Ulster Rugby v La Rochelle

COACHES CORNER WITH JONO GIBBES

Jono Gibbes forged his reputation by getting the best out of the forward packs at Leinster and Clermont. Here he talks candidly about where Ulster are and the threat posed by La Rochelle this afternoon.

we do in the forwards affect how the backs play and the stuff that the backs do affects us. It’s combining the two that is the goal. Considering your expertise with forward play, what are the most challenging aspects of your role? I think the level of opposition and the quality of the coaching that you’re up against in the PRO14 and Champions Cup is a big challenge. You know that you can get analysed pretty quickly. We’ve got to make sure that we’re evolving and we’re staying fresh with our ideas - that’s a necessity. But that’s just one of many and it’s about balancing the different challenges - the injuries, turnover in playing group, the length of the season, Irish players and how best to use them, flow and getting a little bit of rhythm. Giving younger guys opportunities and reward for their effort, is another challenge, but with that comes a risk if they’re not quite up to the same speed as everyone else. These challenges are not unique to us, certainly they’re not unique to me, they’re not new experiences, it’s just part and parcel of the game and a reality of the role. From the coaching point of view you’d possibly like less challenges sometimes but that’s the nature of the game. Having met them previously in October, we know La Rochelle are tough opposition, how do you feel about today's game? I think they’re the best team in France and they have been for the last 18 months or so. When you consider a club like Clermont or the squad Montpellier have or Toulon, to say La Rochelle is the best team in France at the moment, shows the calibre of the team we’re up against. It’s a credit to what they’ve built that they qualified top of the round robin last year in the Top14. Granted they got beaten in the semi-final but they started this season strong, went straight back up

Take us through the season to date, with 17 games down how do you feel Ulster have performed so far? As with every season there’s been a few ups and downs. There’s been some positive stuff, a bit of frustrating stuff and a little mix of disappointing things. Some of that is to be expected, injuries for example, are a natural part of the game, every team has them and we’ve certainly had our fair share but it’s how you deal with them that matters. Overall, I think it’s been largely positive. Certainly, there have been moments of frustration when a few slips or a lack of accuracy have meant we’ve had to scramble. Some scrambles resulted in losses some we’ve come back from and won, so it’s a mixed bag. There have been moments of disappointment and moments of really good enthusiasm and positive signs of what we’re trying to do. You’re half way through your first season with Ulster, how do you feel things are going for you personally? The integration has been really good and I feel pretty settled here. I enjoy who I work with and I’ve got a lot of time and respect for the expertise that’s in the building. It’s been good coming into a new environment, getting to know some of the more established staff and building relationships with the other coaches. Personally, I think it’s been a really positive experience for me. How do you feel the forwards in particular are doing this season? I don’t really separate forwards and back to be honest. Sure, there are different areas that we’re responsible for but basically both units, forwards and backs, are trying to work together to contribute and make our collective force better. That starts with a bit of set-piece for us, it starts with a back attack from those guys but we don’t separate too much ourselves because things that

JONO GIBBES

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