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Andrew Trimble believed in himself enough to make a game-changing tackle during Ireland’s monumental win over the All Blacks in Chicago on November 5, 2016. The Ulster winger-turned-podcaster will forever be remembered for crushing Liam Squire so cleanly that the ball came loose. of Kiwi’s blind side grip.
The next 90 seconds are set in stone. Finlay Bealham survives a squeaky scrum. Joey Carbery and Jared Payne throw perfect passes to find Simon Zebo, who passes 40 meters downfield to where Conor Murray empties Julian “The Bus” Savea over the dead ball line. From the resulting scrum, Jamie Heaslip picks up and floats a ball for Robbie Henshaw to pass Sam Cane and TJ Perenara.
Nothing is impossible. Just do it. All the sportswear slogans you can imagine in a beautiful stream of consciousness.
Trimble accomplished this, and much more in a green jersey, without even thinking about traveling south to beat Leinster.
“Going to Dublin is a thankless task,” he told the Second Captains. “You never get so optimistic about it. . . But the young guys in Ulster right now, it’s almost a level of naivety where they can go in there and say, ‘We’re going to throw the ball a bit and express ourselves. Let’s do the opposite of what Munster did. ‘
This week’s Ulster sessions are about the two most important seconds in rugby
Trimble and Dan McFarland were like ships passing through the Harland and Wolff yard. The same is true of most of the older generation of Ulster, which ended just before McFarland’s arrival to do, according to Rory Best’s autobiography, “they all realize how important training is” with a philosophy of “speed to contact”.
The Ulster sessions this week, like every week since the IRFU separated English from his Scottish employer in 2018, are the second most important in rugby.
“Dan records all the action from ‘ball carry’ to ‘available ball’ and wants it to be less than two seconds on average throughout the game,” Best wrote. “That is timed from when a player hits the platform until the scrum half clears the ball.”
Flow
If Ulster enters your flow, the opposition or the place no longer matters. As we saw the last time Dan Leavy played a rugby game. The way Ulster dragged Leinster to those epic Champions Cup quarter-finals at Aviva Stadium in April 2019 provides a good starting point for Saturday’s performance.
The memory of that defeat still burns. Jacob Stockdale’s fumble over the try line and John Cooney’s failed conversion, to lead Ulster 20-18 in 65 minutes, remain the nine points lost in a three-point loss.
The fast-paced McFarland demands of every player – hence the selection of mobile accessories over heavyweight veterans – is the coach’s attempt to combine the best lessons taught by two very different mentors.
“We trained for only 23 minutes on a Thursday, but it’s on full blast,” Best revealed. “’No, there is no time to drink water’ [McFarland] will scream.
“He learned about breakdowns from Joe and about speed from Gregor Townsend. Dan told us that the speed Gregor expects from Scotland is terrifying. “
There is a bit of narcissism in Dan, like all really good coaches.
“We haven’t gotten there yet, but we’re making it,” McFarland told Best.
To have any chance Saturday night, Ulster must be there now.
McFarland (48) will surely enjoy the tactical duel with Stuart Lancaster (50). Their star is on the rise after ruthless substitutions by John Cooney and Billy Burns led directly to victory over Edinburgh at Murrayfield last week. Ian Madigan was applauded for making two high-pressure shots, but it was McFarland who turned a certain loss into an unlikely victory by eliminating his goal kicker at halftime and his captain shortly after.
“There is a little bit of narcissism in Dan, like all really good coaches,” Best continued. “They always have to think that their ideas are the best.”
Even better than the one in Lancaster?
We will see soon.
Insult
Ulster should interpret Ross Byrne’s selection of Johnny Sexton as a direct insult. Leinster is shaped in this regard, and clearly Leo Cullen and Lancaster trust Byrne in the big games, but sending the world’s best strategic 10 to the bench for a final can only be used as motivation by the opposition. Saracens are perceived as the greatest threat.
Burns needs to make them pay. The Englishman, qualified in Ireland, must be looking for a chance to establish himself as the top cap on Andy Farrell’s team.
Burns is McFarland’s captain for good reason. The injured Iain Henderson cannot be replaced, but the 26-year-old appears to be mature enough to match Sexton’s decision-making skills in the split second before a wing’s shoulder finds its target.
Can they be as clinical and ruthless as Leinster has been all season? It’s a great, great question
None of this is evidence enough to bet on Ulster, even with an attractive 11-point handicap, but examining how McFarland’s men came so close to ousting Leinster last year offers many routes to a big surprise.
Sexton was injured to begin with, so Byrne started at 10. Best planted the seeds of doubt with an early block on Garry Ringrose that allowed Kieran Treadwell to rally and fall over the line. Twenty-five relentless phases later and Byrne powered by Rob Baloucoune. The outhalf missed the conversion, leaving Ulster still leading 7-5 with 12 breathless minutes left on the clock. The pace refused to slow until Stockdale’s error in the 46th minute with Ulster leading 13-11.
Destroying
Stockdale was already the master at eliminating teams on the short side. The opportunity came from Stuart McCloskey (1.8 seconds) and Jordi Murphy (1.6 seconds) breaking the profit line one after another. Burns’ soft, charming hands and a Baloucoune-led lure allowed Stockdale to smash through a gap and overcome a weak defense from Jordan Larmour. But the aftermath of his brilliant attempt against New Zealand was negated by Dave Kearney’s never-say-die attitude and an attempted shot with the left.
“They are more than capable of bringing their game up to the level to compete,” Trimble said, “but can they be as clinical and ruthless as Leinster has been all season? It’s a great, great question. “
Ireland’s training with Joe Schmidt became so robotic without error that everyone began to believe that victory could be achieved in Chicago, Twickenham, Paris or wherever they roamed between 2014 and February 2019.
Sliding door moments are a waste of time, but imagine Ulster took a 20-11 lead early in the second half. Leinster would have been forced into the kind of hole he has only experienced once since: the loss to the Saracens in May 2019.
This is how Leinster or any team with a similar winning streak falls apart. He takes the doubt to the depths of his psyche by accumulating points continuously.
Reality came eight minutes after Stockdale’s fumble when Jack Conan smashed through Eric O’Sullivan before sending Adam Byrne cleared for the try.
That was then. The latest version of McFarland’s Ulster must produce Trimble-like heroics at Soldier Field while devouring the nine points they left behind in 2019. To ignite a real rivalry, the coach must identify opportunities the rest of us can’t see and hope that includes to Lancaster.
Nothing is impossible. Just do it.
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