URC semi-final: Stormers v Ulster, DHL Stadium, Saturday, 2pm Irish time - Live RTÉ2 and Premier Sports
Reaching the URC final is within touching distance for Ulster as they are set for what is forecast to be an uncomfortably hot afternoon in the Cape – 26 degrees the expected temperature – and then face the prospect of hoofing it back over another 6,000 miles to have a tilt at getting their hands on a first trophy for a lengthy 16 years.
Lose and questions might be asked as to why they only arrived in South Africa on Wednesday, five days after eviscerating Munster in a shockingly one-sided quarter-final. But the theory is that Dan McFarland and co have drawn on their experience of playing in Cape Town at the end of March when a regular season victory over the Stormers was snatched from their grasp – they lost 23-20 – courtesy of a wrong call from officialdom.
While the quality of their attack plays suggests that Ulster’s backline, with James Hume in outstanding form and closely followed by Stuart McCloskey, with Robert Baloucoune, Ethan McIlroy and Billy Burns not far behind, can run nearly any opposition ragged, the challenge ought to be more robust this week.
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Though the same armchair ride was not quite what the Stormers experienced in getting past Edinburgh, they certainly come into this semi-final with form as their ally having won their last nine games with just the one victory in this run being away from home thanks to last month’s last-gasp result at the Scarlets.
But Ulster – who have named an unchanged squad of 23 from last week – will not be unduly intimidated by such stats and having Nick Timoney in such a rich vein of form along with Iain Henderson increasingly approaching optimum force, the work-rate of Rob Herring who is back on home turf again and Duan Vermeulen’s presence, ought to give them confidence in their physicality and usually effective lineout maul against a pack containing prop and skipper Steven Kitshoff, strong carrying number eight Evan Roos and breakdown specialist Deon Fourie.
A concern would be that Kitshoff discomforts Tom O’Toole in the same way he managed to deal with WP Nel at scrum-time in last weekends’ quarter-final and this will be a huge test for the 23-year-old tighthead prop.
Ulster will also be acutely aware of the dangers lurking in the Stormers’ backfield through the pace of Warrick Gelant and Seabelo Senatla and the lethal running of Leolin Zas while the return from injury of centre Damian Willemse – the only change to coach John Dobson’s selection from last week – only further enhances the home team’s cutting edge.
Still fresh in Ulster’s minds will be exiting Europe by a single aggregate point from the two legs with Toulouse and last season’s Challenge Cup semi-final when a crumbling second-half effort saw them lose out to Leicester Tigers.
Throw in their dire record in league semi-finals, this is their 10th game in the competition’s last four and they have only won two – in 2013 and 2020 – before going on to lose to Leinster and the northern province know they really must do better.
Their current side have what it takes to make the final, with John Cooney’s placekicking providing another string to their bow, but there are concerns over the quality of their bench and whether centre Stewart Moore continuing at 15 might be exploited by better opposition than was the case last week.
There is likely to be little between the sides but if Ulster stay on the right side of Mike Adamson, and TMO Ben Whitehouse, they ought to be slogging it back home for one last game.
DHL STORMERS: W Gelant; S Senatla, R Nel, D Willemse, L Zas; M Libbok, H Jantjies; S Kitshoff (capt), JJ Kotze, F Malherbe; S Moerat, M Orie; D Fourie, H Dayimani, E Roos.
Replacements: A-H Venter, B Harris, N Fouche, A Smith, E van Rhyn, N Xaba, G Masimla, S Mngomezulu.
ULSTER: S Moore; R Baloucoune, J Hume, S McCloskey, E McIlroy; B Burns, J Cooney; A Warwick, R Herring, T O’Toole; A O’Connor, I Henderson (capt); Marcus Rea, N Timoney, D Vermeulen.
Replacements: J Andrew, E O’Sullivan, G Milasinovich, K Treadwell, Matty Rea, N Doak, I Madigan, B Moxham.
Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU).
