By Dewi Barnes.
Arrived at a fairly empty Ravers about 6:30 in an attempt to try and put names to faces for this young Ulster side. My they did look young and I must admit that I was expecting a bit of a spanking from an experienced Viadana side.
Took a few snaps for future reference and headed off to the deserted Scoop Bar with Big Al and The Raven. Did have a chuckle though as we passed some exquisitely groomed Italian support staff. They do have some style!
Popped outside the bar to have a quick smoke and was delighted to be given a big wave from Stevie Ferris as he drove into the ground but unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to chat! His loss!
Nipped out to the Prom fairly early to get a few more snaps of the final warm up and the boys appeared to be working hard under the guidance of Fitzy.
The Italian side did look a lot more relaxed about things but they did look big with Carlo being one of the smaller ones in the pack!
Thankfully the Prom had filled up somewhat by this stage but, with a half empty stand and fewer refugees from the Terrace dotted about (guess they hadn’t got their dole checks yet!), it was still a disappointing crowd. There did appear to be a group of flag waving hooligans down behind the dugouts but we were sufficiently far away that we didn’t have to listen to their continual dirge.
Mind you, there was plenty of shouting as Ulster ran in a hatful of tries in a very impressive performance. As with Fridays game there was a real commitment to play for the shirt and the Ulster youngsters literally ran them ragged. Well done to the management team.
After the game I had a quick work with Darren’s dad to find out that Cave junior is missing with tonsillitis. Let’s hope he has a speedy recovery and I hope everything goes well with Rory today (Thursday) as he goes under the knife.
Met a couple of Italians in the Scoop after the game and though the game may have been disappointing I’m sure they are enjoying their stay in Belfast.
The crowd dispersed disappointingly quickly after the game so it was a quick dash back to Larne for last orders!
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