Ulster Rugby vs Toulouse

AIMING TO SEE THE FRENCH FRIED! THERE are few opponents who can spark more happy memories of Ulster in its rugby pomp than tonight’s visitors to Belfast.

Toulouse is embedded in the history of the game at Kingspan Stadium, just as is it is garlanded in the folklore of the sport in France. A giant of its own domestic game with ten titles in what is now the Top 14, four times champions of Europe, it is a town which has been the hub of rugby in its own country. It has created and supplied legends for the club and for France, and at the turn of this century it unwittingly contributed to the fairytale that was the European Cup win for Harry Williams’ Ulster side in 1999. This evening, if only a part of the atmosphere of the meetings in the autumn of 1998, if the fans’ participation even partially matches that of 17 years ago, and if the players’ total and overt commitment can justly stand comparison with that of Irwin, Mason, Matchett, Humphreys and the rest of that triumphant trophy- winning squad, then we are in for an epic occasion. Stade Toulousain – even the very name of the club suggests a grandeur and even hauteur – in keeping with its standing in the sport. Great names graced the old, draughty, leaky Ravenhill for the group game with Ulster in October 1998, and again in a never-to-be-forgotten quarter-final between the sides in December. Michel Marfang, the tournament’s top try-scorer, Emile N’tmack, a winger whose elegance and wizardry captivated France, and there was Frank Tournaire, Fabien Pelous – these were world-class players, and they were surrounded by quality and owned a unique style and bearing. But from the great matches of 1998 were born Ulster, Irish and international giants: David Humphreys and Jonny Bell seemed to navigate a magical route through to a New Year semi-final, with Andy Park and Sheldon Coulter and the apparently laser-like accuracy of Simon Mason helping to produce a backline of immense ambition. Up front Allen Clarke, Gary Leslie, Justin Fitzpatrick and Rab Irwin became folk heroes and went on to guarantee their places in rugby’s elite, while at lock Mark Blair and Gary Longwell were consistent guarantors of possession from the setpiece. And in the breakaway unit the immovable Steven McKinty and the tearaway open-side Andy Ward combined with the remarkable intelligence and formidable physicality of Tony McWhirter, perhaps the most-under-estimated No.8 of his generation. This evening at Kingspan it will be another packed house – over 17,000 rather than the 11,000 permitted on the windswept terraces of the old stadium – and it is an arena well-suited to allow players and supporters to

recreate the very special aura which characterised the surreal late months of 1998 and the electric, uplifting January of 1999. There will be clear resonances with those famous encounters this evening as Director of Rugby Les Kiss and Head Coach Neil Doak send out an Ulster side which distinctly ‘turned a corner’ in last week’s win at home in the Guinness PRO12 against Edinburgh. Toulouse’s Sporting Director is the imposing Fabien Pelous, captain of his club and country for a decade, and who in the final group game and in the quarter-final in 1998 graciously acknowledged Ulster’s supremacy in nailbiting wins of 29-24 and 15-13 respectively. His lineout battles with Longwell mirrored the compelling competiveness of the contests, and the Ulsterman’s masterclass in the lineout in the knockout stage confirmed his international calibre. The French club’s Forwards Coach is William Servat, the former international hooker, a grizzled front row enthusiast and he’ll have Corey Flynn well-informed about the the opposition skipper and, by common consent, Europe’s top No.2, Rory Best. Ulster’s Operations Director Bryn Cunningham was part of the European Cup-winning squad, with brother Jan a regular in the line-up, so for him and for so many of that group the visit of Toulouse will revive rich and inspiring memories. But from the Ulster fans’ point of view, a very important pointer to this season’s campaign in Europe can be taken from the rather less-lauded start that squad of 18 years ago made to the competition. In late September, 1998, at the start of the pool, Ulster left Toulouse in very mournful mood. A 39-3 drubbing hardly augured well, but the players remember how Harry Williams asked them was that how they wanted to remember the season? Williams, who had a ‘knack’ for ‘pressing the right buttons’ did not shy away from the weight of the defeat, but he was convinced that individually and collectively Ulster could not just salvage pride, but could win the pool by beating Edinburgh, Ebbw Vale and ‘turning up’ at home against Toulouse in the return. This year the thumping home reverse to Saracens (following the tragically aborted scheduled start at Oyannox the previous weekend) might have indicated that this season’s foray in Europe was to be inevitably disappointing. That is not the case, just as it proved not to be those many years ago. Last week Ulster showed a character and rugby nous in the 14-7 win over Edinburgh at

ROD NAWN

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