Describing it as akin to a death in the family, Ulster coach Harry Williams yesterday spoke of the "terrible gloom" which hung over his side's preparations for tonight's European Cup tie at home to Ebbw Vale when it was confirmed that James Topping had broken his collarbone again in virtually the last few seconds of training.
This latest setback for the unfortunate Ballymena winger is an exact repeat of the injury which he sustained in his two-try tour opener with the Irish squad last summer in South Africa against Boland and which sidelined him until a fortnight ago.
As he had just forced his way back into the Irish squad and coach Warren Gatland is a known admirer of Topping, it seemed reasonable to assume that he was going to figure in next month's round of three internationals. Instead he faces the prospect of a lengthy lay-off and will miss the remainder of an Ulster campaign that is seriously gathering momentum.
"It's a terribly bad blow but somehow we have to remain upbeat and concentrate on the task in hand," said a downbeat Williams yesterday, after promoting Sheldon Coulter from the bench and bringing Bryn Cunningham into the squad. That task is, first and foremost, to complete the double over Ebbw Vale and temporarily lead Pool C until group rivals Toulouse and Edinburgh Reivers meet in Stade Les Sept Deniers tomorrow.
As things stand, Ulster lie third, level with Edinburgh on five points and a point behind Toulouse. The Scots enjoy a markedly superior points difference over Williams's team, suggesting that their clash at Easter Road on Sunday week will effectively be a playoff to decide who joins Toulouse in the quarter-finals as group runners-up.
However, every point could count. Were Ulster, who have a points difference of plus two, to beat Ebbw Vale by a healthy margin, and Toulouse to do the same over Edinburgh Reivers (plus 47 points) by a combined margin in excess of 45 points then it would leave Edinburgh needing to beat Ulster by a specific margin in the group finale.
Though Williams is concentrating solely on beating the Welshmen this evening, on a line through Edinburgh (never mind Toulouse) then a victory in excess of 20 points or even rivalling Ulster's earlier 61-28 win over Ebbw Vale is not inconceivable. And one of the primary benefits for Ulster in beating Toulouse a fortnight ago is that it has kept the crack French side acutely competitive in this group.
Furthermore, every point Ulster accrue could determine the extent of their quarter-final draw as the last eight will be graded from one to eight depending on how they finish after their six pool matches. (For the semi-finals, there will be an open draw).
However much they may dislike the tag, Ebbw Vale's status as the whipping boys of not only this group but the whole Cup is hard to dispute. Not alone are they the only pointless side of the 16 competing sides, they've also conceded an unrivalled 253 points - over a century more than anyone else.
As debuts go they could hardly have had it harder than in Toulouse, where they added to the record defeat in the Shield with a new landmark in the Cup when losing by 108-16, leaking 16 tries in the process. They are probably still nursing the psychological scars of that game, and indeed have leaked another 17 tries in their three subsequent games.
Not surprisingly, they appear to have thrown their hat at this competition in deference to impending Welsh league games by resting their leading scorer and highly regarded young out-half Byron Hayward, who has been troubled all season with a knee injury. Also missing from tonight's game is their captain Kingsley Jones, with an achilles strain, as well as their suspended international flanker Mark Jones.
These latest absences in an injury disrupted campaign are partially offset by the return of their promising Welsh international scrum-half David Llewellyn, one of four scrum-halves they have used already in this competition and of Ritchie Collins. Ruled out of the first meeting, the 29-times capped Welsh flanker is described as "a massive player" by Williams.
Ebbw Vale have performed creditably enough in their domestic league, and currently lie in third place behind Llanelli and Pontypridd with four wins from five games, including a one-point win over Pontypridd, although it's worth bearing in mind that came a week before they were trounced at home by Ulster. Sadly, the Welsh club game just ain't what it used to be.
