Ulster go into the final game of the season with any finish between fifth and eighth up for grabs. A loss by Cardiff (at home to Edinburgh) and a win by Ulster sees the team finishing up in fifth place. The option of an Ulster loss to Scarlets, without a losing bonus, and a Glasgow bonus point win at home to Connacht sees Ulster finishing eighth.
While in terms of qualification for the Heineken Cup there is nothing at stake the game is very important as a marker for the progress the team has made this year. A fifth or sixth place finish will mark the season as reasonably successful and three away wins on the bounce should give the team a lot of confidence for next season. A seventh place finish would probably be OK but eighth place would, quite frankly, be a disappointing finish for a team which appeared to have turned the corner in January.
So the conundrum for Matt Williams comes down to should he continue the development of the youngsters or should he play a more experienced side and push for the win. With the squad chosen for this game Williams has left both options open however after watching the Cardiff v Scarlets game tonight my recommendation would be to go with a good old grizzled front five and let the youngsters run wild in the backs.
Update – Friday 15th May 12:30
Matt has announced his team and there are a fair few changes from that selected by The FRU. With Best and Botha now injured I suppose the front row variances are fair enough but I’m surprised to see Caldwell starting ahead of Del Fava. McCullough is the logical replacement for the resting Ferris but hopefully Faloon will get plenty of game time.
Good to see Bossy getting another run at full back and I think O’Connor’s and Nagusa’s starting positions will depend on the weather tomorrow. Wet and wind behind Ulster then Humps and Nagusa to start, wet and wind in front then O’Connor and McCrea.
FRU Selection |
Matt’s Selection |
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J. Fitzpatrick Young |
Young Hanna |
Injury List
BJ Botha – Neck, Andrew Trimble – Knee, Paul Steinmetz – Shoulder, Keiron Dawson – Knee, Bryn Cunningham – Cheek, Paddy Wallace – Head, David Pollock – Hip, Rory Best – Thigh, Steve Ferris – Rested for Lions
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