The perennial dark horses were stuck in the gates over the summer but have now trained their sights on a first league title in nine years
2013/14 promised so much but ended in the quarter finals of Europe after Jared Payne’s controversial red card against Saracens, while they could not turn pressure into points in their losing PRO12 semi against Leinster.
They may not have liked it but every Ulster fan accepted that captain Johann Muller was retiring. What they were not expecting were the departures, in the space of 10 days, of director of rugby David Humphreys and head coach Mark Anscombe. Add to that the summer confirmation of Stephen Ferris’s retirement and Ulster were running uphill before pre-season even began.
Les Kiss arrived to help firefight and prep the team for 2014-15 while Neil Doak and Jonny Bell were given three months to convince all at Kingspan Ravenhill that they were the coaching team to trust.
Injuries to the likes of Ruan Pienaar, Paddy Jackson, Luke Marshall, Payne and every second row in the province – and Chris Henry’s surgery on a heart defect – have hobbled Ulster’s season. They are effectively out of Europe after four rounds of the Champions Cup so winning their first league title since 2005-06 is now their sole focus.
Here are the province’s highlights of a lukewarm 2014:
Player of the Year
Franco van der Merwe
The South African may cede to Rory Best on captaincy matters but is a true leader in the Ulster pack. Hit the ground running and has been as close to a nailed-on starter as Doak has had all season. Calls the line-outs, directs mauls and pitches in with a few tries. Muller’s departure has been off-set somewhat by the lock’s presence. A close call over attacking tyro Darren Cave but Ulster have recruited an excellent player in van der Merwe.
Newcomer of the Year
Clive Ross
The former Lansdowne player, and cousin of Mike Ross, is on course to make it into double figures for senior appearances over the festive period. Has held his own in the blood and thunder of the Pro12, made his Champions Cup debut away to Leicester and performed in a back row that has battled admirably in the absence of senior figures.
Most Improved Player
Stuart McCloskey
The 22-year-old centre made such an impression at the tail-end of his first season at Ulster that the departure of Chris Farrell to Grenoble was softened. The four appearances of last season were eclipsed by November 1 this year. He made his Champions Cup debut, away to Leicester, and has struck up good partnerships with both Darren Cave and Jared Payne. Just needs to add a try-scoring threat to his game in 2015 to give opposition defences more to think about.
Try of the Year
Ruan Pienaar
The South African marked his first 40 minutes of the season – in Ulster colours – with an assist and this fine try after Darren Cave took a great line and tore the Scarlets defence apart.
Performance of the Year
Ulster 29-9 Glasgow Warriors
The Scots arrived in Belfast unbeaten and having already accounted for Leinster. They were sent packing in style after a superb, 80-minute performance. Check out Craig Gilroy’s excellent evasion for his try and another Tommy Bowe intercept gem. A close second was the heroic but ultimately futile 14-man effort against Saracens in the Heineken Cup.
