ULSTER COULD TAKE a giant stride towards the Heineken Cup quarter-finals if they can claim another bonus point win over Treviso in today’s afternoon Heineken Cup kick-off (13.35).
Last week, the northern province kept themselves top of pool five with a clean sheet and seven tries in a 48 – 0 trouncing of the Italian side.
Much caution has been preached leading up this the second head-to-head meeting. The only thing that can be taken for granted in Italian rugby these days is that Italian teams won’t be taken for granted.
Helpfully, Ulster are digging further into their memory banks for reminders of how form can quickly change. Within minutes of last Saturday’s final whistle, captain Johann Muller was rolling the clock back 12 months to the stunning bonus-point win in Northampton, which was followed up with a lifeless home defeat.
“If we were to that again,” says flanker Sean Doyle, “drop the ball going into a game and not mentally turn up, you wouldn’t mentally forgive yourself for doing it two years in a row.”
Today’s meeting marks the third of four between the sides this season with today’s host yet to claim a point against Ulster who have claimed bonus points on both occasions. However, it is Ulster’s first trip to Stadio Monigo since scraping a one-point win during the November international period 13 months ago.
With Treviso waving goodbye to their head coach of seven years Franco Smith, there is added reason for the hosts to restore pride – again though, the same reasons ought to have seen a surge in Italian intensity last week, but it never materialised.
Still, the northern province must not be discredited for the sins of the opposition. Last week they were merciless in attack and showed tremendous resolve to keep their line clear by any means when the visitors did put phases together early in the second half.
If you think there is a familiar feel to the landscape to this meeting compared to last, you should try out Ulster’s team-sheet for Deja Vu. Mark Anscombe will have been only too delighted to be able to name an unchanged 23 from the 48 – 0 win. That means fullback Jared Payne seems to have shaken off a groin problem and former Ireland under 20 captain Niall Annett can double his Heineken Cup appearances should he be called from the bench.
Treviso though have shuffled the pack slightly seven days on from a battering in Belfast; fullback Brendan Williams is brought into the starting line-up with Angelo Esposito dropping out of the squad after clearly being targeted by the Red Hand back-line last week.
Alberto Di Bernardo is installed at out-half at the expense of Mat Berquist, while up front loosehead Michele Rizzo will hope to keep tabs on John Afoa after Alberto de Marchi was pushed to the replacements.
“We’ve got to do it, otherwise you’ve undone all the good work,” added the openside Doyle this week, “keeping them scoreless, all that just goes out the window – it might have well as been done for nothing.
“We know that we want to go over and not only put ourselves in good position for Heineken Cup pool, but to put back-to-back high quality performances in – I think it’s a while since we done that. For the whole season in general it would be a pretty good thing to do.”
Five points in the bag, five to go.
Ulster: Jared Payne; Andrew Trimble, Darren Cave, Luke Marshall, Craig Gilroy; Paddy Jackson, Ruan Pienaar; Tom Court, Rob Herring, John Afoa, Johann Muller (capt.), Dan Tuohy, Robbie Diack, Sean Doyle, Roger Wilson.Replacements: Niall Annett, Callum Black, Declan Fitzpatrick, Neil McComb, Mike McComish, Paul Marshall, Michael Allen, David McIlwaine.
Treviso: Brendan Williams; Ludovico Nitoglia, Michele Campagnaro, Alberto Sgarbi, Luke McLean; Alberto Di Bernardo, Edoardo Gori; Michele Rizzo, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Lorenzo Cittadini, Antonio Pavanello (capt.), Cornelius van Zyl, Alessandro Zanni, Manoa Vosawai, Robert Barbieri.
Replacements: Giovanni Maistri, Alberto de Marchi, Ignacio Fernandez Rouyet, Valerio Bernabo, Dean Budd, Paul Derbyshire, Tobias Botes James Ambrosini.
