Lock Alan O'Connor backing new Ulster forwards coach Jimmy Duffy to make a big impact this season

Duffy has worked with head coach Richie Murphy before with Ireland U20s, winning a Grand Slam in 2022.

He spent many years in various roles in his native province Connacht and was assistant coach when the Westerners won the Pro14 in 2016.

Duffy has spent the last two years in Australia with the Super Rugby franchise Western Force and replaces Roddy Grant at the Kingspan Stadium.

“I feel like we are in a really good place now, as we know Richie and Jimmy worked together with the Irish 20s as well,” said O’Connor.

“Jimmy is really good at bringing those young guys through. The better standard that we can have from there to here, the better the whole club is going to be and everyone is going to be challenging each other.

“Jimmy did a great job with Connacht over the years and I have had a look at a few of the clips of the work he did over in Australia. He has really implemented his strategies and I think the guys are really picking that up at the minute.”

O’Connor has noticed subtle nuances between Duffy and Grant.

“They are similar enough in principles and stuff but we are going after a couple of finer details at the minute that we really want to hone our focus on, so we just have to see where we are at with that, then the other things will fall into place of the back of that,” he said.

“So, we haven’t been doing much set piece work in terms of the first couple of weeks but now we are coming into it and we are doing it really clear in blocks of time.”

After another trophyless season for Ulster, the second row is at pains to put his finger on why the province came up short again in the big knockout games.

“I can’t really say to be honest, but we’ll see where we are after the first couple of games. It is a really tough start against the champions then two games away to South African teams who are always strong at home and at altitude as well, so hopefully all that fitness we are doing really pays off,” O’Connor said.

“Once we get into the string of games, we’ll be able to hone our focus on exactly what we need to do to win those games at the top level and go away to places like Clermont and make sure we’re in it.

“I think a lot of it is to do with our set piece work and our cohesion in attack and obviously our defence needs to be on the money, but that is different because there are a lot of moving parts in defence.”

O’Connor is feeling optimistic for the new season as Ulster prepare to face Benetton in a pre-season friendly on Saturday at Kingspan Stadium.

“Everything has gone really good so far, Richie and Sam Dodge have done a good job with the pre-season,” he said.

“It has been short but what we have done within that time has been really good; Jimmy coming in has done a really good job with our set piece so we are really narrowing our focus on what we need to be working on for us to be peaking at the right time, and I do feel we are coming to the right spot.”

Kiwi out-half Aidan Morgan makes his debut and trialist tight head prop Corrie Barrett also starts.

Ulster: (15-9) Mike Lowry (C), Rory Telfer, Stewart Moore, Jude Postlethwaite, Aaron Sexton, Aidan Morgan, Nathan Doak; (1-8) Eric O’Sullivan, John Andrew, Corrie Barrett*, Harry Sheridan, Kieran Treadwell, James McNabney, Sean Reffell, David McCann .

Replacements: Forwards – James McCormick, Henry Walker, Callum Reid, Scott Wilson, Charlie Irvine, James McKillop, Alan O’Connor, Tom Brigg, Marcus Rea; Backs – David Shanahan, Conor McKee, Zac Ward, James Humphreys, Ben Carson, Jack Murphy.