Bolstered but also clearly relieved by last weekend’s last-gasp result against Glasgow Warriors, Ulster fly out to South Africa on Wednesday for rounds two and three of the URC starting with the Lions in Johannesburg on Saturday and the Pretoria-based Bulls seven days later.
The squad will include John Cooney who has returned to full training this week after having no game time so far due to an injury niggle, and Ulster are also expected to have a medical joker at hooker for the tour as both Rob Herring and Tom Stewart are currently both sidelined.
“Yeah, there’s a new body coming into the group,” new forwards coach Jimmy Duffy admitted, declining to reveal the player’s identity ahead of their departure, though it is believed that he is Irish.
Former Connacht assistant coach Duffy hooked up with the northern province this season after a stint at the Western Force in Perth and is now working again with Richie Murphy following their time together at Ireland under-20s and earlier than that with the national squad at under-18 level.
“We have a good relationship, and this is the third or fourth time we’ve worked together,” said Duffy. “It didn’t take a lot of thought [coming to Ulster]. Richie and I go back a long way, and we’ve built a relationship on honesty, he said [to me] it’s a young group but a really exciting group.
“Probably the most pleasing thing for me is, particularly up front, a lot of the group are early 20s. There’s been a lot of evolution in terms of experienced players, but the new guard is ready to go and some of the older boys are relishing the teaching experience. [These are] Exciting times ahead. A young squad but an ambitious one, which is positive.”
Ulster will be missing young forwards Cormac Izuchukwu and Harry Sheridan, who both made an impact last weekend from the bench in the win over Glasgow, due to their presence with Emerging Ireland, who are also journeying to South Africa. But Duffy maintained that Ulster are feeling confident about playing two games at altitude.
“We’re pretty happy where we are,” he said, “and we’re building nicely. We’ll add layers [to our game] every few weeks, but the lads are in a good space.”
And alluding to the 84th-minute winner against URC champions Glasgow, scored by David Shanahan but set up by the pack, he stated: “It’s something you can draw on in the future if you need it again.”
Duffy paid tribute to Ulster tight head prop Marty Moore, whose retirement from the game, described as being on medical advice to prioritise his mental wellbeing, was announced on Monday night.
“I’m only just in the door so I haven’t had an opportunity [to work with him], but he was brilliant for this club,” he said. “He’s left a huge legacy of the standard a tight head should be. What’s best for him and his family is most important,” Duffy added of the former Leinster, Wasps and Ireland player.
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