Just when you thought it was safe to ignore team announcements Ulster Rugby go and pull out a major surprise for Saturday afternoon’s match against Bath. KO 15:45.
The man of the moment is Niall O’Connor who gets his first start this season at the expense of, on form, Ian Humphreys. A big call by the management team and given the likely conditions on a damp and heavy pitch it is more than likely the right move.
In my humble opinion O’Connor has been a revelation this year with the speed of his pass and the strength and accuracy of his boot and he’s certainly looked a class apart from the under pressure youngster struggling in a disintegrating side this time last year.
Ulster: (15-9) Jamie Smith, Andrew Trimble, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Simon Danielli, Niall O’Connor, Isaac Boss. (1-8) Tom Court, Nigel Brady, BJ Botha, Dan Tuohy, Ed O’Donoghue, Stephen Ferris, David Pollock, Chris Henry (Capt). (16-23) Andy Kyriacou, Bryan Young, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Caldwell, TJ Anderson, Cillian Willis, Ian Humphreys, Timoci Nagusa
It looks as though Ulster are going to be playing a fairly direct game and have embraced the option of taking the English side on up front with O’Connor making the ball do the work rather than move it through the hands.
O’Connor will be expected to kick deep and with Bath having a limited kicking game the Ulster backs will be encouraged to run back the returns. Simple in theory but with Ulster’s most gifted returner, Ian Humphreys, on the bench it may end up more of a war of attrition, albeit predominantly in the Bath half, than Ulster are reckoning on.
Having said that I still expect Ulster to come out on top in this aspect of the game and with Humphreys to be brought on for the final quarter, to run their tiring pack ragged, a high scoring finish would not be unexpected.
Ulster to win by three tries to one with a trip Newcastle in the quarter finals of the Challenge Cup their reward for an ever improving season.
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