A crucial Six Nations period for Ulster Rugby

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This international period represents Ulster’s most important in recent years as Conference B sees four teams battling it out for two spots in the Guinness PRO14 knockout rounds.

It’s safe to say Ulster got away with one against Benetton in their first match in this period, needing a penalty try in the last play of the game to salvage a draw, while they edged out the Ospreys thanks to a Stuart McCloskey try away from home. Dan McFarland spoke of the draw feeling like a loss but it didn’t hurt Ulster as much as anticipated thanks to Leinster defeating Scarlets and Edinburgh losing to Southern Kings.

I thought Ulster would be without Jordi Murphy, Iain Henderson, Jacob Stockdale and Rory Best for the majority of the tournament while the availability of John Cooney and Will Addison would depend on the fitness of players ahead of them in the pecking order. Instead, Henderson, Murphy and Cooney were all released for the Ospreys match and ultimately guided Ulster to a vital win.

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