MAGNERS LEAGUE/Ulster v Cardiff Blues:THIRD PLACE from the bottom of the Magners League table makes Ulster's position much more precarious than they would have liked, or anticipated. Defeat last Friday to Cardiff in a match in which Brian McLaughlin's side gave away too many penalties and had two players – Darren Cave and Ryan Caldwell – in the sinbin as Cardiff ran in the only try of the match means Ulster will need to inject a healthy dose of discipline for tonight's offering in Belfast.
To make amends so soon after conceding 19 points to Cardiff gives the game an interesting dynamic, and Ulster are itching to get back to winning ways. But they have lost more often this season than they have won, with defeats in seven of their 13 league games.
Cardiff, who are one place above Ulster despite losing eight matches, arrive without their Wales and Lions centre Tom Shanklin, who took a blow to the knee in last week’s game. It is not a recurrence of the injury that kept him out of the Lions tour in 2005, but severe enough to end his season.
The rested Jamie Roberts comes in for Shanklin, while, in the forwards, Sam Warburton starts at openside, Maama Molitika at blindside and Deiniol Jones returns from injury to start in the secondrow. Gareth Williams also returns from injury to take a place on the bench.
Ulster will expect to raise their game, but Cardiff also struggled with their Wales players coming back into the squad and were somewhat disconnected in much of what they did last week.
“We obviously struggled last week as we had a number of players coming back in to the team after Welsh duty and it looked as if they hadn’t played together for a number of weeks, which was the case, so we will be looking for a big improvement this week,” said Cardiff coach David Young.
The Ulster backline looks quick and inventive with Paddy Wallace at inside centre and Andrew Trimble, Darren Cave and Scotland wing Simon Danielli outside him. The pack also looks strong, although Tom Court’s absence through injury weakens the frontrow, where Declan Fitzpatrick joins Rory Best and BJ Botha.
A backrow of captain Chris Henry, David Pollock and the powerhouse Stephen Ferris at six will face a stiff challenge from Cardiff’s Xavier Rush and Molotika, while at scrumhalf Leinster-bound Isaac Boss makes a return to the starting line-up.
“We are really looking forward to the weekend because the last two games we have not ourselves justice,” said Ulster coach McLaughlin. “We have had disappointing displays against the Scarlets and Cardiff. We just want to get back to Ravenhill and play the way we can play.”
Ulster has won just one of their last six Magners League matches and that was back in January – against whom? Munster (15-10).
Go figure.
ULSTER: J Smith; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, S Danielli; N O’Connor, I Boss; D Fitzpatrick, R Best, BJ Botha, E O’Donoghue, R Caldwell, S Ferris, D Pollack, C Henry (capt). Replacements: A Kyriacou, B Young, D Tuohy, R Diak, P Marshall, I Whitten, T Nagusa.
CARDIFF: B Blair; L Halfpenny, C Laulala, J Roberts, T James; C Sweeney, R Rees; G Jenkins, T Rhys, T Filise, D Jones, P Tito, M Molitika, S Warburton, X Rush. Replacements: S Andrews, G Williams, A Pretorius, M Williams, D Allinson, D Flanagan, D Hewitt.
Referee: A McPherson (Scot).
Verdict: Cardiff.
