THE SWEEP of games in the final run brings a sharper focus to Ulster’s European dream. A home match against Leicester and away to Clermont in January makes the outcome of the Italian job this week the difference between Ulster’s rugby new year being seasonally spiced with optimism or pessimism.
An optimistic view requires winning, preferably with a bonus point against today Aironi in Monza, so Leicester and Clermont can be confronted with some degree of wee-North belligerence. Even mighty Leicester would baulk at the prospect of a January night in Belfast, a baying crowd and the White Knights playing for their lives.
Defeat would coin a more pessimistic view that getting out of the pool will be more than difficult. It would also mean a backwards step for Ulster.
Burning that losing streak last season of not having graduated from the pool since 1999 was a pause for thought in Ulster history.
If Leicester, who are a point behind the second-placed province, lose to Clermont at Welford Road today and Brian McLaughlin’s team fail to take advantage, last season’s progress will merely heighten this year’s regression.
McLaughlin has largely gone with the team that beat Aironi at Ravenhill last week and makes just one change with Irish prop Tom Court coming back into the loosehead side for Paddy McAllister. With Rory Best hooking and All Black John Afoa at tighthead that’s a regular heavyweight unit.
Court – a one-time prospective champion shot putter in Australia, who qualified for Ireland through the ancestry rule – along with the injured Paddy Wallace, now the longest serving member of the squad, signed contracts yesterday that will keep them in Ulster until 2014 and 2013 respectively.
The Ulster pack is international calibre, which McLaughlin knows is the area that could repay him with something like the 43-6 score of last season’s round-six win. Aironi may not have won this year in the competition but their appetite and pulse rate tend to take exaggerated leaps in front of home crowds. They have though shipped some large scores, most recently to Clermont, 54-3, in round two.
It’s the engine room stupid. Captain Johann Muller and Dan Tuohy are the locks. Stephen Ferris, who badly injured his knee in the corresponding fixture (but different venue) 11 months ago, Chris Henry and Pedrie Wannenburg add freight in the backrow. What is there not to like?
The backline is unchanged and remains youthful. Nevin Spence was an injury worry after a blow to the sternum last week but will partner Darren Cave in the centre. Adam D’Arcy has retained the fullback jersey with Andrew Trimble and try sniffer Craig Gilroy out wide. Ian Humphreys’ boot and Ruan Pienaar’s all-round game provide experience at half-back.
Aironi will consider the return of winger Andrea Masi a welcome help but will be without Carlo del Fava in the secondrow. He is replaced by Quintin Geldenhuys, while Luciano Orquera at outhalf replaces Tito Tebadli.
Aironi will look to their shock win against Biarritz last season and believe that ability is still there. Ulster must show them it is not. And show them early on. It’s well within their scope to do that.
ULSTER: A D’Arcy; A Trimble, D Cave, N Spence, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar; T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (capt), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg. Replacements: N Brady, P McAllister, A Macklin, T Barker, R Diack, P Marshall, P Jackson, S Terblanche.
AIRONI: R Trevisan, S Sinoti, A Masi, G Pizarro, G Venditti, L Orquera, T Keats, J Sole, S Favaro, N Cattina, M Bortolami, Q Geldenhuys, L Romano, F Ongaro, S Perugini. Replacements: T DApice, A de Marchi, F Staibano, G Biagi, F Ferrarini, T Tebaldi, N Olivier, R Quartaroli.
Referee: G Garner (Eng).
Verdict: Ulster win.
