Heineken Champions Cup: Will crucial Sale win reignite Ulster's season?
- Published
There was an explosion of emotion when Duane Vermeulen grabbed the match-clinching try against Sale Sharks to end Ulster's torrid run of form
Prior to Saturday's famous win over Sale Sharks, Ulster had led until the 82nd, 78th and 81st minutes of their previous three matches - yet somehow lost all three.
It was an alarming run of form, especially in the manner of the late defeats and head coach Dan McFarland had described it as "concerning".
With just one win in their last seven matches - and even that was a fortunate one away to Connacht - questions were being asked about players and management.
The gutsy, low-scoring showing away to La Rochelle showed signs of improvement, yet it was another blow that left Ulster on the brink of elimination from the Champions Cup.
When Sale Sharks rolled into town on Saturday for the winner-takes-all final Pool B match, it's safe to say there wasn't a huge amount of optimism.
Yet, come the final whistle there was an almighty explosion of relief as Ulster ended their torrid run to progress to the knockout stages of the Champions Cup.
Despite fresh memories of the late heartbreak Ulster would not be denied, not this time.
While Ulster were not perfect in the win, and the format of the Champions Cup allows for progression with one victory, back row Nick Timoney admitted "we needed this so badly".
"We desperately needed that, just for the whole momentum of our season and to prove to ourselves where we actually stand," he added.
"We proved to ourselves that we had that bit of resilience.
"Everything that could go wrong, has gone wrong for the past however many weeks, so I was delighted from that point of view that as a squad we took what we needed to get ourselves back in the right direction.
"We have to back that up next week [against Stormers], and going forward. I'm not saying all is well now but it certainly felt like an important step for us.
"It puts everything in a better frame where we are still top four in the league and through into the knockout stages of Europe."
'Do or die'
Alan O'Connor, captaining the side in the absence of the injured Iain Henderson, said the changing room was at "opposite ends of the spectrum" compared to the La Rochelle defeat the previous week.
"I thought everyone stood up who needed to," added O'Connor.
"We kept faith in ourselves. We believed in what we were doing and it definitely showed tonight.
"We stick to the things that are important, and what is important to us is our physicality and imposing our game and our will on other teams.
"We have had many setbacks this season but we keep doing what we are doing and have belief."
O'Connor added the setbacks Ulster faced had been "tough" but Saturday's win "showed what we care about".
"We all knew what the plan was. It's still a game of rugby and you go with the same intentions to win every game.
"Maybe in the latter stages of the game you have to be a bit smarter, but I thought we dealt with it pretty well.
"I thought we really wanted it. We needed to want it because if we didn't bring that emotion we weren't going to get through in Europe.
"It was do or die, and we did it."
Rob Lyttle's well-taken try got the Kingspan crowd in full swing
'Fans had belief'
Timoney praised the crowd at the Kingspan Stadium for their role in the win. It was reminiscent of the most famous European nights and the support undoubtedly helped the players get over the line.
"You can forgive people about not being overly enthusiastic when things aren't going well, but I thought they were unbelievable in that second half," he said.
"The whole stadium seemed to have that belief that we were going to win it.
"When they get involved like that then it is such a big advantage for us. It's genuinely the best place for us to play.
"It certainly felt like they were wanting to find the positives and I guess as a team and group of fans we found the positives in the end."
Ulster's reward for making the last-16? A trip to Dublin in April to face the might of Leinster, who have yet to lose a game in any competition this season.
"May as well do it the hard way, eh?," O'Connor joked.
"We'll enjoy that challenge when it comes. Leinster are always a good challenge and we'll go for it."
Timoney added: "You're not going to win the competition, realistically, unless you beat Leinster this year, so why not?
"They are obviously unbelievable and are playing incredible rugby, but we know them better than we know any of the other teams left in the competition, so it's certainly going to be fun."
On Friday the Stormers - the reigning United Rugby Championship winners - come to Belfast, and McFarland's men will be hoping for another supporter-inspired performance to show they really are back on track, and that Saturday's win over Sale was not a false dawn.