Ulster

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Ulster wing Zac Ward felt his start in the side's Investec Champions Cup last-16 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles last weekend was a "really good learning curve".

In his first season as a XVs player after representing Ireland Sevens at the Paris Olympics, the game was only Ward's fifth senior start and he marked the occasion with two of the five tries Ulster scored in the 43-31 reverse.

"I loved every second of it," he said.

"It was real tough, a real good test, but for myself personally, it was a really good learning curve and one I'll definitely lean on going forward.

"I like competing against the best. I want to be as good as I can so I need to be competing against the best out there."

As he continues to manage the transition between codes, Ward said he found playing in the back-three with Mike Lowry and Jacob Stockdale especially helpful at the Stade Chaban Delmas.

"Little Mikey and Jacob have been massively beneficial for myself," he added.

"It's starting to show on the pitch, we've all got really good chemistry and it's just finding those little one percenters in training that start to pay off on the pitch.

"Jacob on his day is one of the best players in the world so to have someone like that to lean on is massively beneficial to myself.

"I'm constantly asking him questions but Jacob is not the only one, we have plenty of really good back-three players in the club, so I'm not stuck for advice."

Jonathan Bradley
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Ulster lock Alan O'Connor says the province still want to "compete with the best" after exiting the Investec Champions Cup at the last-16 stage with a 43-31 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles.

Richie Murphy's side went into the knock-out phase of the tournament as the 16th seed and with just one win in the pool stages.

Some had speculated that the 1999 champions would have been better served dropping down a tier and making a run at the European Challenge Cup but the experienced O'Connor believes the side should be encouraged by the entertaining 11-try encounter against one of the competition's favourites.

"We all want to compete against the best," said the man who filled in as Ulster captain in the absence of Iain Henderson.

"For me as a rugby player, it's a no-brainer. I want to play in the top tier and challenge ourselves as individuals and as a unit.

"I can see maybe where they're coming from but as we've shown on days like this, we can stand up and we can score plenty of points.

"There's things we need to work on obviously but that game was maybe there for us in the last 10 minutes if another couple of things had gone our way."

Ulster were late arriving to the Stade Chaban Delmas after their bus got caught in traffic then could not get down one of the streets near the stadium.

Left to walk the rest of the way, O'Connor, who said the situation did not factor into their slow start, enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere.

"These are the places that you want to come play, any French ground is always special," he added.

"We had a bit of a mishap with our busses, but we ended up walking through a lot of the crowd and it was a great atmosphere, something different.

"As a player you relish playing in these grounds. We want to be shooting for the top."

Jonathan Bradley at the Stade Chaban Delmas
BBC Sport NI Journalist

Image source, Inpho

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy felt his side's 43-31 defeat by Bordeaux-Begles in the last 16 of the Investec Champions Cup provided another example of the "good resilience" in his squad.

The province have had to come from behind to beat Scarlets, Dragons and Stormers in the United Rugby Championship (URC) over recent weeks and, while they could not complete another fightback at the Stade Chaban Delmas, Murphy was pleased by how his side "stayed in the fight."

The visitors were 21-0 down after 21 minutes but cut the deficit to seven points before the end of the first half.

Bordeaux later threatened to pull away but a second-half double from Zac Ward, along with a score from Nick Timoney, ensured the game remained competitive.

"Extremely proud of the lads, the way they stuck at it and stayed in the fight," Murphy said.

"The last few weeks we've been 14-0 down and this week we were 21 points down after the first period and that's tough.

"What we've shown over the last few weeks is good resilience within the squad, you can see the team starting to build. Some young players are getting really good experience at the very top level and finding ways."

While Ulster struggled early in possession, they looked sharper in attack as the game progressed but were caught by Bordeaux's ability to break on the counter.

"We played some really good rugby at times [but] the transitionary moments which we knew were going to come really cost us in that first half," added Murphy.

"A couple of loose kicks and they punish you really badly.

"You know once you turn the ball over, within two or three phases it's going to be a try."

Image source, Getty Images

Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune requires a scan to determine the extent of his latest hamstring injury.

The 27-year-old, who has won four caps for Ireland, made his comeback from 11 months out in the province's United Rugby Championship (URC) win over Stormers at Kingspan Stadium on Friday night.

He scored his side's first try in the comeback victory but was replaced after 47 minutes.

Centre Ben Carson also failed to finish that fixture due to a back complaint and an Ulster statement said that both players "will have scans early this week to further assess the extent of their respective injuries".

Richie Murphy's side travel to face Top 14 side Bordeaux-Begles in the last-16 of the Investec Champions Cup on Sunday.

Centre James Hume will be "monitored through training" in the build-up to that trip after missing the win over Stormers through illness.

Forwards coach Jimmy Duffy saying playing a team of the calibre of Bordeaux, who finished the pool stages as top seeds, "raises your game".

Bordeaux have the Six Nations' top try scorer Louis Bielle-Biarrey in their ranks, along with his fellow France internationals Damian Penaud and Yoram Moefana.

"They have world-class talents in the forwards or the backline," said Duffy.

"They are household names in most quarters. They have a brilliant stadium and a brilliant fan base.

"We're going there to compete and it's going to be a big challenge."

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Stuart McCloskey joked his team-mates had seemed determined to spoil his 200th Ulster appearance as the Irish province trailed 17-0 after only eight minutes before fighting back to beat the Stormers 38-34 in the United Rugby Championship.

"Tonight we decided to get ourselves in a big hole on my big night, the lads were telling me," laughed the centre when interviewed by BBC Sport NI after the game.

Ulster looked in huge trouble after tries from Evan Roos and Ben Loader gave the Stormers their sizeable lead but the home side fought back to notch six touchdowns as they clinched a third successive win to boost their hopes of achieving a play-offs spot.

"All you can do is look at each other smile and say 'start again'," added the 32-year-old of the predicament Ulster found themselves in.

"There wasn't a great deal said when we went 17-0 down but we composed ourselves well and got ourselves back into the game and obviously a bit of ill-discipline by them helped us.

"I thought some of our attacking play tonight was the best it's been all year."

Next up for Ulster in Sunday week's Investec Champions Cup last-16 contest against an in-form Bordeaux side.

McCloskey, who is contracted with the Irish province until the summer of 2027, knows full well Ulster will go into that game game as rank outsiders but says they can take "a bit of momentum" into that contest after three straight wins.

"We can throw caution to the wind [in Bordeaux] and throw it about because they are meant to be the best team about. I know we can score tries, it's just whether we can sort out some of the defensive stuff," added the centre who became the 11th player to reach 200 Ulster appearances.

McCloskey hailed the display of man of the match Jack Murphy whose performance at fly-half included scoring one of Ulster's tries.

"He has a great brain for it and at the age he is, he's miles ahead of what I was at that age and miles ahead of probably most players of that age," added McCloskey of the 20-year-old, who is a son of Ulster coach Richie Murphy.

Image source, Inpho

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy praised the "character" of his side in recovering from 17-0 down after just eight minutes to edge out the Stormers 38-34 in a thrilling United Rugby Championship game at Kingspan Stadium.

The Irish province were on level terms at 17-17 at the break and ended up running in six tries in a bonus-point victory against a South African side reduced to 14 men for much of the second half when skipper Neethling Fouche was sent-off for what was deemed a dangerous challenge on Ulster centre Ben Carson.

"It was an incredible game. I'm absolutely delighted with the win - I thought we showed some character," Murphy told BBC Sport NI after the game.

"Going 17 points down early on, some of it from very good stuff from the Stormers and a couple of mistakes from us, but I thought the lads really rolled their sleeves up and put up an unbelievable performance to get past a very good team.

"At times we've played well in spells in different games this season but we put more of it together tonight."

Murphy believes the spirit of his side shone through as they completed three successive wins for the first time this season.

"I think you could see the hunger within the lads to fight back to 17-17 at half-time and put us into a good place in the second half.

"Five points keeps us in the hunt and looking forward to the next one."

Ulster's next game is their Investec Champions Cup last-16 meeting with Bordeaux-Begles in France on Sunday 6 April.

Image source, Inpho

Robert Baloucoune's inclusion for the first time this season is one of five Ulster changes from the last-gasp win over Dragons for Friday's United Rugby Championship home game against Stormers (19:35 GMT).

After a long recovery from a hamstring injury, Ireland wing Baloucoune is named at right wing as Stuart Moore drops out of the backline with Michael Lowry switching to full-back.

John Cooney, who will depart Ulster at the end of the season to join French club Brive, starts at scrum-half with Nathan Doak relegated to the bench.

Fit-again Andrew Warwick replaces Callum Reid at loose-head prop with the other forwards changes the inclusion of lock Kieran Treadwell and back row Matty Rea in place of Matthew Dalton and James McNabney.

Rea's selection means that David McCann switches from flanker to number eight.

Reid and McNabney are named on a replacements bench that includes fit-again hooker Tom Stewart.

Ireland centre Stuart McCloskey will be making his 200th Ulster appearance in Friday's contest.

Currently unavailable for selection due to injury are Ethan McIlroy (knee), Ben Moxham (knee), Werner Kok (hamstring), Cormac Izuchukwu (ankle), Jake Flannery (knee), Iain Henderson (hamstring), Eric O'Sullivan (knee), Jude Postlethwaite (thumb), Sean Reffell (calf) and Lorcan McLoughlin (knee).

Friday's contest is crucial to ninth-placed Ulster's hopes of staying in contention for the play-offs as they face a Stormers side who currently occupy the eighth and final qualification spot, one point ahead of the Irish province.

Ulster: Lowry; Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale; Murphy, Cooney; Warwick, Herring, O'Toole; O'Connor (capt), Treadwell; Matty Rea, Timoney, McCann.

Replacements: Stewart, Reid, Wilson, Sheridan, McNabney, Doak, Carson, Ward.

Image source, Inpho

Ulster back row James McNabney said "it was a bit surreal" to be included as a development player in Ireland's Six Nations squad.

The 22-year-old debuted for his province last season after making 14 appearances for the Ireland Under-20s.

His inclusion for Ireland's pre-championship training camp in Portugal was his first involvement with the senior national side and came after a string of impressive performances at Kingspan Stadium.

The call-up was a surprise to the player himself, however, who struggled to believe the news when he heard while working on the family farm.

"I was actually just finished putting in silage with the telehandler and I looked at my phone and saw I got the email," said McNabney.

"I wasn't sure it was true and I had to have a good look to make sure it was legitimate because I didn't think I'd be on the radar for something like that."

The number eight, who has featured 11 times for Ulster this season, said it was strange to suddenly be alongside the Irish Test stars.

"It was a bit surreal. When you go go-karting with Peter O'Mahony and Caelan Doris, you think it seems a bit nuts.

"But they're only human like the rest of us, they're great lads and were really welcoming to me. It was great."

McNabney felt he came away from the experience a better player.

"I really loved it, it was a good opportunity," he added. "There's definitely things I've worked out that need to be much better since being there.

"I've been stretched massively, but we know now where we're at and what the finishing goal looks like so we can work towards it."

McNabney will next be in action against the Stormers at Kingspan Stadium on Friday night, a match that will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Image source, Inpho

Ulster head coach Richie Murphy says Robert Baloucoune is looking "really sharp" as he prepares to make his comeback from injury.

The wing, who has four caps for Ireland, has not featured this season because of a hamstring problem with his last outing coming against Benetton in April.

The 27-year-old could make his return in the United Rugby Championship (URC) game against the Stormers at Kingspan Stadium on Friday, a match that will be broadcast live on BBC Two NI, BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

"It's been a tough year for him, it's more than 11 months that he's been out," said Murphy.

"He's through a couple of weeks training and he's starting to look really sharp.

"It's brilliant to have him back in."

Murphy feels like Baloucoune can be a leader in what is a young group.

"His voice in and around, the changing room, he's quite quiet but when he says something, the lads listen," he added.

"Especially in our backs, where we've a mix of young and old, his experience is vital."

Prop Andy Warwick and hooker Tom Stewart are also available for selection after injuries, but Ulster are still without a number of key personnel including Ethan McIlroy, Werner Kok, Jude Postlethwaite, Cormac Izuchukwu and Iain Henderson.

Meanwhile prop Sam Crean has returned to Saracens following his short-term loan.

Friday night's game is the last in the URC before attention turns to Europe with Ulster set to face Top 14 power Bordeaux-Begles in the last-16 of the Champions Cup on 6 April.

Sat ninth in the URC table going into this weekend's action, one place and one point behind their opponents in Belfast on Friday, Murphy said there will be no switch of focus.

"We're dealing week to week. It's going to be a massive challenge but the great thing for us is that we play Friday night and we don't play Bordeaux until Sunday," he said.

"It gives us the weekend to have a think about it and really get into it during the week.

"For us, Bordeaux is very much on the backburner. Our league position is the most important thing at the moment."