The two sides face-off in the first Round of the European Pool stages at Stade Marcel Michelin. Here’s what Dan had to say ahead of the tie…
On the last time Ulster played Clermont…
“We were reminiscing about it, and we did a lot that day. We kept them out of our area for a long period - they scored right at the end of the game as well. We had a couple of moments in and around half-time that put us on the back foot. We scored a great try early in that game to go 10-3 up. They’re a great team with a lot of superstar players who are able to make superstar plays. That makes the task for us one of teamwork and ensuring we can bring collective pressure with the way that we play and put that pressure onto them. It’s a brilliant task and a very difficult one.
“To play in that environment [at Stade Marcel Michelin] is absolutely fantastic but the challenge is huge. On both occasions when we played them, they demonstrated that they have individuals who can break the game open and create something from nothing.”
“In the first game we played here [at Kingspan Stadium], we scored a good maul try and John Cooney scored an excellent individual try as well. We had to put in some unbelievable defence; Robert Baloucoune’s try-saving tackle on George Moala was a particular highlight. I can’t over-emphasise the quality of the challenge they pose. In the last couple of weeks, they’ve been able to bring back in some of their star backs Alivereti Raka, Damian Penaud and Camille Lopez, so we know the challenge we’ve got but we’re looking forward to it.”
On how Ulster can combat the Stade Marcel Michelin atmosphere…
“Ultimately, what practically does the noise of the stadium do? There’s a little bit around calling but a lot of them will be used to that now. The pressure that the noise brings is probably more in the build-up than in the game itself. In terms of helping them focus on what they’ve got to do and the processes they go through, if all those things work seamlessly, they can enjoy the atmosphere – and they should do – and use that as a motivating factor. Those kind of things are really exhilarating.”
On what Ulster need to do to defeat Clermont…
“We’re going to have to work as a collective, on both sides of the ball, and particularly on the defensive side of the ball. We have to be able to bring collective pressure, which means consistent movement around the pitch, being able to get off the line so we can suffocate their attack. Any kick-sprint that we use, making sure we’re up in their faces and not giving them room to escape. Broken field, single mistakes in that collective pressure, will open up the field to them. It’s just a fact that they have some absolutely fantastic, big, strong, tackle-breaking backs.
“On the attack side of things, we’ve got to bring tempo to the game. We’ve got to be able to move the ball and be brave in the way that we play. Simple, slow ball is not going to cut it against these guys. They’re a fantastic jackalling team so we have to be able to move the ball and make it difficult for them to target us. We’ve got to be able to take our opportunities which is probably the only thing we didn’t do against the Ospreys. I thought we played really well against the Ospreys. I don’t envisage us having 25 minutes of possession against Clermont so the possession we do have, we need to make sure we use it properly.”
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Next Up
Ulster face back-to-back weekends in European rugby's premier cup competition.
First up is a trip to the iconic Stade Marcel Michelin to take on French giants ASM Clermont Auvergne on Saturday.
Then next Friday, 17 December, the Ulster men will host Northampton Saints, in what will be the first European tie in front of a significant crowd at Kingspan Stadium in almost two years.