THERE HASN’T BEEN much in the way of good news at Ulster recently but this week’s confirmation that Richie Murphy has been appointed head coach on a permanent basis appears a positive development.
There’s a rebuild process facing the province and given Murphy’s exceptional work with the Ireland U20s, he looks the right man to guide through a promising crop of young players.
If Murphy can get this Ulster team playing anything like his 20s sides – who married winning rugby with an attractive, exciting style of play – then Ulster supporters will feel they are getting value for their season tickets.
Murphy’s plan won’t get a chance to properly embed until they’ve had a full pre-season together but the immediate challenge is to finish the current season on a positive note. He’s made an encouraging start with Ulster winning their last three games on the bounce, but the latest hurdle sees a strong, hungry Leinster team come to Belfast for a URC derby tonight [KO 7.35pm, TG4/Premier Sports].
The big news from a Leinster point of view is the return of both James Ryan and Hugo Keenan to the starting team – a significant boost ahead of next Saturday’s Champions Cup final meeting with Toulouse.
Ryan hasn’t played since rupturing a bicep during the Six Nations while Keenan has been struggling with a hip injury, his last outing coming against Leicester Tigers in early April.
They are the headline inclusions but there’s interesting selections across the team. Will Connors returns after missing last weekend’s game against Ospreys, and it will be interesting to see if he’s backed to start against Toulouse next week.
Garry Ringrose remains unavailable, which makes Jimmy O’Brien’s selection at outside centre an intriguing one.
Jamie Osborne had been the presumed favourite to continue alongside Robbie Henshaw should Ringrose be ruled out for Toulouse, but this could be an audition for O’Brien to fill that void. The versatile Kildare man is only back from a long-term neck injury but looked sharp on the wing last weekend.
He’s played most of his rugby at wing and fullback but is no stranger to 13 – memorably slotting into the Ireland midfield on his Test debut against the Springboks in 2022. Of course, it could also be just another opportunity to get more minutes into the legs of a player short on match fitness.
Even with some key men rested, this is a strong Leinster team. Connors joins Max Deegan and Jack Conan in a formidable back row while Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher and Michael Ala’alatoa form a quality front row.
Winger Rob Russell has enjoyed a fine season while Tommy O’Brien also had some nice moments as he made his own injury comeback last Saturday.
With so many fresh faces and players keen to put themselves in the mix for Toulouse, there should be no fear of Leinster having one eye on next week. The province need to keep the wins coming as they chase top spot in the league, now occupied by Munster after their bonus-point win in Edinburgh last night.
Ulster have been building momentum under Murphy but results have perhaps masked some mixed performances.
They looked way off the pace across a poor first half against the Scarlets last weekend and cannot afford a repeat here.
After last night’s results the province have slipped to seventh, with a trip to Munster on the cards in the final round of regular-season games. Points are precious and this home game against Leinster currently looks more winnable than an away day at Thomond.
The performance of flanker Cormac Izuchukwu was one of the big positives from the Scarlets win. An athletic, skillful forward, the Tullamore man came through as a second row but offered a dynamic ball-carrying threat on his first start in the backrow. Murphy clearly rates the 24-year-old highly and another positive display tonight would indicate he’s capable of continuing in the position going forward.
Ulster played some superb rugby in beating Leinster at the RDS in January so have the tools to down Leo Cullen’s men. Billy Burns’ kicking game was exceptional that night and while Leinster should be better prepared to deal with that now – they are now much more familiar with Jacques Nienaber’s defensive system – the Ulster 10 should be aiming to test that Leinster backfield again.
After getting back to winning ways another victory here would be a big lift for the province, but with the likes of Iain Henderson and James Hume on their extensive injury list, it might prove a step too far at this point.
For Leinster the big prize is next week, and their challenge is to park any thoughts of Toulouse and keep their URC charge on track.
For Ulster, it’s all about the here and now as the URC playoff race enters the final squeeze.
ULSTER: Ethan McIlroy; Mike Lowry, Will Addison, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Billy Burns, John Cooney; Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole; Kieran Treadwell, Alan O’Connor (capt); Cormac Izuchukwu, David McCann, Nick Timoney.
Replacements: Tom Stewart, Andy Warwick, Scott Wilson, Harry Sheridan, Matty Rea, Nathan Doak, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite.
LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Tommy O’Brien, Jimmy O’Brien, Charlie Ngatai, Rob Russell; Harry Byrne, Cormac Foley; Cian Healy, Rónan Kelleher, Michael Ala’alatoa; James Ryan (capt), Brian Deeny; Max Deegan, Will Connors, Jack Conan.
Replacements: John McKee, Michael Milne, Thomas Clarkson, Ross Molony, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Sam Prendergast, Ben Brownlee.
Referee: Andrea Piardi (FIR)
