Best set for ’incredibly special’ last outing at home

Rory Best says he's grateful to be able to finish his Kingspan Stadium career with a huge knock-out game against an inter-provincial rival. A win today against Connacht would set up a Guinness PRO14 semi-final clash away to Glasgow, while the final is scheduled for the same city. That means Best - who along with team-mate Darren Cave will retire from club rugby at the end of the season - is set for an emotional farewell in front of a large home crowd. Looking ahead to his last game in Belfast, Best said, “It's hard to believe after playing so many times here, that you still want one more. I'm one of a few people now to have played in the old Ravenhill and now Kingspan Stadium. “There are so many memories for me, the debut, 100 caps, 200 caps. To get one last run out here will be truly memorable. It couldn't have worked out better... when you set out on this, you don't know how long the road is going to be, but you want to keep control of how you finish. “To do so against Connacht, against really tough opposition in a knock-out game, is a great opportunity and one that I’m really grateful for.” Having lost twice to Connacht already this season, the Ulster and Ireland captain knows that it will be a far from straightforward task come kick off time. “I think it's a double-edged sword. They'll have confidence from being the only team to have come to Kingspan Stadium and won this season. They'll have no fear, but we know how good they are and we know how good we need to be to beat them. “In all the years that I've played here, the crowd is often the deciding factor in these tight games. There’s no doubt that in a quarter-final there's going to be tough moments, and that’s when the famous Ravenhill roar comes into it's own. “For me to experience that buzz one last time will be incredibly special and it’d be lovely for me to be able to say goodbye and thank you to the supporters by putting in a big performance.” There are still some tickets available for tonight's game, which kicks off at 5.35pm. Tickets can be bought online at UlsterRugby.com/BuyTickets, or on the gate from 3.00pm.