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But mouth-watering as that duel always is, there is
no evading the sense of disappointment which most
home supporters will feel as they take their places
in the seats and on the terraces of the state-of-the-
art stadium for the last game of the regular season.
It was one which promised so much, started well,
alarmingly ‘dipped’, then appeared to recover its
momentum and some of its style before reaching the
vital run-in to semi-final qualification before stuttering
frustratingly once more.
Last weekend’s hugely uninspiring display in defeat
at the Ospreys has effectively ensured the hosts
will end another campaign with a whimper rather
than with the roar and gusto which might have been
anticipated. The form and results of the three games
in April yielded a paltry three points and ceded
ground to the Scarlets and the out-of-form Ospreys
in the race for a Top Four finish.
Given that six successive wins in the Guinness
PRO12 since January had given grounds for genuine
ambition the last month has been one to test the
mood of the most resilient supporters. A fateful home
draw with Cardiff Blues – in hindsight – meant that
trips to Thomond Park and Liberty Stadium were
unlikely to offer a rich harvest given the uneven
displays and the morale-sapping catalogue of
injuries which has definitely prevented the necessary
consistency of selection which most will accept is a
formidable tool at critical stages of the year.
Indisputably there have been performances by
individual players which offered more than a hint of
what this talented and carefully-assembled squad
might achieve, and Rob Lyttle, Jacob Stockdale and
John Andrews are just a few of those who are sure to
be handed important roles as Ulster – as it must now
– looks forward to another assault on the PRO12 and
on Europe in August.
Les Kiss and his coaching staff wouldn’t point at
the list of casualties as a reason for the failure to
realise the potential at Kingspan, but the long-term
absences of such as Stuart Olding, Peter Nelson,
Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne,
Wiehahn Herbst, Chris Henry and Marcel Coetzee
does provide an insight into the wounding damage
their particular gifts and experience might have
offered if they had been consistently available.
Leinster, today’s visitors, has been hit hard by
injuries but there has been a depth to the pool at
the disposal of Leo Cullen and his assistant Stuart
Lancaster which Ulster is attempting to build but
can only envy as it ponders ‘what might have been’
while the men in blue contemplate a home semi-final
in the PRO12. Only the most startling of twists in this
evening’s final round of games would see the teams
meet again competitively this campaign, and only a
thumping Scarlets win over the Ospreys, a bonus-
point win for Ulster and the unlikeliest scale of points
‘swing’ could deliver a Top Four spot for a third Irish
side.
That won’t be happening, and home fans will
admirably hope for the truly miraculous intervention
of fortune but should instead translate that
misguided hope into fervently, vocally urging one
final demonstration of what the Ulster players can
produce and will be already determined to provide
consistently when serious combat is renewed in late
summer.
Director of Rugby Les Kiss and Head Coach Neil
Doak have never hidden their disappointment that
the hard work the coaches and players have done
has not been matched in terms of a persuasive
sequence of displays and results which a club such
as Ulster can expect. With Allen Clarke and Niall
Malone – and for a short time Joe Barakat - the
coaching ticket has invested not just time but no little
invention in preparing and encouraging individuals to
perform to their very, very best. And, at times, their
best has been very, very impressive.
A squad providing three British and Irish Lions
this summer, which can call on uniquely-gifted
players such as Charles Piutau, Luke Marshall,
Stuart McCloskey, Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy,
Paddy Jackson, Alan O’Connor, Sean Reidy and
so many more topline professionals does not lack
quality. Whatever the factors which have contrived
to prevent them realise the aspirations they share
with the supporters and the administrative set-up at
Kingspan the bottom line is that Les Kiss will accept
that continuing and overlong under-achievement is
unacceptable.
A side which can produce wondrous European
nights against giants like Clermont Auvergne, swat
away the challenges of the PRO12’s best when in the
right frame of mind is not to be dismissed as unfit for
purpose. Anyone who might suggest the latter face-
to-face with an intelligent, dedicated warrior like Rory
Best would be as misguidedly brave as wrong!
Of course there will be ongoing reflection and
deliberation in the management, but when Jonno
Gibbes arrives as Head Coach in the summer, with
Dwayne Peel taking the responsibility for the attack,
the human playing material with which they will work
is already identified and signed up at Kingspan.
This evening’s visit to Kingspan by table-topping Leinster means the
prospect of another intriguing and riveting contest with Ulster’s longstanding
Inter-provincial rivals.
ULSTER FACING UP TO HARSH REALITIES
ROD NAWN