LES KISS ADMITS the complexion of Ulster’s season has changed now that they’re setting the pace in the Guinness Pro12 and they face a real challenge to stay at the top between now and May.
The northern province moved to the summit of the Pro12 standings last weekend with a hard-fought victory over Dragons in their rearranged fixture in Belfast.
It is the first time Ulster have topped the table since May 2013 and they will hope to extend their advantage when the defending champions, Glasgow Warriors, visit Ravenhill tomorrow evening.
“I’ll tell you in a few weeks,” Director of Rugby Kiss said when asked could his side remain at the top.
“It’s a challenge to stay there because if you stay there for a number of weeks then the rest of the competition have to work out how to handle their situation.
“It’s funny when you talk about competition ladder pressure, it’s quite interesting because when you’re down about fourth or fifth you’re looking at how you want results to fall but when you’re in the top you’re in a position to influence that type of thinking even further.
“The real challenge is to stay there and we’d like to stay there, I hope it’s not too hard.”
After a slow start to his tenure, Kiss’ influence is growing with each passing week and another victory against the Scottish visitors on Friday would be another significant step towards booking a place in the playoffs.
However, Kiss isn’t taking Glasgow lightly despite Gregor Townsend’s side languishing towards the bottom of the table.
“The fact that they are champions, is a massive warning to anyone who plays them,” he continued. “You don’t do that without being good at a lot of things.
“Their season hasn’t panned out the way they would have liked and when you look at the ladder, they have two games in hand and if they get 10 points from that, jeez they’re knocking on the door.
“You would be a fool to lower the guard and think they’re gone.”
