IRELAND SQUAD MEMERS Tom O’Toole, Jacob Stockdale, Tom Stewart and Nathan Doak are all back with Ulster this week and look set to feature in Friday’s interprovincial clash with Connacht at the Affidea Stadium.
Ulster are currently in a good place after coming off last Friday’s rearranged fixture with Edinburgh having banked a highly valuable away win, hammering their hosts 40-19 at the Hive Stadium and scoring six tries overall with 26 unanswered points being piled on in the second half.
The result now sees Richie Murphy’s side sit third in the URC table with four of their remaining six regulation season games to be played at home though this includes visits by Leinster and leaders Glasgow.
“How we adapted to the injury list and also the yellow cards and then (20-minute) red card, I thought was really good,” Murphy pointed out from the win in Scotland.
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“(It was the) first time probably seeing so many young lads out there and planning and plotting their way around through different scenarios. It was really pleasing from our point of view, the control that they showed.”
Murphy continued: “There’s a maturity starting to grow within the squad. They’re starting to understand how to apply pressure to an opposition team and not let them off the hook.”
“It was nice to turn up, be under pressure and come out the other side of it. I thought the way the players navigated their way through that second half was really good.
“All in all, it sets us up really well for the run-in.”
There will likely be several of last week’s personnel missing for Connacht though as Cormac Izuchukwu, James Hume and David Shanahan are all undergoing return to play protocols following their removal from the game due to head knocks while Jude Postlethwaite has a suspected broken hand and Charlie Irvine may also be a doubt.
Understandably, there will be no involvement for Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune and Nick Timoney due to their efforts with Ireland and all three are expected to return at some point next week.
“Connacht have gone well the last few weeks,” said Murphy of taking on the western province again after winning in Galway over Christmas.
“(They’ve been) pretty direct in the way they’ve been playing, with some big ball-carrying forwards getting themselves over the gain-line.
“At the moment, we’re in a decent place, but it’s really important that we play our own game.”
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Ulster welcome Ireland squad members back as Murphy hails 'maturity starting to grow'
IRELAND SQUAD MEMERS Tom O’Toole, Jacob Stockdale, Tom Stewart and Nathan Doak are all back with Ulster this week and look set to feature in Friday’s interprovincial clash with Connacht at the Affidea Stadium.
Ulster are currently in a good place after coming off last Friday’s rearranged fixture with Edinburgh having banked a highly valuable away win, hammering their hosts 40-19 at the Hive Stadium and scoring six tries overall with 26 unanswered points being piled on in the second half.
The result now sees Richie Murphy’s side sit third in the URC table with four of their remaining six regulation season games to be played at home though this includes visits by Leinster and leaders Glasgow.
“How we adapted to the injury list and also the yellow cards and then (20-minute) red card, I thought was really good,” Murphy pointed out from the win in Scotland.
“(It was the) first time probably seeing so many young lads out there and planning and plotting their way around through different scenarios. It was really pleasing from our point of view, the control that they showed.”
Murphy continued: “There’s a maturity starting to grow within the squad. They’re starting to understand how to apply pressure to an opposition team and not let them off the hook.”
“It was nice to turn up, be under pressure and come out the other side of it. I thought the way the players navigated their way through that second half was really good.
“All in all, it sets us up really well for the run-in.”
There will likely be several of last week’s personnel missing for Connacht though as Cormac Izuchukwu, James Hume and David Shanahan are all undergoing return to play protocols following their removal from the game due to head knocks while Jude Postlethwaite has a suspected broken hand and Charlie Irvine may also be a doubt.
Understandably, there will be no involvement for Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune and Nick Timoney due to their efforts with Ireland and all three are expected to return at some point next week.
“Connacht have gone well the last few weeks,” said Murphy of taking on the western province again after winning in Galway over Christmas.
“(They’ve been) pretty direct in the way they’ve been playing, with some big ball-carrying forwards getting themselves over the gain-line.
“At the moment, we’re in a decent place, but it’s really important that we play our own game.”
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