RugbyPreview

Ulster facing a formidable assignment in Cape Town

In contrast to the visitors, Stormers have been in good form recently and pack an extra punch on home soil

Robert Baloucoune: will prove a threat out wide for Ulster if they can get him into the game against Stormers. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho

Johnny Watterson
Fri Mar 29 2024 - 17:48
URC: Stormers v Ulster, DHL Stadium, Saturday, 5.15 Irish time – Live Premier Sports

Interim coach Richie Murphy may now have a better idea of the size of the job he has with this Ulster side just as the season approaches the point where opportunities narrow for qualifying places and home draws.

Going down last week to the Sharks 22-12 in the first match of their South African trip with just three sessions under Murphy, Stormers represent a more serious challenge on Saturday. Last week Stormers beat sixth-placed Edinburgh 43-21.

The Cape Town side will be eyeing a place in the top four, with Munster currently just above them in fourth position, while Ulster’s priority is staying in the top eight. Ulster are currently sitting in seventh position. It is all very tight.

Off pitch, the match will be Ulster’s first since chief executive Jonny Petrie departed the province on Monday. Hugh McCauley has been appointed as his interim replacement.

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Ireland hooker Rob Herring will return from injury to captain the Ulster side, but more crucially Irish secondrow Iain Henderson misses out through illness. Wing Robert Baloucoune will provide some real pace out wide if Ulster can bring him into the game, while Nathan Doak will start at outhalf.

With only six games left in the regular season, Ulster are fighting to save their URC campaign by reaching the playoffs. Stormers is not the place they would prefer to be to try to change things around and failure to make the playoffs would be a double blow for the cash-strapped province.

They also need to finish in the top eight to qualify for next season’s Champions Cup and avoid further financial pressure. Every point matters.

Ulster, though, have never won in Cape Town, losing on both their previous visits to DHL Stadium.

Joining Herring in the front row is double World Cup-winning Springbok Steven Kitshoff, who will be facing the team he formerly captained, with Tom O’Toole starting at tighthead prop. Local fans will also have memories of the Springbok prop lifting the inaugural URC title back in 2022 when Stormers beat the Bulls in the final.

Ulster have won just one of their last five matches, while Stormers have won four of their last five with a positive points difference of 19 points. Ulster’s points difference for the five games is -41. On the upside the Irish side are expecting slightly cooler playing conditions than in the Shark Tank in Durban last week.

The Stormers have threats all over the pitch with Mannie Libock, the Springbok outhalf lightning-fast on the break and World Cup winner Damian Willemse this week assigned to play at inside centre.

“The level of rugby we are playing, sometimes it does come with a lot of errors,” said Willemse. “But if we can improve on the things we are good at, I think that will give us a good opportunity to do a few wonderful things in this competition going forward. Ulster are a quality side. We know that. It’s going to be an arm wrestle.”

Ulster’s discipline must not just hold but improve with 11 penalties and two yellow cards conceded last week. Ulster have now had four yellow cards in three matches.

STORMERS: W Gelant; S Hartzenberg, D du Plessis, D Willemse, L Zas; M Libbok, P de Wet; B Harris, J Dweba, N Fouche; S Moerat (capt), R van Heerden; W Engelbrecht, H Dayimani, E Roos.

Replacements: JJ Kotze, L Lyons, F Malherbe, A Smith, B-Jason Dixon, M Theunissen, H Jantjies, B Loader.

ULSTER: M Lowry; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, E McIlroy; N Doak, J Cooney; S Kitshoff, R Herring (capt), T O’Toole; H Sheridan, K Treadwell; M Rea, D McCann, N Timoney.

Replacements: T Stewart, A Warwick, S Wilson, C Izuchukwu, M Rea, D Shanahan, J Flannery, S Moore.

Referee: S Grove-White (SRU).

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson

Johnny Watterson is a sports writer with The Irish Times

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