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47
ULSTERRUGBY
Article by
Rod Nawn
Freelance Journalist
and Sports Enthusiast
@RODNAWN1
For Leicester, it is a game they must
emphatically win, and hope for results
elsewhere to go its way, if the European dream
is to continue. For a club with such a great
history and, down the years, players of world
class abounding, an exit from the Champions
Cup at this stage would be more than just
disappointing.
So, for both teams there is much at stake
this evening, and for Ulster last weekend’s
loss in Toulon did not come without some
consolation. Players like flanker Mike McComish
were thrust into the fray against the holders
and never took a step back, the defeat was
more than convincing but the work ethic and
sense of adventure, especially early on, was
encouraging.
Ian Humphreys was an early replacement in
France, and tonight he’d relish the chance to
torment his former club as the starting out-half,
and Leicester will be wary of the diminutive No.
10 who – in its colours – put on an attacking
masterclass to stun Munster in Thomond Park a
few years back.
Doak will hope he can call upon a few of his
internationals after injury and rest, and with Iain
Henderson, Wiehann Herbst, Luke Marshall and
Tommy Bowe, for instance, returning there is a
case to be optimistic about the next few months.
There is a lot of work to be done, but the ability
of the coaching team and the players in the
squad cannot be questioned, and perhaps just
a few good rolls of the dice by Lady Fortune can
quickly reset the ambitions for the season.
Ulster supporters have a part to play, it’s
not just a glib cliché to say how important a
fervent Kingspan atmosphere is to the team.
Commitment in the stands and on the terraces
is something players and coaches can’t
orchestrate, but it’s been there in abundance
for years of history-making seasons, and with a
stadium to rank with the best anywhere fans are
clearly regarded as ‘the 16th man’.
Leicester arrive in Belfast, sportingly belligerent
and as formidably gifted in all positions as
always, but Ulster has confronted Martin
Johnson and his ilk in years gone by and won
with style and no little invention.
For Ulster the targets are a little in mid-distance,
for Leicester they are of this moment, defeat this
weekend is unthinkable.
In rugby, sometimes that’s an unpleasant
prospect which can ‘play’ on players’ minds.
Ulster won’t have ignored that this week, so
stand by for a thunderous European contest.