The Ravens practically confirmed qualification for the Quarter Finals of the British and Irish Cup with their 17 – 16 win against Pontypridd on Saturday. Though the Ulster side still have to travel to Rotherham next Saturday (17th December KO 13:30) to play the Titans, their 13 points, and the way the other fixtures fall on the final day of the Pool stages, means that the Ravens should be filling at least one of the two runner’s up spots out of the six pools.
The Ulster second string can guarantee a top four seeding and a home fixture for Saturday 21st January 2012 if they score four tries or more and a bonus point win may be what is required with second place Nottingham travelling to Currie in the final weekend.
If you’re a little bit mystified about the fixtures announced, with no mention of Pontypridd, Currie or Rotherham Titans in the pool table below, it’s due to the change in format this year where teams play opponents from another group with Ulster’s Pool opponents made up of the three mentioned above plus Doncaster Knights. Ulster have scrapped their way to the top of their group with a 39 – 7 win over Doncaster and a 13 – 28 win against Currie alongside Saturday’s win over Pontypridd.
It’s been a campaign based on experienced forwards, with second row pairing Barker and McComb featuring strongly, and a young backline drawing heavily from Dungannon with youngsters from Ballymena, Belfast Harlequins and Ballynahinch also featuring.
As it stands after Round 3.
| Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | Diff | TF | TA | TB | LB | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Ulster Ravens | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 84 | 36 | 48 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 2 |  |
Nottingham | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 75 | 63 | 12 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 13 |
| 3 | |
Leeds Carnegie | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 70 | 43 | 27 | 11 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| 4 |  |
Swansea | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 44 | 90 | -46 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
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