SARACENS DIRECTOR OF rugby Mark McCall says Ulster will have to cope with the burden of expectation ahead of the two teams’ Heineken Cup quarter-final at Ravenhill on Saturday.

McCall believes that the high sense of anticipation amid this historic occasion at the newly refurbished ground could ultimately work in Saracens’ favour.

“We know that there is expectation on the Ulster team — that comes from the team themselves and it comes from the public,” he says. “I suppose our job is to try to turn that expectation into pressure and that’s not going to be straightforward because of how good Ulster are, but we’ll do our best to make that happen and if that can happen, we’ll have a chance.”

And McCall, who was head coach at Ulster from 2004 and 2007, says there’ll be no room for sentiment come Saturday.

“I’m delighted to see how Ulster have improved over the last three or four years and the strides they’ve made, but I’m attached to this group of players at Saracens now, so the personal angle’s not too important.”

Saracens’ main injury doubt ahead of the game is England international Billy Vunipola, with reports during the week suggesting he would be fit to make a timely return to action against Ulster, however McCall was unwilling to confirm whether or not he would have a part to play in proceedings.

The former Irish international also acknowledges that the visitors will have to cope with what is likely to be an intimidating atmosphere at Ravenhill.

“They billed this game as the biggest home game in their history. We know we’re going to be walking into a very different atmosphere than we’re accustomed to.”

He continues: “I think it’s important that you’re not surprised by what you find. I’m well aware, and the players are well aware, that the atmosphere on Saturday evening is going to be very different to what we find week to week.

“We were playing in front of thousands of people at Wembley two weeks ago, but this is going to be more intense and hostile. It’s going to be on a different level to that, because there’s a difference between a corporate audience and a hungry rugby public. And we know that from playing a game against Munster at Thomond Park a couple of years ago, so hopefully the players won’t be surprised by the atmosphere that there is, so I suppose our job is to turn it into something different.”

Ulster were knocked out at the quarter-final stage of the Heineken Cup last year by Saracens, however McCall expects an altogether different challenge this time around.

“Last year, a number of their players hadn’t played much before the game and that’s never ideal. At the moment, they’re at full strength, though they have a decision to make on Stephen Ferris — whether he starts or comes off the bench. They’ve been pretty formidable across the board, so it’s going to be difficult for us.

“And when you look back at last year’s game, it was decided by small margins and little details and I think this game will be the same. Your job is to try to get those on your side and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.”

McCall’s team go into this game on the back of some good form, having won 16 out of 18 games in the Premiership. Moreover, having previously been regarded as a somewhat unattractive side to watch, the attacking element of their game has developed recently to the point where they are now the top try-scoring team in the Premiership.

“When we started this five years ago, we knew we had to put some foundations down. There was a big emphasis on how we were defensively and on our kicking game. This year, we’ve scored the most tries in the Premiership. But the Ulster defence is one of the best defences we’ve analysed all year. Jonny Bell’s done a very good job for them, so we know we’ll have to be very good to break them down. But there are all sorts of things you need to get right against Ulster, and we’ll do our best to do that.”

Furthermore, McCall says his side will take Ulster’s below-par display in losing to Cardiff “with a pinch of salt,” while describing his own side’s performance in beating Wasps 32-20 as “okay”.

Nevertheless, he concedes that Sarries were not at their best at the weekend. They did not have the benefit of a full training week, having only just arrived back from a team-bonding trip in New York — an idea that received some criticism given that it coincided with the lead up to a crucial point in the team’s season. Yet McCall dismisses suggestions that the plan was ill-advised.

“In our view, 11 months is a long time to spend on the rugby field. We know that being friends and having togetherness is a huge factor in big rugby matches. We found with these trips away, you spend more time together, you have conversations you don’t normally have with different individuals.

“And we’ve benefitted from it in the past. We went away this time last year, and came back, beat Wasps and went on a decent run. The boys really enjoyed their trip to New York and we’ve been back training really hard at the end of last week, had a game against Wasps and had a proper training week this week.”

And ultimately, while his team have yet to enjoy the kind of Heineken Cup success that Ulster have tasted in the past, he believes Sarries are getting closer each year.

“The history of the competition tells us that you need to earn your spurs in the competition. Ulster seem like they’ve done that, and we’re getting there. It’s interesting that six of the eight quarter-finalists this year are the same as last year. The other two are Leinster and Toulouse, who are pretty handy themselves.

“We think we’re making progress — we’re a regular top-four side in the Premiership. But at some point in time, you have to win one of these big games away from home. This will be a difficult one to win, but there is more expectation on Ulster than us.”

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