Former Ireland backrow Stephen Ferris has identified a huge area of concern for Ulster as they face Leinster today in their URC quarter-final at the Aviva Stadium.
Leinseter have lost twice to their provincial rivals this season and Ferris believes all the pressure will be on big favourites Leo Cullen’s men following a string of inconsistent performances.
Meanwhile, Ulster are enjoying something of a second wind after an at times troubled season in Belfast.
Damian de Allende talks about the plaudits heaped on him by his teammates
Damian de Allende talks about the plaudits heaped on him by his teammates
“If we had been having this conversation six weeks ago, I would have said Leinster were going to win by 30 or 40 points,” said Ferris this week.
“But there is jeopardy now. There is a question over Leinster’s mentality and whether they can close big games out. The wait for a trophy goes on and on and on and the longer it goes on the more pressure that comes with that.
“Every team in this competition loves to beat Leinster because they have been the best, with four league titles in a row.
“With Ulster having beaten them twice already this season, that will give them huge confidence.
“There has been so much chopping and changing with the Leinster side and no doubt there will be a lot more change going into this weekend.
“They have shown inconsistency over the last few weeks whereas Ulster have been super consistent in their performances. They are just playing so much better.
“They will be relishing the fact that everybody will be writing them off and they will go after Leinster that’s for sure.”
“Three months ago, it was doom and gloom,” says Ferris.
“People were saying Ulster were the fourth best province and rubbish.
“But with a couple of results and a couple of young guys playing very well, it has changed the whole way people are viewing them.
“These young guys are bringing energy and positivity, the fans are back on board. Everyone is speaking in a good way about Ulster rugby at the minute.”
Ferris is impressed with Ulster’s turnaround under Richie Murphy: “They have been really competitive and really strong.
“They are direct when they need to be, but the huge thing for me is how much width they are keeping on their game.
“They look fit, they look fresh, they all look comfortable with the ball in hand. Richie has let the lads play with a little bit more freedom instead of being caged up and worrying about making a mistake.
“He has just given the guys the licence to go and play. It’s much better to watch.”
How Ferris believes the scrum will be a major issue for Ulster.
“But the scrum is still a huge area of concern.”
“They played really well against Munster last weekend, but the change in the momentum was in the scrum. They got dominated a few times and gave away penalties.
“Earlier in the season, Dan McFarland got the sack after the Ospreys game where they got pumped in the scrum.
“The first match of the season set the tone when they got pumped in the scrum against Zebre. The same thing happened when they lost at home to Edinburgh.
“It’s just been a huge, huge area of concern.
“If Leinster go with their full-strength team, I can’t see Ulster winning because of set-piece.
“With Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter there, I think that’s going to be a real tough one.
“No scrum, no win is what the South Africans say.”
