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'It was class': Ulster captain hails Bok star's impact

REACTION: Ulster captain Alan O’Connor had plenty of praise for Springbok superstar Duane Vermeulen after the Irish side’s upset win over Clermont Auvergne in the Champions Cup.

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That match in France was Vermeulen’s debut for Ulster after he was self-isolating for some time after testing positive for COVID-19 last month.

The No.8 played 50 minutes in the 29-23 win and racked up 20 metres from his 11 carries.

“It was great, he’s obviously an awesome player,” O’Connor told RTÉ after their Pool A win.

“It was class to have him on board.

“Fair play to him, he didn’t have a lot of training time, but he gelled in pretty well and he was a calm influence on the pitch, which was class.

“I’m looking forward to seeing how he gets on and looking forward to playing with him.”

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Meanwhile, Ulster head coach Dan McFarland was a proud man after his team’s victory.

“I thought we played well in the way we controlled it for most of the game,” said the coach.

“We’ve got a lot of lads out there who have been banging on the door and were magnificent.

“That is a victory we should be proud of.”

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Ulster will face Northampton Saints in Belfast in Round Two.

Source: RTÉ

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