Kieran Campbell and Justin Fitzpatrick discuss tactics for Saturday's game.
PLEASE NOTE THIS MATCH HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO FROZEN PITCH
Saturday isn’t only a big day for Ulster Rugby but it’s also a big day for Ulster’s current pacesetters in the AIL, Dungannon, as the Stevenson Park outfit entertain Connacht Cup champions Corinthians in a home semi final of the All Ireland Cup. KO. 2:30.
We caught up with Dungannon’s Director of Rugby , Justin Fitzpatrick, earlier in the week to hear about Dungannon’s season to date, their big match on Saturday and, as an “European Cup Winning Legend” we had to get his thoughts on Ulster’s long awaited progress in Europe.
Justin, it’s your first season in charge in senior rugby and we are about halfway through the season. Have you been pleased with the clubs progress so far?
Yes, so far we’ve won the Ulster Senior Cup, we’re sitting at the top of the Ulster Senior League and we’re right in the mix in the All Ireland League so at the half way point we’re where we want to be. We’ve a lot of hard fixtures to complete both nationally and provincially before the end of the season, starting with what’s going to be a tough game on Saturday, but I have to say that at the halfway point we are pleased with our progress to date.
Dungannon have had a lot of call ups to the Ravens and the senior Ulster side this season, has the loss of so many players helped or hindered your progress as a club?
We want to develop, and we pride ourselves in developing and producing, players that have the ability to step up both to the Ravens and the full Ulster side. We’ve had a plethora of guys running out for the Ravens and Craig Gilroy and Ali Birch have featured for the senior side and that’s great for them and great for the Club. There’s a few more guys here, and hopefully, if they perform well in the second half of the season will also get a chance to step up and push forward their claim.
Of course, it has it’s selection problems with player availability etc., but they are good problems to have and as a coach you want to push each player to make the best of their ability and I like to think that at Dungannon we’ve been able to do that.
Having beaten City of Derry in the Ulster Cup Final you now face Connacht outfit Galway Corinthians in the All Ireland Cup. How does this weekends game rate in your season?
There is no doubt about it that this semi-final at home is the biggest game the club has had since 2001 when we won the All Ireland League. The players are very excited about the game and the club is delighted to be hosting a home semi-final in the All Ireland Cup. It’s a huge boost to our season.
What can you tell me about your opponents?
Corinthians are a very proud club, they are coached by a personal friend of mine, Sean Duignan, who’s a very switched on coach and I know from speaking to him and monitoring their season that their ambitions are to get promoted and play up in AIL 1B. They look like they are well on the way to making a challenge for that and obviously having already beaten Galwegians and Buccaneers this season in the Connacht League and Cup they are a quality outfit. We know we’re going to have a tough test against them here at Stephenson Park on Saturday.
Any danger men to look out for?
(Smiles). As I said, I think that the fact that the have already beaten the two teams who would be regarded, on paper, as the top sides in Connacht speaks volumes of the overall calibre and strength of the players they have.
Justin, as one of the players to win the Heineken Cup with Ulster have you been following their progress in this seasons competition?
Absolutely, I sat there with my heart in my mouth on Saturday as Ian Humphreys lined up that kick. He’s been playing some outstanding rugby and he’s really on fire with his kicking boots, which is great to see.
It’s fantastic, fantastic, for Ulster to be looking like they are going to head to the quarter finals again, its been a long time coming and fingers crossed Saturday goes according to plan and we book a home semi final.
It would be absolutely brilliant both for Ulster Rugby up and down the levels but also for Irish Rugby, as Irish Rugby needs a strong Ulster team.
Having only hung up your boots last season, have you started to miss Ulster’s big match days like last Saturday?
(Laughs!) Absolutely not!
And you know what, with the quiet progress of Dungannon this season, the lovely attacking style of rugby they play and the dozen or so players they have moving through the provincial system, I don’t think he does!
Dungannon go through their paces ahead of Saturdsy's big game.
Notes on the All Ireland Cup:
The old Bateman Cup, which was contested by one club from each province, has been revived for this season in the form of the Bateman All-Ireland Cup.
The four provincial cup winners facing off in a manner similar to the old Bateman Cup. In reviving this tradition, the IRFU has decided to rename the All-Ireland Cup as the Bateman All-Ireland Cup.
The semi-finals of the competition will take place over the weekend of January 22 and 23, with the final set for the weekend of April 9-10.
Ulster Senior Cup champions Dungannon will entertain Connacht holders Corinthians at Stevenson Park on Saturday, January 22.
The second semi-final sees the cup winners in Munster and Leinster going head-to-head as UCD play Bruff.
None of the four clubs involved have won the All-Ireland Cup since it was introduced in 2005.
Bruff will be hoping to uphold Munster’s fine tradition in the competition – Cork Constitution (2006 and 2010), Garryowen (2007) and Shannon (2008) have all triumped in recent years.
Ballynahinch broke Munster’s stranglehold on the trophy with a stunning victory over Cork Con in 2009.
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