ulster look for home comforts
Ulster's Robbie Diack.
AS the hopes of making successive RaboDirect PRO12 championship play-offs fade following the disappointing 21-14 reverse against Cardiff Blues in the Welsh capital, Ulster will aim to get back into contention with back-to-back home games over the next week.
On Friday night, second placed Ospreys are the visitors to Ravenhill and then Michael Bradley brings Edinburgh to Belfast a week later.
For Ulster it is a case of win only, and even then they have to rely on the other teams above them to slip up and open the door to let them in.
Ulster switched places with Cardiff Blues, dropping to sixth, after the loss last Friday night in the Welsh capital after a performance which was well below par from the Irish Province.
To their credit, having gone 21-11 behind from leading 11-6 at the interval, Ulster did pick up a losing bonus point with a late Ruan Pienaar penalty.
Ulster head coach, Brian McLaughlin, described that as a “consolation.”
“We’re leaving here with a bonus point so that’s some consolation.
“It shows you how far we’ve come that we can come to a place like this and be very, very disappointed not to come home with more.
“But we have to learn from this - we will get on the training paddock this week and make sure we are back on form for Ospreys next weekend.”
McLaughlin was still confident his team can achieve their goal of reaching the PRO12 play off is May: “It is going to be very tight but that bonus point tonight could prove crucial. We’re still in with a shout but we’ll have to wait and see how other results go this weekend.”
McLaughlin will name his provisional squad this afternoon ahead of the visit of Ospreys, but he is expected to be without skipper Johann Muller who has a calf tear.
It is yet to be revealed if any of the Irish contingent released for last week’s game will be involved, but after two false starts, centre, Darren Cave was expected to come back into the mix as he recovers from a foot injury.
While the PRO12 is not beyond Ulster, the key over the next month is to build confidence ahead of the what is now the most important game of the season and a trip to Thomond Park for a Heineken Cup quarter-final clash against Munster.
And with three home games in the weeks leading up to that tie, Ravenhill is the perfect way to build that confidence.
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
