Nick Timoney highlights value of Ulster home comforts

Ulster are currently third in the table, seven points behind the Stormers and 18 off leaders Leinster, although they have a game-in-hand on both the clubs above them.

Ulster need to finish in the top two to have the chance of hosting a home semi-final and after last season, when they had to travel to South Africa for a last-four clash, flanker Nick Timoney knows the importance of home comforts in knockout games.

“You always want to play more home games...it’s good for everyone, good for the fans, good for the clubs and good for us as it gives us home advantage, so it’s crucial,” said Timoney. “Last year travelling on not much notice to South Africa...a tough ask.

“That’s (home play-offs) always the goal.

"You want to win more games.

"You want to be better prepared going into those play-off games, regardless if they’re home or away.”

Not only are the next three games away from Kingspan Stadium, two of them will be on artificial surfaces – with a trip to South Africa to play the rearranged game with the Sharks sandwiched in-between.

“I’d say I went three-and-a-half months there without playing a home game at all, so I’m sort of used to it at the moment,” he said. “It was nice to be back home for a couple of weeks there.

"But that’s how I feel it’s been this season.

“So it’s a challenge, obviously.

"But we’ve got to get on with it, there’s no real option.

"We’ve got to go over and embrace the hostility of those places and the challenges around them.

"And make sure we don’t make any excuses for ourselves but just hold ourselves accountable to performance standards.

“Playing in South Africa, it’s going to be hot and a hard surface as well.

"So, it’s good prep for that, ultimately, I don’t think it’s that different.

"The weather is probably going to dictate what happens too but it’s good to have a consistent surface.”

As more teams in the league get 4G pitches, Timoney doesn’t think it is a deciding factor in games as it used to be.

“I’m pretty impartial,” he said. “If it’s good and nice conditions, you get some nice rugby to watch.

"And it gives you a nice surface to run fast on and the pace of the game is higher, so that’s enjoyable.

"But I think, in my own head, you don’t have too many preferences really because 90 per cent of your games aren’t going to be there.

“I’ve no issues with it but I don’t look forward to or not look forward to it, it’s one of the many factors that go into each week.

“If you’ve a maul going forward or a scrum going forward it stays going forward because you’re less likely to lose your footing or slip or any of that stuff.

“It feels a bit easier to keep momentum going on that surface but I think it’s meant to be pretty wet and windy this week as well, so that’ll have its impact too...so we’ll see how it goes.”