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had – optimistically – a potential to bulwark the PRO12
leadership with a 20-point haul.
Instead Ulster has slumped down the table to fifth spot,
admittedly within striking distance of the first priority, a
Top Four finish, but all of eight points adrift of a revived
Leinster, Munster giving chase, and the Ospreys and
Glasgow Warriors certain to maintain their determined
challenges.
Ulster will concentrate on its own challenges, but
a low-scoring game at Scotstoun tonight when the
Welsh side arrives to take on the Warriors, would be
welcome in the home dressing room!
But it’s Zebre and his own side’s form which will
have occupied Kiss this week and more, and he’ll
be encouraged if any of the Ireland contingent is
considered surplus to Joe Schmidt’s requirements
tomorrow when the autumn series concludes against
Australia in Dublin. The Director of Rugby will be
delighted if they are all retained in camp, naturally,
and hopefully contributing to another forward step in
the green jersey, and after their efforts against New
Zealand last weekend Jared, Paddy, Andrew, Rory and
Iain will surely to be asked ‘to go again’.
And, of course, the pride we all have in the momentous
achievement of Rory Best in reaching 100 ‘caps’
– and as captain of his country – is something to
cherish. No player has given more attention to the
detail of improvement and the ambition of Ulster, and
his commitment and his talent have been fulfilled
many times over. For over a decade Rory has been a
natural leader, a wholehearted combatant, a superb
ambassador for Province and country, and to see him
in his playing pomp in a year when another Lions tour
beckons is a tribute to him and those around him.
Rob Herring, another Irish international hooker, will
skipper the team against Zebre and – just like Rory
– he offers a model of how to take the game to the
opposition, how to be meticulous at the setpiece and
mobile and effective in the loose.
He would love to see the side kick-start what would
be a turn in fortunes and in performance with a
dominating win over the Italians, who – of course –
have the reliable and often mischievous out-half Carlo
Canna to kick goals and spark attacks from deep, and
on the wing his international team-mate Giovabattista
Venditti has been scoring tries against formidable
defences, most recently the mighty All Blacks and the
Springboks.
It’s a visiting squad littered with some big domestic
name like centre Matteo Pratichetti and embellished by
the addition of established overseas-born talents such
as No.8 Dries van Schalkwyk – now an Italy regular -
and lock Quintin Geldenhuys and tearaway open-side
flanker Johan Meyer. This Zebre travels with real hope
of returning home having at least distancing itself from
neighbours Treviso and narrowing the gap to the ten
sides currently above it in the table.
Ulster will be wary but with the confidence it surely can
get from the presence of, for instance, Piutau, Ruan
Pienaar, Herring, the indefatigable Franco van der
Merwe and Sean Reidy there should be just too much
‘nous’ and firepower in the home ranks.
The poor decisions which undermined the last
outing in Edinburgh will have been examined and
lessons learned, and these Ulster players are their
own harshest critics and they are acutely aware of
the disappointment which has taken root in some
supporters’ minds, but just as one week is a long
time in politics one win can often lead to a sequence
of performances to ‘Trump’ all those more negative
memories.
Until the New Year this group of players have the
opportunity, and definitely the ability, to mount an
assault on the PRO12 title, but it will take the brightest
and the best to see off the Italians tonight, and Cardiff
Blues next weekend in Wales.
Europe’s premier competition then comes calling
again, with back-to-back meetings with France’s
best, Clermont Auvergne: what would a repeat of
the amazing ‘double’ of last year over Toulouse do
to spirits on the pitch, on the terraces, in the stands
and in the coaching box? Immense contests await in
the Champions Cup, but so too do exciting routes to
reclaiming momentum and self-belief.
And on Christmas weekend the festive fires would
really brighten if current PRO2 champions Connacht
were put to the sword. While 2017 could hardly be
welcomed more warmly than with a New Year’s
Eve afternoon win at the RDS against an improving
Leinster, currently top of the ‘heap’.
It won’t be easy to realise all those targets, but
the determination to do so is real and the intent
unquestionable. These have been difficult weeks for
all Ulster rugby people, but a further slide down the
rankings is not on the agenda at Kingspan Stadium.
Stern examinations await, but so do many fine players
and coaches energised by the trips to Cardiff, to
France and to Dublin before the year is out, and
relishing the remaining fixtures in front of the best fans
in the game.
The kiln of tough times will have fired tougher people,
stronger and more determined people – whether in
the white strip of Ulster those flourishing their team’s
favours.
Give Zebre a warm welcome, and show them what a
real team is. Ulster needs to stand up, in numbers, in
full voice.
ARTICLE BY ROD NAWN
FREELANCE JOURNALIST
AND SPORTS ENTHUSIAST
@RODNAWN1