THE BOYS ARE back for another ‘mission’.
The purposeful choice of that word on Ulster’s team announcement yesterday was clearly pointed at the nature of their task.
A difficult away trip, an arena to battle in. The odds are against them and though they are ready to put the knife between their teeth, they have already had to leave a man or two behind.
Dan McFarland’s side were perhaps the team that benefited most from the need to cut short the Pro14 season. Difficult away trips were cut out and their rivals ran out of road to catch them before the playoffs rolled around.
However, two games after the restart they are yet to deliver a comprehensive performance. In truth, they did not have to. They were dealt a hand, as we noted in July, that could allow them to assemble their game bit by bit and aim to peak for knockout contests such as the one that awaits them in Edinburgh today (kick-off, 19.35 eir Sport).
Now, when writing about that potentially pitfall-ridden approach, we had not yet learned that Iain Henderson had been ruled out for the remainder of this 2019/20 campaign. Or that Robert Baloucoune, Will Addison and Luke Marshall would not feature for varying lengths of time. Lob a week of worrying about how far Covid had reached within the squad and it’s fair to say that Ulster have been hampered.
Without Henderson, Billy Burns has been named captain of this Ulster side. The metaphorical armband will serve to underline Burns’ status as the northern province’s first-choice 10 despite the tendency of limelight to drift towards new signing Ian Madigan.
Burns’ range of tactical kicking both for territory and attacking threats have been the strength to his game since arriving in Belfast. His partnership with the superb John Cooney gives Ulster great consistency from pivotal positions.
There remains a reliance on the ability of Marcell Coetzee and Stuart McCloskey to make gainlines for Ulster. The robust Matty Rea, Jordi Murphy and Tom O’Toole – one of a pair of youthful props starting ahead of their international team-mates – will be tasked with adding quality yardage to take scrutiny away from the big men wearing 8 and 12.
It’s impossible not to wince at the similarities between Ulster’s 2020 semi-final task and the hurdle that claimed them at the same stage in May 2019.
Though titling this year’s team-sheet ‘for Edinburgh mission’ is less likely to bring to mind Police Academy 7 than last year’s signal of intent towards Glasgow, there is more than the Scottish flag next to club names to bring about the deja vu. It’s the table-topping form of the opposition and the knowledge that they too have a sense of mission.
Glasgow were a team playing with great clarity of purpose and ethos since Gregor Townsend took charge and under Dave Rennie last year they were an irresistible force that tore through Ulster to a 50-20 win. Conceding 50 points on any night should hurt any team. To come in a knock-out fixture, a semi-final, leaves a lasting sting. And excruciating vinegar in the wound of their previous knockout woes.
With Rory Best as captain, Ulster were never shy about declaring their intentions lay on silverware. Yet their three rival provinces have each hoisted trophies while their wait goes on.
Their form in make-or-break fixtures makes for sorry reading in recent years too. Since beating Scarlets to set up a Pro12 final against Leinster in 2013, they have lost seven knock-out games on the trot.
That number comes with the caveat that each match was against seriously strong opposition – Leinster, Saracens and Glasgow – Edinburgh do not yet carry a reputation to rival such teams. But they are building.
The balance of power has formally shifted towards the North Sea and the capital club will send out a side ravenously hungry to grab a final to underline their status. Along with the rugged sensibility that you expect from any Richard Cockerill side, Edinburgh have some exceptionally elusive backs in their ranks. From the deceptive rangy stride of Blair Kinghorn to the jinking Darcy Graham and Mark Bennett. They are capable of making the most of any hole the powerful Viliame Mata can punch in the Ulster line.
The refreshed breakdown interpretations will draw many an eye again, particularly with Frank Murphy on the whistle after presiding over Connacht’s 13-man effort against Munster. Both sides come stacked with players well-versed in competing at the breakdown and it will be intriguing to see whether Hamish Watson and Stuart McInally or Murphy and Coetzee manage to paint the best pictures for the man in the middle.
Nearing the end of his second season as Ulster head coach, McFarland has succeeded in driving home the need for the province’s players to scrap, scrape and force the issue when matches are not going their way.
They are without key personnel for tonight’s mission, but they’re in the semi-final of the Pro14 and the quarter-final of the Champions Cup, so they will be hell-bent on making sure they do themselves justice on the third start out of the blocks.
Edinburgh:
15. Blair Kinghorn
14. Darcy Graham
13. Mark Bennett
12. Chris Dean
11. Duhan van der Merwe
10. Jaco van der Walt
9. Nic Groom
1. Rory Sutherland
2. Stuart McInally Capt
3. WP Nel
4. Ben Toolis
5. Grant Gilchrist
6. Magnus Bradbury
7. Hamish Watson
8. Viliame Mata
Replacements:
16. Mike Willemse
17. Pierre Schoeman
18. Simon Berghan
19. Andrew Davidson
20. Jamie Ritchie
21. Charlie Shiel
22. Nathan Chamberlain
23. George Taylor
Ulster:
15. Jacob Stockdale
14. Louis Ludik
13. James Hume
12. Stuart McCloskey
11. Rob Lyttle
10. Billy Burns (Capt.)
9. John Cooney
1. Eric O’Sullivan
2. Rob Herring
3. Tom O’Toole
4. Alan O’Connor
5. Sam Carter
6. Matthew Rea
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Marcell Coetzee
Replacements:
16. John Andrew
17. Jack McGrath
18. Marty Moore
19. Kieran Treadwell
20. Sean Reidy
21. Alby Mathewson
22. Ian Madigan
23. Michael Lowry
