ULSTER FORWARDS COACH Jimmy Duffy believes the northern province are heading in the right direction and that their forthcoming two-game tour to South Africa is a challenge to be relished.
Richie Murphy’s squad fly out to Johannesburg on Wednesday where they face two games at altitude starting with the Lions on Saturday and then at last season’s beaten URC finalist the Bulls the following weekend.
They touch down in the southern hemisphere having beaten champions Glasgow by a solitary point last Saturday at the Kingspan Stadium in a dramatic endgame when a try from David Shanahan won the contest in the 85th minute.
Ulster will apparently travel with a medical-joker hooker as both Rob Herring and Tom Stewart are unable to make the plane due to injuries. Veteran scrum-half John Cooney is fit and in the squad.
However, impressive forwards Cormac Izuchukwu and Harry Sheridan are missing as they are on Emerging Ireland duty along with Scott Wilson.
“They’re a tight group, you can feel it when you come through the door,” said Duffy who joined Ulster from Western Force having previously worked at Connacht and with Richie Murphy at Ireland U20s.
“They’ve been great, they’ve been fantastic, working very hard.
“It’s what gets me out of bed in the morning,” he added.
“You like working with players that want to get better and there’s a constant stream of young players here that want to get better.
“We ask the questions continually and they’re not afraid to seek advice or ask questions of their own. I’ve been blown away by the commitment and learning within the group.
“Probably the most pleasing thing for me is, particularly up front, a lot of the group are early 20s and you’re looking at a squad of players that could be here for 10 or 12 years.
“There’s been a lot of evolution in terms of experienced players, but the new guard is ready to go and some of the older boys are relishing the teaching experience.”
Duffy pointed back towards the profile of player that featured against Glasgow as cause for “exciting times ahead”.
“A lot of youth came on off the bench (last Saturday) and for them to get it over the line against the champions (Glasgow) in the dying moments shows the resilience and depth of character we have in the squad.
“It’s a unique trait and if you find it in a group, you’re really, really lucky.
“It’s something you can draw on in the future if you need it again.”