Ulster Rugby v Munster

Handshakes aplenty, the cheery hum of chit-chat pervading the grounds, they’re just part of what will be a special New Year’s Day atmosphere at Kingspan today. RESOLUTION NEEDED THIS NEW YEAR!

And if last night’s celebrations might have, for some unknown reason, produced a thunderous headache be assured there’s a series of roars this evening which will chase it away! That on the very first day of 2018 Kingspan Stadium should be packed to its modern rafters for the visit of Munster is somehow appropriate. Primarily the game is about improving Guinness PRO14 standings, but it’s an Inter-Pro against a club, a Province, with a proud and trophy-laden history. Munster’s first opponents way back in 1875 were Ulster and Leinster in a series which began before any of the Provinces had been formally established. That came in 1979 under the aegis of the IRFU, and a decade later Connacht made up the quartet which would fight for the only trophy available until the professional era over a century later: the Irish Inter-Provincial Championship. The fixture this New Year’s Day remains part of that competition, even if the priority is collecting PRO14 points with both teams currently occupying handy positions to secure a top three finish in each Conference and therefore a place in the critical play-off series in May. So, there are many factors at play in this game, and for the dyed-in-the-wool fans of the Inter-Pros victory over traditional Irish rivals will always be important. This year starts at a frenetic pace, just as 2017 ended, with two key Champions Cup games played by both sides and a pre-Christmas return to the league and an important round of Inter- Pros, Ulster travelling to the Sportsground for a typically gruelling clash with Connacht. So the accelerator needs to be pressed today for Munster’s arrival, its form in Europe and in the PRO14 gathering real momentum for new coach Johann van Graan. The South African took over in late November from Rassie Erasmus, inheriting a squad which oozes quality in most departments and which has steadied its form after an indifferent start to the season. But any team skippered by Peter O’Mahony is likely to have taken a hard look at itself in the mirror and once the new management team had settled in, other teams will know that

the two-time European Cup-winners will have refocused and will be all the more dangerous! The thumping defeat of Leicester at Thomond Park on the second Saturday of last month continued a vein of good form and of fine results which has set Munster up for a genuine assault in Europe on the resumption of Pool 4 hostilities in a few weeks, while a solid return in the league will keep Conference A leaders Glasgow ‘honest’ and within striking distance when the Six Nations ‘break’ comes along. Ulster harbours similar ambitions in its PRO14 division, and though Champions Cup Pool 1 qualification might just be a ‘stretch’, there lingers hope that a home win over La Rochelle and another victory over Wasps in Coventry might just secure a quarter-final spot. That such a hope, however unlikely, even survives into 2018 must encourage supporters. The unexpected and thoroughly deserved win at Harlequins a month ago stalled concerns which were mounting over performance and certain aspects of play, notably the concession of a cascade of tries against Southern Kings, Benetton and the Dragons in the league. But today, even if the Yuletide festivities can hardly yet be declared over, two well-prepared and battle-hardened sides come together in what will be a fascinating test for each. The visitors have quality around the pitch is beyond debate. O’Mahony, CJ Stander and Tommy O’Donnell would constitute an all-international breakaway unit if available, while props David Kilcoyne and James Cronin have caught the eye playing for Ireland, and South African lock Jean Kleyn has stepped into what threatened to be a problem area in the second row and, notably paired with Billy Holland, shone. The Ulster pack will have to be at its technical and physical best to take the initiative this evening. Iain Henderson seems to grow in stature with every match, and Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor, Sean Reidy, Chris Henry and the maturing Nick Timoney form a core for the ‘back five’ which is mobile and often threatening with ball in hand. For much of the packed Kingspan Stadium today, though, it’s the attacking prowess of the

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