ULSTER HEAD COACH Dan McFarland said his first game in charge at Kingspan Stadium was special but his side were far from perfect after watching them defeat the Scarlets in a thriller.
John Cooney was Ulster’s saviour, landing a last-minute penalty to hand them the win after a ding-dong battle in Belfast that saw four lead changes in the last half an hour and two yellow cards for the visitors.
While McFarland was correct, it was far from a vintage performance from Ulster — who seemed to tire considerably as the game went on — it’s a winning start for the Englishman in charge of his new province, and four points on the board.
Even so, the former Connacht prop didn’t hold back in his post match press conference, immediately demanding more of his players ahead of next week’s tussle with Edinburgh.
“No, not the perfect start,” he surmised. “The win, yeah absolutely, we’ll always enjoy a win. But by no means a perfect start. In actual fact, if it had been a perfect job, a perfect start, then I think I’d be getting real worried because that’s that, they wouldn’t need me anymore.
“The excitement for me comes in getting better day on day and there’s certainly plenty of that to be done.
“We looked really good when we kept the ball off the floor. I didn’t think we looked so good when it got to the breakdown. We want to play a game where we exploit the talents we have, so the breakdown has to be a lot better.
“First half we didn’t really lose much ball, but it was slow and pedestrian; second half we lost a lot of ball, so that has to improve.”
Despite the performance not being quite up to scratch — which is understandable given it’s both the first game of the new season and McFarland’s first game in charge — the coach did admit he was very impressed by the atmosphere.
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“It was fantastic,” he grinned. “The best moment was at the start, or just before the start, of the second half. I was inside coming up the stairs and I could hear the singing reverberating down the stairs.
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“That was pretty inspiring. And for a coach you really do not want to be that inspired because you want to be cold and calculated and really thinking, so if I am getting passionate at that point I will calm myself down.
“I’m not going to ask them to quiet the singing, so maybe I’ll have to put a couple of ear plugs in.”
Of course, a big emphasis has been placed on the promotion of youth within the squad this season, and there were four players in the squad aged 21 or younger — with Angus Curtis the only not to play any part.
But those who were on made the most of it, with 19-year-old tighthead Tom O’Toole starting and Adam McBurney and Angus Kernohan coming off the bench, the latter of whom was very impressive in his cameo.
And it was another young player who made a key impact, replacement tighthead Ross Kane, his burst through the middle forcing the winning penalty late on to cap off a fine performance from the bench.
“How good was (Kane’s burst for the final penalty)?” McFarland enthused.
“Eric O’Sullivan with a couple of great tackles when we were in our own 22. Ross’ line, with a little bit of a fend, to get through that break was terrific. Angus (Kernohan) on the edge.
“Guys at that age and at that level of development, what you’re looking for is that fearlessness to go out on the park and they’re able to do their best. There’s always going to be mistakes, 100%, but what you’re looking for is that ability to play at the edge of their talents and not be afraid.”
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
And as for what he’s trying to implement at Kingspan Stadium, well, this was a good start for McFarland.
It will take time, of course, and nobody is disputing that. But a win on the board and a stepping stone into next week will have the coach eager to get back into training on Monday morning ready to ensure week two is not just as good, but better than week one.
“I wanted a competitive edge, that’s what I wanted to see, I wanted it demonstrated by the individual players and the team as a whole, and I think I got that for a lot of the game,” McFarland explains.
“Some of the individuals out there really showed that fight for every inch mentality, and no more so than by the fact we had to squeeze it over in the last few minutes.
“Discipline is (a work-on), that is a funny work-on. You do not really go out and train discipline, that is something which has to be instilled with the behaviours within training. Certainly the contract area is definitely one and there is stuff around our shape in phase play, but these things are going to be one step at a time.
“Hopefully we will be one step further down the line next week.”
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McFarland already demanding more of his Ulster players after last-gasp win over Scarlets
ULSTER HEAD COACH Dan McFarland said his first game in charge at Kingspan Stadium was special but his side were far from perfect after watching them defeat the Scarlets in a thriller.
John Cooney was Ulster’s saviour, landing a last-minute penalty to hand them the win after a ding-dong battle in Belfast that saw four lead changes in the last half an hour and two yellow cards for the visitors.
While McFarland was correct, it was far from a vintage performance from Ulster — who seemed to tire considerably as the game went on — it’s a winning start for the Englishman in charge of his new province, and four points on the board.
Even so, the former Connacht prop didn’t hold back in his post match press conference, immediately demanding more of his players ahead of next week’s tussle with Edinburgh.
“No, not the perfect start,” he surmised. “The win, yeah absolutely, we’ll always enjoy a win. But by no means a perfect start. In actual fact, if it had been a perfect job, a perfect start, then I think I’d be getting real worried because that’s that, they wouldn’t need me anymore.
“The excitement for me comes in getting better day on day and there’s certainly plenty of that to be done.
“We looked really good when we kept the ball off the floor. I didn’t think we looked so good when it got to the breakdown. We want to play a game where we exploit the talents we have, so the breakdown has to be a lot better.
“First half we didn’t really lose much ball, but it was slow and pedestrian; second half we lost a lot of ball, so that has to improve.”
Despite the performance not being quite up to scratch — which is understandable given it’s both the first game of the new season and McFarland’s first game in charge — the coach did admit he was very impressed by the atmosphere.
“It was fantastic,” he grinned. “The best moment was at the start, or just before the start, of the second half. I was inside coming up the stairs and I could hear the singing reverberating down the stairs.
“That was pretty inspiring. And for a coach you really do not want to be that inspired because you want to be cold and calculated and really thinking, so if I am getting passionate at that point I will calm myself down.
“I’m not going to ask them to quiet the singing, so maybe I’ll have to put a couple of ear plugs in.”
Of course, a big emphasis has been placed on the promotion of youth within the squad this season, and there were four players in the squad aged 21 or younger — with Angus Curtis the only not to play any part.
But those who were on made the most of it, with 19-year-old tighthead Tom O’Toole starting and Adam McBurney and Angus Kernohan coming off the bench, the latter of whom was very impressive in his cameo.
And it was another young player who made a key impact, replacement tighthead Ross Kane, his burst through the middle forcing the winning penalty late on to cap off a fine performance from the bench.
“How good was (Kane’s burst for the final penalty)?” McFarland enthused.
“Eric O’Sullivan with a couple of great tackles when we were in our own 22. Ross’ line, with a little bit of a fend, to get through that break was terrific. Angus (Kernohan) on the edge.
“Guys at that age and at that level of development, what you’re looking for is that fearlessness to go out on the park and they’re able to do their best. There’s always going to be mistakes, 100%, but what you’re looking for is that ability to play at the edge of their talents and not be afraid.”
And as for what he’s trying to implement at Kingspan Stadium, well, this was a good start for McFarland.
It will take time, of course, and nobody is disputing that. But a win on the board and a stepping stone into next week will have the coach eager to get back into training on Monday morning ready to ensure week two is not just as good, but better than week one.
“I wanted a competitive edge, that’s what I wanted to see, I wanted it demonstrated by the individual players and the team as a whole, and I think I got that for a lot of the game,” McFarland explains.
“Some of the individuals out there really showed that fight for every inch mentality, and no more so than by the fact we had to squeeze it over in the last few minutes.
“Discipline is (a work-on), that is a funny work-on. You do not really go out and train discipline, that is something which has to be instilled with the behaviours within training. Certainly the contract area is definitely one and there is stuff around our shape in phase play, but these things are going to be one step at a time.
“Hopefully we will be one step further down the line next week.”
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Dan McFarland Guinness Pro14 pro14 Ulster Up and Running