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Ulster travel south to the Aviva to face Leinster in what the northern province’s head coach Richie Murphy described as a “daunting test”.
“I’d say you’ll see a consistent selection this week, I think you could see a lot of their big guys play,” said Murphy. Initially I would have predicted Leinster to select a team very similar to to the one that lined out versus the Sharks, however I’ll concede to Murphy, he has the inside track.
One thing’s for sure, is that Ulster will be travelling with as full a force as possible with the United Rugby Championship coming to a close. There is now no more room for targeting games, Ulster need a strong start to the finish to guarantee they finish in the top half of the table and secure their place in Europe next season.
You could argue that the pressure is off Leinster’s shoulders but with the eastern province winning their last two games by a cumulative score of 142-0, all the different tiers of players in Leinster will be determined to show they belong in the top echelon.
In exciting news for Ulster, Cormac Izuchukwu is fit to make his return to the team. Izuchukwu is a genuine contender to evolve into Peter O’Mahony’s blindside shirt at international level. Having made his debut in November, the Ulster lock/flanker was very unfortunate to miss the Six Nations through injury. His return adds another layer to Ulster’s attack and Richie Murphy will be chomping at the bit to recall Izuchukwu in an effort to strengthen his matchday 23.
Jack Murphy, son of Richie, has grown into the 10 shirt this season and played with an impressive level of composure versus Bordeaux in the Champions Cup. Having played underage rugby as recently as last year, Murphy was seen as a longer term prospect, especially considering Ulster welcomed former Hurricanes flyhalf Aidan Morgan to the province this season. However Jack Murphy has built on his appearances earlier in the season and now has a firm grip on the ten shirt for Ulster. In the past, Ulster have had actual success playing Leinster on their own turf, however that usually came off the back of a kicking game they’ve yet to fully show this year.
It’s not very often a loss is the result that spurs a team on, however, Ulster were genuine contenders versus Bordeaux in the Champions Cup and most importantly, the signings and players who have been championed under Richie Murphy are really beginning to put their stamp on the team. James McNabney and Zac Ward in particular looked impressive and Ulster will need them to continue firing to lock down a more secure position on the URC table.
It’s going to be a daunting task for Ulster in the Aviva versus Leinster, but Richie Murphy secured the top job from an interim capacity with a win over Leinster last season. Leo Cullen’s side could possibly have been accused of having their eye on the Champions Cup Final the following week. Will Ulster capitalise on something similar this weekend? I don’t think Leinster will be resting on their laurels despite nilling both Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors and in fact, I think Leinster will be determined not to let standards slip versus Ulster.
Richie Murphy and his team will need to have a plan tailored specifically for Cullen’s side, regardless of who runs out. The last two Champions Cup fixtures showed that teams can’t simply go through the motions and hope to be gifted time and space to play off of.
A daunting test indeed.
