McFarland hails important win

Dan McFarland was pleased with the battling performance delivered by his players as they ground out a 10-15 win against play-off rivals Benetton on Saturday. The result moved Ulster up to second in Conference B of the Guinness PRO14 and the Head Coach is fully aware of the significance of the win. “It was really important,” said McFarland, immediately after the tie. “This game for us, against a good Treviso side who are obviously challenging us in the league, was crucial. We knew that if we won this we would put a little bit of difference between us going into the break,” he said, referring to the three-week wait until the next PRO14 challenge (against Scarlets). “We put ourselves under pressure in the first half by turning the ball over a lot. They were really quick onto the ball and some of our accuracy at the breakdown and speed to contact was not great, but we showed much more urgency in the second half. Even though they kept coming after our ball, we managed to put some phases together and that resulted in pressure and tries. “To go into half time just 7-3 down, having absorbed a lot of pressure, was testament to our defence, so I was really pleased with that aspect.” McFarland also had special praise for the travelling support, who enjoyed their trip and made their presence felt, and voices heard, at Stadio Monigo. “They were brilliant,” he enthused. It’s a great place to come and the fans obviously love following the guys and putting all of their passion behind them. The lads genuinely appreciate that. “You can see at the end of the game, when they’d gone through the Treviso tunnel, the first thing they wanted to do was go over and thank the fans and celebrate with them. That idea of celebrating success together and dealing with failure together is important to me, and I know it’s important to the players.” His players have certainly experienced highs and lows during the opening block of competitive fixtures, which included 8 PRO14 and 2 Heineken Champions Cup matches, but McFarland was keen to acknowledge the fighting spirit of his squad. “We have battled a lot in this first block. We’ve had a lot of young guys coming through and they’ve played really well. It’s been tough, but the one thing that we’ve certainly learnt is that we have that ‘fight for every inch’ mentality. I think there are bits of our play that could be better, but we’re getting there and we’re learning. There’s plenty to be excited about going forward.” While there’s no PRO14 action until 23rd November, Ulster host Uruguay in a special international fixture at Kingspan Stadium this Friday night. Kieran Campbell, Head of the Abbey Insurance Ulster Academy, will take the coaching reins for Friday’s clash, and will have a youthful playing roster at his disposal. For McFarland, it’s an opportunity to assess some of the emerging talent within the Province… “It will allow some of the guys from the senior squad to get some game-time, but more so we will have a look at the exciting crop of Academy players. There is a bunch of guys who are coming off the back of the Celtic Cup with four wins in a row and they’ve done really well, so I’m intrigued to see how they get on.” Uruguay, who are using the fixture to aid preparations for next year’s Rugby World Cup in Japan, are known for their attacking style of play, something which McFarland believes will lead to a fast-paced encounter. “I’ve watched a lot of their footy in the South American Cup and they’re an exciting team. They love to throw the ball around, which is going to be brilliant for us because I know that our guys want to be moving the ball around as well. We should see a really exciting spectacle.” Tickets for that game, Ulster’s first against international opposition for more a decade, are on sale now at ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.