Timoney: “We’ll bounce back”

Nick Timoney has admitted the team need to improve after their recent results but has insisted that they are remaining positive after a tough couple of weeks. A loss to Munster was followed by a defeat to Connacht at Kingspan Stadium on Friday where, despite going down to 14 men for the entire second half, Ulster battled hard to hold on for a gutsy losing bonus point. Timoney, who scored a late try in the 22-15 reversal, believes that the two results shouldn’t change the perception of the team and that they’re not far off getting back to the level they showed at the start of the season. “We can take the fact that it was a lot better than last week,” said Timoney. “Last week it felt like we were a good bit off the pace and it didn't feel like we were (this week). We weren't much away from winning that game. “We get into a habit of thinking things are worse than they are. Like, we went into that Munster game having not lost in nine games. The last two weeks, they're not ideal, but we don't turn into a bad team overnight. We're not a million miles away.” The game hinged on a straight red card issued to Timoney’s flank partner Matty Rea at the start of the second half for an aerial collision with Connacht fullback Tiernan O’Halloran. Although Timoney had no issues with the card itself, the 23-year old believes there’s plenty of positives to take from how the side played down a man, particularly given the fact that they won the second half 10-8. “I thought the red card was pretty unlucky. It probably is a red by the laws of the game but Matty has all eyes on the ball so there isn't anything he can do about it,” lamented Timoney. “If anything, we raised it another level during those times when we were down men,” he insisted, while also referencing Marcell Coetzee’s yellow card. “It wasn't like we went down to 13 and they were all over us from that point on. I think we played pretty well during that time.” This week, Ulster begin their Heineken Champions Cup campaign by welcoming English giants Leicester Tigers back to Kingspan Stadium for another clash in the two sides’ storied history. The last time the two sides met, a hat-trick from Darren Cave helped Ulster to a 26-7 bonus point victory in Belfast back in January 2015 and Head Coach Dan McFarland will be hoping for a similar outcome this Saturday. Leicester boast a strong English contingent such as the Youngs brothers Tom and Ben, winger Jonny May and prop Ellis Genge, while they’re led by former Tigers Ireland fullback and now Head Coach Geordan Murphy. With a new competition to focus on, Timoney believes the crowd will see a big reaction for a clash against a familiar foe. “We're not going to make excuses, we lost the game (against Connacht) and we need to get better,” he says defiantly. “We can't just go into the next game saying we just hope the big decisions go our way. But I don't think it was a convincing loss. “A loss like that, if it doesn't spark a change, then there's obviously something wrong. It's obviously not great for confidence but it's a kick if you ever need it. It’s a bad result so we need to react.”