ULSTER’S NEW ASSISTANT coach Mark Sexton has admitted that though he insists on extremely high standards, the players have responded positively to all his demands.
The province have racked up bonus point home wins from the two rounds played – the game at Edinburgh having fallen foul of Storm Amy – and shown a new ambition and accuracy in their attack that has been credited to Sexton who came from Connacht and previously worked with Richie Murphy at Ireland U20s.
“I’m unbelievably demanding as a coach,” Sexton admitted from Durban where Ulster have relocated for Saturday’s clash with the Sharks, the first of two games in South Africa as the Lions are up next week.
“And sometimes I’m a little bit too demanding, but look, the group of players have been absolutely brilliant, and they’ve been so receptive.
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“They all want to get better, and we want to change what happened last year,” Sexton said, “and we know the only way to do that is by working hard and getting better.”
After two maximum point victories in Belfast against the Dragons and most recently the Bulls, with a total of 10 tries scored, Ulster’s attacking speed and shape as well as their willingness to hunt down space have been key to the way they are now playing.
“Our ability to finish line breaks, and I think we had eight line breaks against the Dragons and eight against the Bulls,” Sexton stated of what has most impressed him at Ulster.
“We probably just didn’t finish the last pass,” he added of what he wants to see going forward, “so that needs to get better.
“I’d love us to be able to rip the shackles off completely and just keep playing the picture that’s presented in front of the lads’ faces.
“We’re seeing lads express themselves. We’re seeing lads playing with smiles on their faces, playing to space and we’re seeing exciting rugby, which I’m really passionate about.”
Sexton outlined where things have had to change: “I think last year, there were too many guys off their feet for multiple phases.
“So, we need to get bodies off their feet, getting set and then we’ve just got to go, and we’ve got to play to space, and make sure that we’re making the right decision to play to the right space.
“When you’re not off the ground, and we’re not moving quick, we can’t get set. If you’re not set, ultimately, you can’t see where the space is and if you can’t see the space, well, then you can’t go there, can you?”
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'Sometimes I'm a little bit too demanding, but the players have been brilliant'
ULSTER’S NEW ASSISTANT coach Mark Sexton has admitted that though he insists on extremely high standards, the players have responded positively to all his demands.
The province have racked up bonus point home wins from the two rounds played – the game at Edinburgh having fallen foul of Storm Amy – and shown a new ambition and accuracy in their attack that has been credited to Sexton who came from Connacht and previously worked with Richie Murphy at Ireland U20s.
“I’m unbelievably demanding as a coach,” Sexton admitted from Durban where Ulster have relocated for Saturday’s clash with the Sharks, the first of two games in South Africa as the Lions are up next week.
“And sometimes I’m a little bit too demanding, but look, the group of players have been absolutely brilliant, and they’ve been so receptive.
“They all want to get better, and we want to change what happened last year,” Sexton said, “and we know the only way to do that is by working hard and getting better.”
After two maximum point victories in Belfast against the Dragons and most recently the Bulls, with a total of 10 tries scored, Ulster’s attacking speed and shape as well as their willingness to hunt down space have been key to the way they are now playing.
“Our ability to finish line breaks, and I think we had eight line breaks against the Dragons and eight against the Bulls,” Sexton stated of what has most impressed him at Ulster.
“We probably just didn’t finish the last pass,” he added of what he wants to see going forward, “so that needs to get better.
“I’d love us to be able to rip the shackles off completely and just keep playing the picture that’s presented in front of the lads’ faces.
“We’re seeing lads express themselves. We’re seeing lads playing with smiles on their faces, playing to space and we’re seeing exciting rugby, which I’m really passionate about.”
Sexton outlined where things have had to change: “I think last year, there were too many guys off their feet for multiple phases.
“So, we need to get bodies off their feet, getting set and then we’ve just got to go, and we’ve got to play to space, and make sure that we’re making the right decision to play to the right space.
“When you’re not off the ground, and we’re not moving quick, we can’t get set. If you’re not set, ultimately, you can’t see where the space is and if you can’t see the space, well, then you can’t go there, can you?”
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assistant coach Mark Sexton Rugby standards Ulster