Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BOTTOM OF THE NINTH
Low point for Ulster after Munster try blitz but boss insists ‘you learn from pain’
DAN MCFARLAND is determined injury hit Ulster learn from the “pain” of Saturday’s record rout at the hands of a rampant Munster at Thomond Park.
The under strength visitors, missing a raft of key senior players, had no answer as the Reds romped over for nine tries in a thumping 64-7 win in Limerick.
It was Ulster’s biggest Pro14 defeat – outstripping a 43-0 loss to Ospreys in 2008 – and a crushing experience for the new head coach.
Mcfarland isn’t helped by a lengthy injury list, but knows the ship has to be steadied with Interpro rivals Connacht next up in the Pro14 on
Friday night.
“A lot of the fellas will be feeling pain now, including me,” said
Mcfarland. “But pain is good – you learn from pain.
“As a coaching staff, we won’t write that one off. We were tested and it demonstrated we have a long way to go.
“But we have shown enough good so far this season in what we’ve done and what we’re capable of to be confident we can move forward.”
Ulster, bereft of star names like Rory Best, Jacob Stockdale, Marcell Coetzee and Henry Speight, simply had no answer at Thomond.
Dan Goggin and Tommy O’donnell bagged two tries apiece, while Peter O’mahony, Joe Carbery, Sam Arnold, Keith Earls and Alex Wootton also touched down. Mcfarland, who saw Darren Cave cross for a consolation try, said: “You’ve got a lot of young fellas out there. I was here with Glasgow the week Anthony (Foley) died.
“When there’s meaning or importance in a game in Munster and you get put on the back foot, that’s a difficult place to be and that’s where we found ourselves.
“We needed to be on the front foot the whole time and we weren’t.”
Mcfarland hopes Ireland duo Best and Stockdale and centre Stuart Mccloskey form part of the returning cavalry as the province prepares for Connacht in Belfast.
He said: “There are a lot of guys who are very experienced who weren’t available and we had a lot of young fellas – two new caps, two new starts.
“We’ve got a couple of the guys who are coming back in. Rory and Jacob are both targeting Connacht, so we’ll find out this week if they’re available”
Lock Alan O’connor, who captained Ulster in Limerick, said: “Anytime you play Munster they’re always going to be physical. We just didn’t match that.” MUNSTER: D Goggin 2, T O’donnell 2. P O’mahony, J Carbery, S Arnold, K Earls, A Wootton tries; J Carbery 5 cons, pen; I Keatley 3 cons ULSTER: D Cave try; B Burns con