Provincial Supporter

Jimmy Davidson should allow himself a wry smile as he sits in the BBC's Belfast studio watching the television pictures from Lansdowne Road this afternoon, analysing the greatest day in the history of Ulster rugby. A lone dissenting voice at the inception of the All-Ireland League at the start of the decade, he refused to take part in the love-in surrounding the IRFU's new brainchild.

He counselled against a structure whereby the clubs and not the provinces became the second tier and the stepping stone for the national side. Subsequent events vindicated his assertion but the former Ulster and Ireland coach is delighted at the way events have unfolded, albeit belatedly. "My only regret is that Ireland has had to endure 10 years of periodic humiliation on the international stage. Everyone now realises the importance of developing the provincial structure.

"I think the European Cup has added a new dimension."

The players attributed the midseason turnaround in the form shown by Ulster to an alteration of training schedules. Davidson contends that that the change from night-time to regular daytime training was vital. "The way to improve a team is not by playing more matches necessarily, but the regularity of training.

"The real benefit of training during the day is that it is easier to provide structured rest periods. It you are trying to squeeze a hundred things into training session a couple of times a week, it is impossible to concentrate on quality, quantity seems to take over. Professionalism advocates the importance of rest. Ten years ago there wasn't that facility for players. They worked all day, attended training and dragged themselves home to bed.

"It is one thing having high levels of fitness but the real test for players is the time that it takes them to recover. That is the attraction of anabolic steroids, they allow you to recover quickly. The switch in training, as I am sure Harry Williams would agree, has been pivotal to the improvement. I think that all four provinces have enjoyed some good moments this season."

Speculation within rugby circles suggests that next season the IRFU may contract the top 100 players irrespective of province. It would mean that contracts would not be issued on an equal basis. If Munster merited 30 and Leinster only 10 then that is the manner in which they would be allocated. Munster would then provide players to Leinster in positions in which they lacked depth. The upshot would be that the best players, as opposed to a certain number in each province, would be contracted.

Davidson would support such a move. "The theory is based on sound principles, but in conjunction with the new direction in personnel must be a re-think regarding the fixture schedule. There must be regular competition and the present quota of matches for provinces should be doubled, extending the season until May. Why should the top players be forced to drop down more than two grades - it's at least that to All-Ireland League rugby.

"Contract the top 100 players but give them regular competition pre and post internationals. The provinces should also go on tour. The model exists already, Auckland and Queensland being just two examples. Recently Queensland toured at the same time as Australia, and that simply meant that the regional side gave up their national squad players, thereby allowing them to develop young players in a competitive environment.

"If you look at Ulster they are currently playing without two Lions, Jeremy Davidson and Eric Miller, the Irish captain Paddy Johns and another international in Kieron Dawson. The bonus has been the performance of guys like Mark Blair, Ulster's most improved player, and Gary Longwell who has matured into a fine player. The IRFU recognise the way to go, they now have to negotiate regular fixtures for the provinces."

So why will Ulster win today? "Firstly they are on a roll, secondly they enjoy home advantage and the crowd factor will be significant and, finally, it is a well-balanced team with an intelligent and astute coach who will have analysed the opposition. The one thing that slightly concerns me is if they suffer an adverse reaction to the favourites' label.

"It appears unique to Irish sport that we are most comfortable when adopting the underdog mentality, which we view as an excuse for losing. I don't think that will be the case today. Ulster must continue as they have done throughout the knockout phases of the competition using an `in you face' defence, taking the game to the French. I think there will be a substantial points total with Ulster winning reasonably well. They must believe in their own ability.

"A primary confidence-building factor will be the phenomenal place-kicking ability of Simon Mason. He is a kicker who hammers the nails into the coffin of the opposition time and again. That helps a team to play to defined patterns knowing that there will be a tangible end result. "The line-out has been very good, moves have been thought through, adding subtlety to straightforward mauling. If David Humphreys is provided with a quick service then he possesses the ability control the match.

"Humphreys, at his best, reminds me of a composite of Ollie Campbell and Mike Gibson. He possesses the close skills and tactical kicking of Campbell and the deceptive running of Gibson. Jonathan Bell is coming back to form, it all augurs well.

"Colomiers boast a powerful pack and will focus on the Ulster scrummage. Fabien Galthie has good vision at scrum-half and fullback Jean Luc Sadourny is one of the great counter-attacking players. But Irish teams are the masters of the one-off performance, a trait fostered at schools' level where the emphasis is placed on that one-off occasion. "Consistency is almost a dirty word, certainly an alien concept. The national strength across a number of sports used to be getting to the final, we were not used to winning it. There is evidence that this changing, the Ireland under-19s and a couple of the underage soccer teams being prime examples. Hopefully today will provide another case study of success."