Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KISS OF STRIFE
Ludik admits boss Les has taken heat off a struggling Ulster squad
LOUIS LUDIK believes under-fire Ulster chief Les Kiss deserves a break after shielding his players from media flak and fan unrest this season.
Kiss and his backroom staff have found themselves under increasing scrutiny in the wake of recent heavy defeats to Connacht and Leinster in the PRO14.
And Ludik accepts it’s time the changing room stepped up to the plate to ease the pressure, starting with a win in this week’s crucial European Champions Cup clash with La Rochelle in Belfast.
Asked if the players were prepared to accept their share of the blame for a so far inconsistent campaign, the South African said: “Yeah, we take a lot of responsibility. We take it on the chin.
“From Les and the management, I do think they take a lot of pressure off us. From the media side, they take a lot on them and they don’t filter that through us.
“I think at the moment the coaches are taking a lot of that pressure off us because if we feel that pressure we take it on to the field. But we do take massive responsibility.”
Ludik admits that the criticism surrounding Ulster’s recent off-colour displays – at times it has felt like one step forward, one step back – has stung.
He said: “As players we have pride, we have pride in the jersey and we are professionals and do our best. We are disappointed when we don’t play well.
“You want to go out and show your family and supporters what you’ve got. If you don’t, then as players we feel it, we feel it even more than the supporters.”
Ludik (below) believes “basic errors” have contributed to Ulster conceding an eye-watering 160 points and 25 tries in their last six outings in all competitions.
He said: “There’s a lot of good things we are doing and then there are one or two basic errors that leads to guys going the length of the field to score. It really breaks down.
“That’s been the story of the season so far – basic errors.
“We kill ourselves and let teams off the hook. When we hold on to the ball we look dangerous and that’s what we have to focus on.”
While the vultures are circling, Ulster know a win on Saturday would ease them above La Rochelle at the top of the pool and ever closer to a first quarter-final berth since 2014.
Ludik, who has yet to reach the knockout stages of Europe during his three-and-a-half years at the Kingspan, said: “It would be awesome and a massive achievement for us. It would help a lot.
“It would put a lot of confidence in the team again and get everyone, from the media and supporters, believing in the team again. It would be great to give that back.”