Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
I always back young guns to fire us to glory
BY
BILLY BURNS is confident Ulster’s young guns will bring a “fearless” edge to tonight’s United Rugby Championship shootout with Munster at the Kingspan Stadium.
There’s no room for error as Dan Mcfarland’s men bid to keep their season alive and progress to the semi-finals where Edinburgh or the Stormers lie in wait.
Win and the northern province march on. Lose and the campaign is over.
“There’s an added pressure when you know there isn’t a second chance, but it’s also extra motivation,” said Burns. “That’s the sort of environment this team thrives on.
“It’ll be a huge challenge against Munster and we’ll have to be on the money, but these are the games we want to be involved in.”
In his four years in Belfast, Burns has witnessed the emergence of a talented cohort of young players who have stepped up to the plate over the course of the past two seasons.
Lining up alongside him in Ulster’s back line tonight are Ethan Mcilroy (21), Stewart Moore (22), James Hume (23) and Robert Baloucoune (24).
Highly-rated scrumhalf Nathan Doak (20) is also on the bench and Burns expects the club’s younger demographic to bring a “fearless” dynamic to what is a do-or-die clash.
“These lads have the world at their feet and they play some unbelievable rugby,” he said.
“But they are also grounded and there is a fearlessness about them. They maybe haven’t got the baggage or scars of past experiences of things not going their way.
“They’re fearless, they’re hungry to take things on and they’re not scared by any occasion.
“I look at the Northampton game away (Ulster won 24-20) and the average age of our backline – bar me – must have been about 12, it was so young.
“Those lads stepped up in a fierce environment and flourished. I back them massively.”
Tonight’s quarter-final is only the fifth knockout tie Ulster will have played at the Kingspan in all competitions in the past decade.
The last ended in disappointment, a 30-23 defeat to Toulouse in April which ended the province’s European dream in the round of 16.
“We potentially went into our shells a little bit but you’re always learning and we’re in a fortunate enough position from our hard work (in the URC) that we’ve been able to get an opportunity to give it another crack,” said Burns.
“It’s an Interpro and a home quarter-final but we also know being at home doesn’t give you the right to win.”
Michael Lowry misses out due to a facial injury, with Moore coming in to replace the fleet footed full-back in the Ulster back line.