everyone was disappointed with our performance against Edinburgh, so it is vital that we bounce back from it. Zebre managed to get a win in Edinburgh, which didn’t do us any favours, because the Scottish side came back fighting and played really well against us. The Zebre game was a bit of a wake up call for them, so they came out all guns blazing against us and scored two tries within

minutes. The Italians are really looking good this season, and we know we have to be well prepared for them. We have had some disappointments recently, but it is by no means the end of the season. We have got to get as many points as we can in the run up to Christmas and after the holidays we go back into Europe so there is no time to hang heads. We have got to get our chins up and work hard through this period, we have got to stick together as a unit and work hard for each other. We have got to do our job really well and start fresh against Zebre. A few days’ rest has been really beneficial. The boys were back in this week feeling refreshed, willing to work hard and excited to get back to playing again. I think for us this week; Edinburgh will be in the back of our minds acting as ammunition. We need to prove a point and there has been a real focus, energy and buzz around the paddock this week.

FRANCO VAN DER MERWE

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