Burns insists Ulster have the style to get results
AS Ulster prepare themselves for the Scarlets in the Champions Cup back-to-backs, it certainly appears there is a disconnect between results and mood.
Last weekend’s win over Cardiff sees them locked with tonight’s opponents in Conference B of the Guinness PRO14 in terms of points, trailing only a Leinster team that resembles a freight train no matter what 15 names Leo Cullen writes on his team-sheet.
In Europe it’s been a case of par for the course, winning one and losing one, the expected return from hosting Leicester and a trip to Racing 92.
There is still, though, the nagging perception that this is a team that flatters to deceive.
History certainly plays a part — Scarlets’ results may have been similar, but they have both recent pedigree when it comes to winning silverware and overcoming early losses in Europe — while so too does the nature of some of their defeats. A record defeat to Munster is the type of result that lingers, no matter who took the field in Limerick.
The side’s new out-half Billy Burns doesn’t argue with the perception and believes only consistency will convince onlookers that this is a team that has taken the first step away from their fallow period.
“You look at the table and you can say we are doing really well,” he said. “We have done a lot of good stuff but I think the attitude is that is not enough any more.
“We are chasing that full 80-minute performance and a style of rugby we can hang our hat on and pride ourselves on.
“I look at the game on the weekend, we reviewed that and it did not look like us, it was not the style of rugby we want to play. We have shown in patches we can perform well, but when it gets to the tough end of the competitions when you are playing sides like Scarlets, the Leicesters and Racings, you cannot be off for periods.
“It is just about us putting in an 80-minute performance. There will be times in a game when you are under pressure, you can never dominate a game 100 per cent.
“But it is just about embracing that and also, on the flipside, when we have the ball we have not held on to it well enough at the moment, which is letting sides off a little bit and not building pressure.
“If we can keep hold of the ball we have shown our attacking structure is good, if we can just speed it up at the breakdown it gives us an opportunity to put teams to the sword.”
The idea put forward by Burns that the win over Cardiff “didn’t look like” Ulster is an interesting one, for this is a team that has shown a distinct style only in fits and starts.
Despite two wins from their past three, head coach Dan McFarland said his side had “gone into their shell” at times over the past number of weeks.
Weather was always likely to curtail the offloading abandon of the early weeks but there are times when authority needs stamped on the game.
“At the start of the season you have that element of surprise and teams are not maybe expecting you to do certain things, defences are a bit more switched on to that (now),” reflected Burns.
“The other one, just the conditions, it is getting a lot tougher and looser under foot and wetter and it is harder to keep hold of the ball. We showed against Leicester here the conditions were probably worse and we still played some good attacking rugby.
“I think it is just about making sure we know exactly what our system is and what we are trying to achieve and everyone chipping in to do that.
“The first month or so you are still learning the way the (new) coach wants you to play and how the players want to play, but I think we are past that stage now.
“The team we want to be and the style of rugby we want to play, it is about transferring that from the training pitch onto the match pitch.
“When you are under pressure and the conditions may be tough and things are not necessarily going your way, it is about being strong enough mentally and really just driving it home and sticking to that style of rugby.” THOUGH Bangor got back to winning ways last weekend at Seapoint, they are back on the road and this time face the formidable challenge of 2C leaders Ballina.
Bangor, in fifth, know they face quite a task, but head coach Michael Ferguson’s squad need to keep gathering up points as they bid to break into the top four.
“It was massive for us to get the four points away (at Seapoint) as that helped get our season back on track,” said Bangor director of rugby Danny Curran.
“We want to keep our momentum going but know that this is a big ask.”
Bangor head west with some enforced changes as prop Phil Whyte is concussed and flanker Jamie Clegg is unavailable.
Oran Mcllmurray and Mikey Weir come in to the starting side. Last weekend’s try scorer Curtis Stewart is likely to be at number eight from the off and Shaun Fair gets a start at scrum-half.
Also in 2C, fourth-placed Omagh host Seapoint and City of Derry, in seventh, are at Midleton.
In 2A, Queen’s University take on Cashel, the side two places above them in second, at the Dub.
The students need to dig out a result after losing their last two games and should have Angus Kernohan available again.
In 2B, Rainey Old Boys have a fifth straight win on offer should they get the better of Sunday’s Well in Cork. However, the fourth-placed Ulster side head south without several frontline players but do welcome back lock Ronan McCusker.
In the division’s other games, eighth-placed Belfast Harlequins host bottom side Skerries in a must-win game and Dungannon, in ninth, play unbeaten leaders Greystones at Stevenson Park. 2A: Queen’s v Cashel.
2B: B Harlequins v Skerries, Dunannon v Greystones, Sunday’s Well v Rainey OB. 2C: Ballina v Bangor, Midleton v Derry, Omagh v Seapoint.