Ulster's versatile flanker, Nick Timoney, says that both he and the squad are raring to go after a rest during the international break. The Dublin man was one of the province's players who went into the break on a high after a try scoring performance against DHL Stormers at Kingspan Stadium in Ulster's last match.
With the season getting back underway, Ulster face three tough away fixtures in the URC, starting with Glasgow Warriors this Friday at the Scotstoun Stadium.
Timoney says the squad will be well prepared for the Scots.
Glasgow threat
"Scotland's national side are going well in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations and some of their lads will be released for the match and playing. We heard it's going to be a sell-out and we don't have a great record going there but we know them well, their strengths, that they play expansive rugby on their playing surface and are hard to play against. The crowd will be hostile but we will be raring to go!"
Ulster Head Coach Dan McFarland has told the squad about how important this next block of games are for Ulster's season.
Timoney noted what is on the line with league position, as Glasgow Warriors sit in fifth place, where a win over Ulster might propel them into third place.
The flanker adds, " It’s a huge game for us in the league. We are third, and the gap between third and sixth isn’t that much, so if we win these next few matches it would be huge for us. Obviously Leinster are top, but if we can be head of the chasing pack it would give us a lot of confidence going into our big European match against them in the Round of 16 of the Heineken Champions Cup. "
Momentum
Timoney's focus on the importance of building momentum going into the crucial part of the season shows how Ulster are looking to carry on their recent winning form. He too is all too aware that Glasgow Warriors themselves are on an unbeaten run and won't care much for Ulster's ambitions.
"We won our last couple but we are up against a tough team who won't respect that we won and they are on a winning streak themselves. These points and positions are vital for home quarter finals in the URC play off stages and they are not naïve, they know it’s a big game for them."
URC Table as it stands
Recharged
Timoney says that the Ulster team is feeling refreshed after their break and that it was well-needed after an intense ten week block that saw the side go through a tough run of form.
He says there was much to learn from the challenging results.
"I think it was a long hard block and physically its good to regroup and refresh there was so much effort went into it. Sometimes it went badly but it wasn’t for a lack of effort. It was a punishing part of season, we learned a lot during that period such as technical stuff that we didn’t get right, discipline, managing the flow of game and our mindset when dealing with setbacks."
The flanker says that it was re-enforced to the team to not let results dictate the mood heading into training and that the squad were encouraged to bring their energy into training each week.
Dan McFarland says the mood in training since the squad returned has been full of bite and energy something that Timoney fully agrees with.
"It helped to finish the block on a positive, nice to get a week off, the days are getting brighter and the mood is good. I was happy to refresh and go hard at it again, it’s a nice clear short window."
International pride
With some of Ulster's players playing well for Ireland in the 2023 Guinness Six Nations, Timoney says the Ulster squad are delighted to see members of the team performing well on the international stage.
The Ulster boys smashing it on international duty! 🕺
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) February 13, 2023
What a win! @IrishRugby pic.twitter.com/8DcY7wikUz
"It's great to see our boys do well, its great seeing Tom, Rob, Hendy (Iain Henderson) and Stu (Stuart McCloskey) get their chance against France. Ireland look great at the moment and everyone is happy for them."