VIDEO: No 'welcome' mat for Stormers in Belfast battle
The Stormers should not be expecting a ‘welcome’ mat when they arrive at Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Friday.
Ulster hosts the Stormers in a United Rugby Championship Round 14 match – with just five points (one bonus-point win) separating Cardiff in fifth place (35 points) and the Lions in 13th (30), with Munster, Ospreys, Stormers, Ulster, Benetton, Edinburgh and Connacht sandwiched in-between.
Given the history between Ulster and the Stormers, Friday’s face-off has some additional spice added to it.
Ulster captain Alan O’Connor said they have now gone into ‘play-off’ mode.
The Irish province started last weekend in 14th place and heads into Round 14 in ninth place – one spot and a single point behind the Stormers in eighth.
Then there is the contentious record between the two sides, which includes some disputed calls.
The Stormers’ only visit to Belfast, in January 2023, resulted in a 35-5 blowout win for Ulster.
The Irish province’s three visits to Cape Town were all ‘close calls’ – including two contentious wins in 2022.
It was a controversial disallowed try that saw the Stormers win 23-20 in their pool game and an equally contentious try awarded to the Stormers that resulted in a 17-15 win in the semifinal a few months later.
However, Ulster, coming off the momentum of back-to-back URC victories against the Scarlets and Dragons, are determined to make their Ravenhill advantage count.
Both sides sit firmly in the race for the top eight play-off positions, with Ulster sitting in ninth and one place below the Stormers, whose victory against Scarlets in Round 13 lifted the South Africans into eighth spot.
Ulster skipper Alan O’Connor described the arrival of the Stormers as “full business”.
(WATCH as Ulster captain and lock Alan O’Connor explains what the Stormers can expect when they arrive at Ravenhill Stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on Friday…..)
“We are looking forward to that [encounter with the Stormers] and then have some tough games [Leinster away, Sharks in Belfast, Munster away and Edinburgh away].
“We take every game as a play-off game and there are not too many remaining.”
Ulster coach Richie Murphy also knows Friday’s clash will go a long way in deciding the Irish province’s play-off destiny.
“We know exactly where we are,” Murphy said ahead of the arrival of the South African franchise.
“We’re on back-to-back wins in the league, nine points in our last two games, only the second time this year we’ve got back-to-back wins.
“We are trying to build off the back of that and that is important.
“We trained well on Tuesday, the feeling in the group is really good and we got away from the game at the weekend with no injuries.”
Murphy knows that Ulster can’t gift a side like the Stormers the start they did against the Dragons, with the Welsh region scoring a try after 40 seconds.
