Dan McFarland looking forward to breaking new ground

Dan McFarland’s side will play in the secondary competition for the first time in their history after failing to be one of the top eight teams in Pool 2 of the Heineken Champions Cup.

Ulster dropped into the Challenge Cup and have been drawn away at high flying English Premiership side Harlequins in the last 16 of the competition.

The match at the Stoop will take place on the first weekend on April.

The winners of that tie will face the victors of the Dragons v Northampton Saints game away from home.

‘Quins have lifted the Challenge Cup on three occasions - 2001, 2004 and 2011 - and were runners up in 2016.

The London based club have former Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery on their coaching ticket and the two clubs have plenty of European history meeting seven times with four of those meeting occurring in the last four years.

‘Quins won the first ever meeting of the sides in October 1996 leaving Belfast with a 21-15 win in the Heineken Cup.

The sides were drawn together in the 2009/10 season when home advantaged prevailed, ‘Quins winning 42-21 in London with Ulster gaining revenge at Ravenhill centre Darren Cave was among the try scorers in 21-10 victory.

The sides met in the back-to-back games in December 2017 with Ulster doing the double.

They won a tight affair at the Stoop 17-5 before putting ‘Quins to the sword at Kingspan Stadium with a 52-24 win, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale, John Cooney, Charles Piutau, Alan O’Connor and Andrew Trimble all dotted down in the bonus point victory.

Ulster did the double again when the sides met in the double header in December 2019.

Cooney’s late penalty gave Ulster a 25-24 win in Belfast, seven days later Dan McFarland’s side got a 34-10 bonus point win in London.

A run of five wins out of their last six games have seen ‘Quins mover up to third in the English Premiership.

With hopes of a Pro14 final gone coach Dan McFarland is looking forward to playing in the Challenge Cup.

“It’s exciting, I have a lot of experience playing in the Challenge Cup and will definitely give us the chance to play play-off rugby,” said McFarland.

Everybody has got to be excited about playing in play-off rugby and that is something that we are very much looking forward to.”

After the disappointment of losing to Leinster the coach turns his attention to the penultimate league game away at the Dragons on Saturday night.

While there is nothing at stake in terms of league position it is a chance for McFarland to give some of his younger players, like prop Callum Reid and back row David McCann, some valuable game time.

“We have two games left in the round robin and we have nothing external to gain from this,” said McFarland.

“We have qualified for Europe and the way the league is formatted we can play in a playoff but there are plenty of things to gain from the next two games.”

“There is probably an opportunity for a couple of guys to come in and have a go, we certainly have a few battered bodies after the weekend, there will be an opportunity for a couple of guys to step in who have earned it on merit.”

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