Many things Ulster Rugby do these days has a touch of lead balloon about it. If the cack handed closing down of the UR board was one such example then the following evening revealed another pythonesque moment. At the unveiling of new head coach to the supporters up in the country club at Newforge and prior to the Aussie’s arrival a UR minion unveiled a large hanging poster behind Williams’ seat which featured a montage of UR players. All of the players shown were leaving with the exception of Sparky. A potentially youthful looking Colzo peeking over Bart’s shoulder is we believe not going anywhere quick. Even Sparky is subject to transfer rumours!. A second large montage poster featuring players who are staying refused to stand on its feet. More lead balloon.
Nathan Hines remarked when Matt Williams was coach for Scotland that were times when you went to see him to kick his arse and you came away kissing it. You could see Hines’ point, he is such a smooth talker, (Matt Williams that is, not Hines.) He stood before a sizable audience in Newforge all sun kissed, smartly dressed, engaging and proceeded to wow the audience of somewhat sceptical Ulstermen and women.
First he traveled down memory lane, covering his limited playing career, the tentative steps unto the coaching ladder his time in Wales, at Leinster and without rancour his tenure at Scotland. There is no doubt that the Scotland debacle left him with a huge desire to prove people there wrong about his coaching ability.
Welcome to the reign of Williams. This can only be good for Ulster, he will see this job as a huge challenge probably as a chance to build his career at the top level. What better way than to take an under performing team, bottom of the league, and propel them upwards.
He talked about performance and how it was core. Get the performance right and the results would follow seemed to be Williams core message to the supporters. If talking produced results then Williams will not lose a game at Ulster for the rest of the season. Amidst the motivational/inspirational physco babble lies a ruthless streak that will I believe, eke a performance from our under performing players. I look forward to Friday night.
Among other nuggets and pearls of wisdom, Williams demonstrated his desire that Ulster should not lose it’s core cultural values by bringing in too many foreign players, this he felt had happened at Leinster. He didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any brought in and cited the fact that Ryan Caldwell had learned so much from Justin Harrison that would stand him in good stead in years to come.
Asked if moving to the Ospreys had done Tommy Bowe’s international career harm, MW replied with an emphatic, “Yes!”
Asked about Ulster’s prop idols by Cap’n Grumpy demonstrating his knowledge of left and right props, tight and loose. Williams replied that Bryan Young had played tighthead for Ulster when asked to do so despite playing out of position suggesting he had put the demands of UR before his own career.
Said Declan Fitzpatrick had done well at tighthead but props needed years of experience to grow into top class acts in these specialist positions.
Stated signing new players wasn’t an exact science and that you had to approach a dozen players and be prepared to get just 4 or 5 to sign on the dotted line.
Williams is ambitious, of that there is no doubt, behind all the smooth talk there lies a certain steeliness that will not let anyone get in the way of his ambition.
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