Ward hoping a win will put the spring back in his step
The New Zealander has been troubled by a heel injury and coach Alan Solomons
decided the wisest course of action was to use him sparingly in this crucial game for the northern province.
Even though he has represented
Ulster since 1996, has 28 Irish caps to his credit and is in his 34th year, Ward has yet to play at Thomond Park, largely due to the fact Munster have tended to play the majority of their more recent matches against Ulster at Musgrave Park.
But he is no stranger to big time rugby on a Friday night, whether it is on home territory at Ravenhill or in slightly less friendly surroundings like Musgrave Park and Donnybrook.
"We know exactly what to expect at Thomond Park," Ward insisted this week. "Munster always receive
passionate support at the ground and haven't lost a match there for years and that speaks volumes.
"They have a formidable middle five, a great back row and halfbacks, and the rest of the team feeds off that. We will try to slow them down in this area but we're not going to say we'll do this and that because that kind of talk can be dangerous.
"The Celtic League has been good for the Irish provinces. I suspect that without this competition the game here could have gone backwards. You need to play at a high level as regularly as possible and the Celtic League has been fantastic for us in that regard.
"I think support for the league is growing all the time and more people are watching because the English
Premiership is becoming a bit stale. This is different.
"I will probably play half of the Munster game. They kept me off my feet for 10 days after Biarritz to rest my heel and that was probably the best thing that ever happened to me for I am now fully fit again.
"The good news, of course, is that Humps (David Humphreys) is okay again. He sparks things for Ulster , he gets things going, and for some reason we are a bit more confident when he is on the pitch. His experience is invaluable."
Ward came to Ireland from New Zealand in 1994. He settled in Ballynahinch, Co Down, where the local club languished in the fourth division of the All-Ireland League. A series of outstanding performances by Ward who had played back home for Ohaupo, Hautapa RFC and Waikato, helped Ballynahinch to jump a few
divisions and brought him to the
attention of the Ulster selectors.
He distinguished himself with the province and having qualified on residential grounds, made his first appearance for Ireland against France in 1998.
Following a tremendous performance, he retained his place against Wales and scored the first of his three international tries that day. After that, he became an Irish regular and in
January 1999 helped Ulster capture the European Cup at Lansdowne Road.
By then Ward was more or less a fully fledged Irishman. He continued to live and play in Ballynahinch, marrying a local girl Wendy, who duly
presented him with a son, Zac, in memorable circumstances on December 11, 1998.
The baby was due at the same time as Ulster's Heineken Cup tie against Toulouse at Ravenhill and special
arrangements were put in place to get Ward to the hospital for the birth should the need arise.
The call came just after half time and he raced off to a massive reception from the crowd who were fully in tune with what was happening.
Fast forward then to Lansdowne Road and the final victory over Colomiers. After such heroics, Ward felt more committed than ever to
Ulster and he now admits to being "practically Irish".
While his days in the green are almost certainly no more, he still has a crucial role to play for Ulster, resuming, of course, at Thomond Park this evening.
"It's for games like these that we play professional rugby," he enthused. "You need the big stage and I know everybody in the Ulster squad is looking forward to it. People are suggesting we're out of the hunt for the knock-out stages of the European Cup, and losing in Biarritz could cost us. On the other hand, we have three big matches to play, beginning with Munster, followed by Cardiff and Northampton. We can turn our season around by winning them all."
His Munster counterpart Jim Williams would hope to ruin such plans and is relishing tonight's encounter, the first of a hectic three part schedule for his men.
"We know Ulster will come armed with a lot of supporters and they gave them a huge boost in Glasgow in the last match. I have no doubt, however, the Munster supporters have the capacity to give us the type of boost we need.
"To face Ulster in such a big game prior to those matches is what I would describe as a bonus. It is bound to be a tough, competitive match between two sides that have met face to face many times over the years.
"It won't be easy but we have set out to win this one and keep our
enviable record at home in Thomond Park."
MUNSTER: J Staunton; J Kelly, M Mullins,
J Holland, A Horgan; R O'Gara, P Stringer;
M Horan, F Sheahan, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan,
P O'Connell, J Williams (capt), A Quinlan, A Foley. Replacements from: M Cahill, J Blaney,
M Galwey, M O'Driscoll, D Leamy, E Halvey,
M Prendergast, K Keane, M Lawler.
ULSTER: B Cunningham; J Topping, S Stewart, A Larkin, S Coulter; D Humphreys (capt),
N Doak; J Fitzpatrick, M Sexton, R Kempson,
G Longwell, J Davidson, W Brosnihan, N McMillan, T McWhirter. Replacements: S Best,
P Shields, M Blair, A Ward, K Campbell, J Cunningham, S Young.
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