THE PRODIGY GOT top billing last night. John Cooney was unavailable, as were 13 others.
And in the absence of the established stars, new ones are emerging. Doak is the pick of them, a scrum-half with just about everything – confidence, skill, pace, an eye for the tryline and also the ability to kick goals. He got 18 of Ulster’s 28 points last night in the 28-8 win over Benetton.
“Nathan is a very confident rugby player, he’s a very confident young man, and so he should be,” said McFarland.
“He’s talented but he’s fully aware it’s day by day, he’s aware of his basics and he’s a lot to improve on. There are lots of things that he knows he can work on if he’s going to be the best player he can possibly be.
“He’s had the two starts so we won’t be breaking out the fanfare. He’s played well, he’s done a really good job. He’ll come in on Monday and we’ll work on the key points and take it day by day.”
The bad news is the injuries keep on piling up. Aside from all the big players they were already missing – from Iain Henderson to Jacob Stockdale, Stuart McCloskey to Jordi Murphy, Cooney to Robert Baloucoune – they are also shy of props. A third loosehead picked up an injury last night.
Also Billy Burns went off at half-time with a tight hamstring. It isn’t expected to be serious.
“We’ve had a few knocks but others have been given their opportunity,” said McFarland.
More to the point, they have taken them. Ulster are three from three and are set to improve once everyone gets back.
