Ulster Rugby vs Toulouse

ARTICLE BY ROD NAWN FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND SPORTS ENTHUSIAST @RODNAWN1

Kingspan Stadium. The conditions were dreadful, important players like Iain Henderson, Darren Cave and Peter Nelson limped out of the action early, yet the depth and quality of the squad shone through, as did the passionate support from around the stadium. The management and panel even overcame the late withdrawal of Roger Wilson and still produced a monumental effort up front, while Rory Scholes lit up the night with a try beautifully manufactured by the Pienaar- Jackson-Ludik axis, and finished with verve and pace. Rob Herring at hooker and as skipper was irrepressible, prop Kyle McCall outstanding, Nick Williams and Chris Henry hugely impressive in attack and in then defending a first half lead against opponents as unforgiving as the gales which lashed the ground. Pienaar confirmed his world-class qualities, replacement Stuart McCloskey and Andrew Trimble tackled ferociously and countered with venom. What Ulster demonstrated was its depth of quality and its weight of character, it was a team under the microscope of some but Kiss and Doak know their charges and of what they are capable. Beating Toulouse in front of a rowdy Kingspan crowd is just that. For the watching public this evening offers a treat, for Toulouse have in their ranks players such as full-back Clermont Potrenaud, winger Vincent Clerc, the Fijian scoring machine Timoci Matanovou, the precocious Gael Fickou at centre, All Black Luke McAllister at out-half, and in the back row, Head Coach Ugo Mola – who has the unenviable task of following Guy Noves after his 25 years at the helm – can call upon Louis Picamoles, the ageless Imanol Harinordoquy, and Thierry Dusautour. Fine players all, big names too, but with Trimble, Luke Marshall, Pienaar, Jackson, McCloskey, Best, Herbst, Henry, Williams, Diack and Wilson – to name but a few elite performers – can Ulster honestly be said to lack the ability and character to match and overcome such lustrous opposition? You cannot live off memories alone, but they provide lessons and often inspiration. The achievements of an Ulster squad which teamed a few full-time professionals with players who trained after a hard day’s work have entered rugby legend. In this ultra-professional era the values of hard work and focus still obtain, and with the vast improvement in coaching and in players’ skills the modern and the past combine in the big clubs of today. Ulster against Toulouse: it whets the appetite, it drips of a great and life-enhancing history. Tonight the story continues...

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