McFarland relishing preparations for another Leinster tussle

Although this weekend’s game will have no impact on either side’s Guinness PRO14 Conference standings, Dan McFarland insists that there’s no such thing as a ‘dead rubber’ between Ulster and Leinster. Having secured play-off rugby for the weeks ahead, and with injury concerns in both squads, much-changed line-ups are expected to run out at Kingspan Stadium on Saturday (5.15pm). However, McFarland believes that the history and rivalry between the inter-provincial neighbours will ensure the game still has significant meaning. Furthermore, a win against the Champions Cup finalists would deliver significant momentum going into next week’s crucial quarter-final at home to Connacht. As he explained, “It may not have the meaning where you need points to get to a certain position in the league, but it certainly has meaning in itself, given the history of both provinces and the fact that the players and supporters on both sides will want to win. “Momentum is important, definitely, so we will give it our best shot. We know that no matter who they bring up, it will be a stern test for our squad. They’ve shown that they can rotate their players and still get the job done at home and away.” McFarland has injury worries ahead of the game, with Jacob Stockdale and Rory Best just two of note that will miss Saturday’s encounter: “We’re going to keep monitoring Jacob week-on-week. He won’t play against Leinster and there are definitely fears for him making the Connacht game. “Rory won’t be fit this week either but we are hoping that he’ll be OK for the quarter-final. I really hope that he’s able to lead the team out at Kingspan Stadium one last time,” he said, referencing Best’s decision to retire from Ulster duty this summer. With a number of senior players unavailable, McFarland has hinted that young players such as Abbey Insurance Academy flanker Marcus Rea and long-term injury absentee David Busby could make their first appearances of the season. He also confirmed that Darren Cave will captain the side as he enters the final few weeks of his professional career. “We’ve used 47 players in the PRO14 this year but that will probably go up over 50 this weekend,” said McFarland. “It will be a big occasion for Darren and a number of the young guys in our squad, so we’re all really looking forward to it.” A limited number of tickets for Saturday's game against Leinster are still available at UlsterRugby.com/BuyTickets.