Best tackles some home truths

Ravenhill has long been synonymous with great nights in Ulster's proud history in the Heineken European Cup and the Irish province is keen to pen another chapter on Friday when Gloucester visit. In the past the Belfast venue has been a notoriously difficult environment for visiting teams but in the last couple of years, that once impregnable fortress has been stormed too often.

Rory Best is conscious of the need to re-establish a reputation tarnished by defeat. The Ulster captain has endured a tough couple of months with first Ireland, at the World Cup in France, and on his return with his province. He knows the team and supporters desperately need a lift and the Gloucester match has to be seen as a potential watershed for their season.

The Ravenhill factor is an issue he's keen to address. "It's definitely something we are conscious of and we're aware we've lost that aura over the past couple of seasons. Towards the end of a couple of campaigns we have lost our concentration at home and suffered a few defeats. We have to get back to the times when no one came to Ravenhill and took anything away with them.

"Friday night would be a great time to renew that tradition. We know we have to dig deeper and get the crowd involved straight away. We have to be direct and aggressive and give our supporters something to cheer about."

It's not just about creating an atmosphere as Ulster search for more tangible rewards. Their Magners Celtic League form has been below par. Best concedes: "I came on from the bench for the Llanelli match and that was a very disappointing performance. We can look at the fact we didn't have a full team but we know we didn't do ourselves justice.

"The last 30 minutes of the Leinster game highlighted just what this team is capable of if we cut down on the mistakes and stay focused. It should have been a point from which we could kick on and that was certainly the intention for last weekend's match against Glasgow.

"It didn't materialise and that was down to ourselves. We made so many silly mistakes early on in the game, gifting them four easy penalties and a 12-0 start. We did manage to reduce the deficit to 12-6 but then conceded more stupid penalties. We struggled to get distance on clearance kicks and basically succeeded in heaping more pressure on ourselves."

Best concedes some of the penalties stem from uncharacteristic errors by senior players, that individual mistakes are compromising team patterns and denying Ulster the opportunity to find a rhythm. "Yes, it's been hugely frustrating but as captain you have to re-emphasise the same things we are managing to do in training. We have to transfer that same accuracy to the match arena.

"We can see from the video there are aspects of our game that are good and we have played some decent rugby; just not enough of it for long enough in matches."

At least the players have the consolation of being in a position to effect a change. Coach Mark McCall has diligently prepared his squad all week and then must contain his frustration in the stand. Best acknowledges Ulster face a huge challenge against a Gloucester team that is top of the English Premiership.

"They have a squad full of internationals. We know they will go after us up front and have the backs to capitalise on a decent platform. As a team we have to be more aggressive, more direct concentrating on discharging the basics competently before looking to be a little more flash. We have to be disciplined but we have to increase the physicality of our forward effort."

Rory's brother Simon is on the mend after his health scare with the Ireland team in France. He missed attending Ulster's last home against Leinster because of a wedding and didn't travel to the away matches. He'll be there on Friday night with a few words of advice for his younger brother but otherwise will keep away from the team dynamics.

If Ulster require inspiration then they might cast a glance into the stand and recognise one of their friends who would give anything to be playing. It would be an apposite attitude to Friday night's match.