Interprovincial challenges will continue this weekend as Munster host Ulster in the next round of the United Rugby Championship on Saturday.
Ulster will be looking to bounce back from a difficult evening last weekend as they never got out of the blocks against a rotated Leinster side. The hosts should have been in a better position to cause an upset, considering Leinster changed from the full-strength side that has competed in the Champions Cup.
Their run in the Challenge Cup potentially added to the difficulty of turning Leinster over as they don’t have the same ability to rotate their squad. Changing the focus back to a league game against the most challenging Irish opposition affected them. Mental and physical fatigue can kick in at this time of the year, especially with so many games back-to-back.
With a lighter squad to select from, Ulster certainly found it difficult to keep fighting, and the damage inflicted by Leo Cullen's side was irreparable by the time the hosts regained some control.
The game was over as a contest when Jimmy O’Brien crossed for a try before half-time. It was definitely out of reach when an inspired Robbie Henshaw crossed for a try on the other side of the interval. It was a classic Leinster approach to killing off their opposition by scoring either side of the break. Leinster’s form is starting to trend in the right direction at just the right time.
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Ulster staged a comeback with the help of Max Deegan’s red card. Their fighting spirit will be crucial across the coming weeks, beginning in Thomond Park against Munster. With injuries to Angus Bell and James Hume, Ulster are on the back foot heading down to Thomond Park, who showed up on the field, despite their off-pitch turmoil.
It means that Munster have a chance to jump their rivals in the table as only one point separates the sides. Considering Ulster have been enjoying a positive season and another step forward under Richie Murphy, they’re now in a position where ninth place could leapfrog them if they don’t perform in an away interprovincial match.
It shows how difficult the league has become and how close teams are to falling into difficulty with regards to play-offs and Champions Cup qualification.
Ulster’s run-in is the hardest by far. They’ll face the top two teams as things stand, the Stormers and Glasgow, in their final two matches. There could be trouble ahead yet for the northern province.
Munster players, staff and supporters have been dealing with an array of negativity. In light of that, the performance on Saturday evening would be a huge step in terms of reducing the noise around the province. Their qualification for the play-off stages and their fast return to the Champions Cup would ease a lot of the pressures on the club. The financial swing would be a boost and the pressure on players to save jobs within the building would ease the burden.
Victory over Ulster and repeating the trick against Connacht the following week would secure their place in the knockout stages.
There will be plenty of off-field narratives floating around while the players and coaching staff try to refocus on keeping the club on the right track.
From the outside, it might feel like the noise doesn’t creep into the dressing room. However, there’s so much going on within Munster that it’s commendable to see such a performance last Saturday, albeit against an unreliable and recovering Benetton side.
Connacht are the wild card for qualification. The Stuart Lancaster effect is becoming stronger and they are peaking at the right time. Their most impressive victories against South African opposition were separated by a Challenge Cup defeat. If you can ignore their defeat against Montpellier, they’re in the best form of their season and belief within the group is high.
There's no reason why they can’t go to altitude in Johannesburg to take on the Lions and come home with more valuable points, before taking on Munster in a direct clash for a play-off spot.
While Leinster are experiencing one of their most challenging domestic seasons in some time, they’ll likely climb to second spot by the end of the weekend, with Glasgow and the Stormers facing off, meaning one of them is likely to drop enough points for Leinster to overtake them with another strong performance against Benetton. The fact that they have stuttered at times this year and are still in a commanding position shows the strength of the province.
The URC is a compelling league. Realistically, there are nine teams in the hunt for the top-eight spots, with four of the Irish teams among them. It’s possible that there will only be room for three of the Irish teams, because Munster will face off against both Ulster and Connacht in the final three rounds.
It means that everyone’s destiny is still somewhat in their own control from an Irish perspective, with vital matches still to be played.
Follow our live blog on Munster v Ulster in the URC on Saturday from 5.30pm on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
