Will the Ulstermen rue the missed bonus point in round 5? asks Kristian Ross…
The slow realisation the bonus point had slipped out our grasp and despite qualifying less than a day later, Ulster Rugby now have a huge ask on their hands, go to Welford Road on Saturday evening and beat the Leicester Tigers. The English champions have made their home a fortress since the inception of the Heineken Cup and no doubt it is a forbidding place, the biggest club rugby purpose built stadium in England, many have tried to knock the Tigers off their perch… many have failed.
What we know is this, Ulster despite missing out narrowly on the bonus point last week looked very good but only for certain periods, the two opening tries at Ravenhill effectively got everything thinking a potential onslaught was on the cards, but Montpellier were back in the game quickly and butchered chances led to just the four points being taken in Belfast.
Anscombe reiterated in his post match interview that the win was the main thing, but you could see the disappointment was creeping in. Incredibly yet again the Heineken Cup has warned us that even when you've won your opening five games, things are never guaranteed to go your way. Craig Gilroy has been passed fit following his clash with team-mate Andrew Trimble however Tommy Bowe won’t be back in time, a huge miss for any side.
The task is now simple, win and a home quarter final awaits as well as taking the plaudits and maybe finally getting Sky Sports to notice we are there. Lose and potentially face an opponent such as Toulouse in France and leave ourselves the ultimate of tasks. Can we do it… yes we can…. will it be easy….. It’s Ulster Rugby, drama is what we do.
SUFTUM.
I'm Kristian. 19. And my mind is filled with rugby shaped thoughts. Supporting Ulster Rugby, Newcastle Falcons and of course the mighty Ireland. Tommy Bowe is the MAN !!!! SUFTUM.
