RUGBY:Atop pool four and the best placed of the Irish sides, Ulster have nonetheless been hit by an untimely spate of injuries. Not alone has Luke Marshall joined captain Johann Muller, Tommy Bowe and Stephen Ferris on the sidelines, but although he was named in their provisional 27-man squad yesterday for Friday's visit of Glasgow to Ravenhill, the likelihood is that Dan Tuohy will miss this match and quite possibly their final pool game in Castes as well.
Tuohy suffered a recurrence of the calf injury he initially sustained in the defeat to Northampton during last Friday’s bonus-point win at home to the Scarlets, and his loss compounds the absence of Muller given he had been calling the lineouts in the South African’s absence.
Mark Anscombe yesterday admitted that the likeliest combination is Lewis Stevenson and impressive rookie Iain Henderson, but given this it could be that Robbie Diack might come into the backrow equation.
“To lose two players of that calibre, our two starting locks of last year and both of whom have played international rugby, would be a concern but the fact is you’ve got to have faith in the players who replace them,” maintained a typically positive Anscombe yesterday. “And we’ve got to do that and get on with our job on Friday night.”
Furthermore, Marshall will have to undergo surgery on a fractured finger he sustained against the Scarlets, and as he will be sidelined for four to six weeks this also limits Declan Kidney’s options at inside centre for at least the initial stages of the Six Nations to Gordon D’Arcy and Paddy Wallace.
Fullback Adam D’Arcy fractured his ankle and will see a specialist later in the week when an approximate timeframe for a return to action will be confirmed. This adds to concerns about Jared Payne, who missed the game against the Welsh outfit when his troublesome groin worsened, although Ulster will be hopeful their outstanding Kiwi fullback can somehow negotiate the next two games before resting up during the Six Nations window.
Encouragement
Anscombe takes encouragement from the way his squad have adapted to being without Ferris for much of their campaign and Muller for almost half their matches to date, adding: “One person’s misfortune is another man’s gain and in a lot of cases in different positions, guys have taken those chances.”
That they have is credit to the belief and environment which Anscombe and his coaching staff have generated.
“Injuries happen and you lose key players during the course of the year, so if your team is going to fall over on that then you don’t deserve to be there. You just look at other teams like Leinster, and the injuries they’ve had this year, but they’re still up there in both competitions and that’s credit to the depth of their squad. If we want to get that type of recognition we’ve got to be able to survive without key players as well. That’s the challenge we all face.”
Ulster are still smarting from their last European outing, when beaten at home by Northampton. “Sometimes it’s just taking out that little bit of fear, just a small percentage, gibes your opponents that sniff. They (Northampton) came to play, we were off our guard a fraction, not intentionally, and they got the result. But in saying that we had opportunities and things didn’t happen our way that day, but the key is that it’s a lesson learned and I suppose it will be there for the rest of the season.”
Another net effect should be a palpable hunger to atone in front of another full house. “If we want to stay in the competition, we can’t even think about losing another home Heineken Cup game. Because if we lose on Friday night at home we don’t deserve to go through, it’s as simple as that. We only have to look at ourselves, we can’t be making excuses, because we’ve got a golden opportunity and we’ve got to avail of it on Friday.”
Ulster know that a brace of wins will ensure they win the pool and advance, and indeed were Northampton to beat Castres at home at the same time and Ulster match their result in Ravenhill, they will secure the pool with a game to spare. That might also dampen Castres’ enthusiasm for their game with Ulster on Saturday week.
Anscombe admitted he would be lying if he didn’t favour a Northampton win, provided it didn’t come with a bonus point. “Just Northampton picking up a four would be enough, just not a five. That would certainly work in our favour but Castres are having a good season, and are sitting fourth in the Top 14, so it’s going to be a good old royal battle over there as well.”
