LAST UPDATE | 7 Oct 2023

CUT A LONG story short, Ulster beat Glasgow Warriors 19-14 in the pre-season friendly, but you’d be hard pressed to find many outside of the Ravenhill faithful to look for the nuts and bolts of the contest.

Instead, it was a bit of history in the making. Nothing to get misty-eyed about, but significant, encouraging and a great experience for all around.

Approaching the stadium, it was clear that with Ulster in town, the rugby culture would not be found wanting.

Just in time for the teams coming through the gates, members of the County Cavan Rugby Club were decked out in full rugby blazer regalia, their male voice choir packed with the reliables and the standards; ‘Red Rose Café’, ‘Tell Me Ma’, ‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ and all the rest.

David McCann and John Andrew are serenaded into the stadium. Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

The ultra-slick marketing of rugby met with the more earthy range of GAA sponsors. While the wheels of this agreement was clearly greased by the financial muscle of Kingspan, you couldn’t imagine the stands around Ravenhill being dotted with pitchside sponsors such ‘Hughie Doonan Chimney Sweep’, or ‘A. W. Ennis Erin Farm Feeds.’

Pre-season friendlies are notoriously hard to arrange in rugby and this game was initially meant to be played last year, but was cancelled with the passing of Queen Elizabeth.

With Ravenhill out of action due to the artificial surface being laid, the options were explored. The pitch at the PSNI Newforge centre was considered until it emerged that the pitch had to be approved by World Rugby.

And so, they landed on Cavan.

What were the options? Antrim don’t have a stadium capable of it and in any event, their county football final takes place on Sunday in Corrigan Park.

Brewster Park in Fermanagh is always dicey at this time of the year and had two championship quarter-finals slated for this weekend.  Healy Park would have seemed just unlikely.

Armagh were said to have put their hand up for consideration but the Kingspan link was always going to find in favour of Cavan, despite Ulster CEO Jonny Petrie saying midweek that it wasn’t a factor.

The pre-game atmosphere was building steadily with the usual mix of Black Eyed Peas and all the rest. When Ulster came out of the tunnel the announcer on the tannoy claimed they didn’t have the audio for it, so he himself led a few rounds of ‘Stand Up For the Ulstermen.’

Impressively it must be said. No lack of gusto.

From the kick off Glasgow won a spilled ball and went for the corner twice before a massive Ulster heave pushed them through the centre.

First blood arrived on 18 minutes to Ulster, when a short lineout from Tom Stewart went to Dave Ewers. One drive later and it was touched down for the first score, for the Zimbabwean making his debut. Jake Flannery missed the conversion.

Six minutes later, several phases of tight passes forced the issue and Ulster were almost on the line before they switched back with a two pass combo for James Hume to wriggle though. Flannery converted to make it 12-0 to the ‘home’ team.

Glasgow answered back on the half hour. They were close to the line when scrum half Jamie Dobie looked for his options out right, feinted and then made for the line. Duncan Weir made good on his conversion.

Just prior to half time, a long period of huffing and puffing brought Ulster’s third try with captain Tom Stewart flopping over the line and Flannery making sure of the additional points.

But it was all a bit casual.

Laszlo Geczo / INPHO Laszlo Geczo / INPHO / INPHO

We should have noticed the warning signs. Ulster Head Coach Dan McFarland is a man of substance and you won’t meet a man more invested in his work. Yet there he was on the sideline, dressed in a hoodie and a pair of denims and casual tan boots.

For when you are shopping in LIDL at 9am, and have Brefnni Park at 2pm. That vibe.  

It might be pre-season but you get a sense of how Ulster want to play their rugby in the immediate future. Based on power and ploughing through the middle.

Which is fine, but it robs us of the spectacle of Rob Baloucoune – who only got his hands on the ball in the closing moments of the first half, Jacob Stockdale and Will Addison.

Glasgow put themselves back into the game soon after the break when replacement hooker Gregor Heddleston went over, the conversion by Weir bringing it closer, 19-14.

And from then, the game petered out as both teams unloaded the benches and the packs were mixed up. Neither really looked likely to threaten the try line again. Both managements declared themselves pleased with the day, and delighted with the reception they got.

Worthwhile? For sure. 

Ulster scorers:

Tries: Dave Ewers, James Hume, Tom Stewart

Conversions: Jake Flannery [2 from 3]

Glasgow scorers:

Tries: Jamie Dobie, Gregor Heddleston

Conversions: Duncan Weir [2 from 2]

ULSTER RUGBY: Will Addison; Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Jude Postlethwaite, Jacob Stockdale, Jake Flannery (Billy Burns HT) Nathan Doak; Andrew Warwick, Tom Stewart (C), Greg McGrath (Ben Griffin, HT); Matty Rea (Cormac Izuchukwu HT), Kieran Treadwell; Dave Ewers, Marcus Rea, Dave McCann
Replacements: John Andrew, Billy Burns, Ben Carson, Reuben Crothers, Angus Curtis, Cameron Doak, Ben Griffin, Cormac Izuchukwu, Ethan McIlroy, Conor Mckee, Stewart Moore, Ben Moxham, Shea O’Brien, Aaron Sexton, Dave Shanahan, Harry Sheridan, Nick Timoney 

GLASGOW WARRIORS: Josh McKay (Gregor Heddleston, HT); Sebastian Cancelliere, Duncan Munn, Tom Jordan, Kyle Rowe; Duncan Weir, Jamie Dobie (c); Nathan McBeth, Angus Fraser, Lucio Sordoni; Max Williamson, Alex Samuel; Gregor Brown, Ally Miller, Henco Venter.

Replacements: Gregor Heddleston, Oli Kebble, Enrique Pieretto, Ruaraidh Hart, Thomas Gordon, Ben Afshar, Ross Thompson, Facundo Cordero, Corey Tait, Ben Salmon, Kerr Johnston, Ollie Horne.