Stormers handed potential advantage against winless Ulster
SPOTLIGHT: Ulster will face an uphill battle against the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday, with several key players unavailable for their Round Five Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash.
The Irish outfit will arrive at DHL Stadium still seeking their first win of the season after two draws and two defeats.
Their bid to break the duck has been made harder by the absence of eight national players who left South Africa after their 26-34 loss to the Bulls last Saturday.
Jamie Benson, Stuart McCloskey, Nathan Doak, and Jacob Stockdale are among the names that will miss out after linking up with the Ireland squad ahead of the Nations Championship.
Ulster will be eager to put their defeat to the Bulls behind them and prepare for another tough test on South African soil.
Head coach Richie Murphy believes his side showed plenty of fight against the Bulls, although he admitted they struggled to gain a foothold in the contest.
“We struggled at the start of the game to get a foothold on it,” Murphy said.
“Our first three possessions were probably turned over too easily, and that puts you under pressure, especially when you’re playing against a team like the Bulls.
“They got access into our 22, and coming up to half-time, they had 65% territory and possession. I thought our guys did a really good job in relation to sticking to the plan and executing.
“We had a chance two or three plays to actually win the game. We’re disappointed in the end.”
The Ulster boss also identified the scrum as an area his side needs to improve on.
Although their scrum competed well for much of the contest, they came under pressure late in the game and missed an opportunity to put the Bulls on the back foot.
“That’s the scrum, isn’t it? Our scrum held up reasonably well.
“Everyone knows when they come to South Africa that their scrum is going to be under pressure. It’s an area we need to get better at.”
Turning his attention to the Stormers, Murphy acknowledged the task awaiting his side.
He pinpointed key areas they’ll need to work on if they are to beat a Stormers side in good form.
“We need to improve on our breakdown area,” he began.
“We were turning over the ball a little bit too easily over these first four games; we’ll try and improve in that area and our discipline.
“We know when we go to the Stormers, we’re going to have a big scrum battle and have a line-out maul, and some of their outside backs are electric.
“We will try and make sure we compete well upfront and be clever in how we compete at the breakdown so that we’re not giving away as many penalties.”
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