Ulster Rugby vs Zebre

ARTICLE BY ROD NAWN FREELANCE JOURNALIST AND SPORTS ENTHUSIAST @RODNAWN1

journeys in Europe, yes, and in the Championship so much promise and well-justified expectation. Fortune hasn’t always been a friend, but there have been failings and disappointments which – to be fair – neither management nor players have sought to deny as recent seasons’ hopes have been dashed. Supporters remain both loyal and ambitious too, and a win this evening against Gianluca Guidi’s Zebre, diminished in strength by the demands of new Italy coach Conor O’Shea’s plans, will steady nerves. Then comes the trip to the Dragons, next month’s visit from Cardiff Blues, then huge away games with Munster and Ospreys which will – if the script is well-written in training and in action – lead to the intriguing final match of the ‘regular’ season, and potentially a decisive one in terms of a PRO12 play-off. Yes, it’s the traditionally, inevitably fierce contest with Leinster which will have the perfect stage of Kingspan Stadium in May to pull down the curtain on Ulster’s PRO12 Championship campaign at home. It never is sensible to ‘get ahead’ of ourselves but it’s in the minds of fans already just what lies in store should the difficult path to that evening on the first Saturday of May be successfully negotiated. Of course, there will be bumps along that route, but at least now Les Kiss, Head Coach Neil Doak and the squad can realistically be seen prolonging the season into those play-offs. The players will take each fixture as it comes, but there is a real sense that this group believes it owes a debt to itself and to the supporters, and with a full complement the next two months could be genuinely rewarding. But this evening’s re-arranged clash with Zebre – a club which has its own target of qualifying for the Champions’ Cup next season – will be a real test, just as Treviso provided last weekend. Up front, the pack must be solid, forward-moving and mobile, while the half-backs must have the quality of possession to release a try-loaded backline which will want to swagger, not stutter. In late November the Kingspan pitch foiled any such plans, and hopefully the sodden days and

nights of recent weeks will not have taken too much of a toll on the surface and allows the innovative, the ambitious and the more ‘hungry’ team to prevail. Ulster can just about see the glint of silverware in the distance, and that incentive – after so many months of sweepingly different emotions – will surely inspire. The supporters want success, to have restored the days when trophy-chasing was an addiction. Getting into that habit is possible this season, it really is.

ROD NAWN

47

www. ULSTERRUGBY .com