Coach wants Ulster to nail down top four place

HISTORY, odds, and the venue will all favour a home victory when Ulster host Connacht in tomorrow’s penultimate Magners League fixture.

While Connacht coach Eric Elwood is approaching this game as a cup final to be won, his counterpart Brian McLaughlin is asking for a similar response from his team, having lost their last two matches in the league and Heineken Cup.

“We have to win the last two games, there’s no doubt about that,” says McLaughlin. “At the minute we are not even thinking about the second one. The most important thing for us is to make sure that tomorrow night at Ravenhill we get the result we need.”

Elwood welcomes back Michael Swift — one of four changes from the starting line-up that lost to Cardiff last weekend.

Swift joins Bernie Upton in the second row, while Mike McCarthy moves to the back row replacing Andrew Browne.

Ray Ofisa, who failed a fitness test, is replaced by John Muldoon who makes his first start since recovering from a fractured arm, while openside Johnny O’Connor continues to captain the side. Brett Wilkinson also takes over from Ronan Loughney in the front row.

In the backs Eoin Griffin comes into the starting side on the right wing, while Miah Nikora and Cillian Willis are back from injury to take their place on the bench.

Last time out Connacht forced Ulster to a draw at the Sportsground, but they will find it considerably tougher in Ravenhill where Ulster need the victory to seal their top-four place.

“We know it is going to be difficult,” says Elwood. “Ravenhill is an intimidating venue and Ulster are playing good rugby — the are physical in the exchanges, compete at the breakdown and play direct rugby and we will have to match them.

“After their two defeats they will see this an ideal opportunity to get back to winning ways. Traditionally we do not have a good record there — a record that goes back over years — but that is irrelevant for most of our players.”

“For the second year in-a-row we have been forced to play Ulster away in the second last match of the season and it is tough. Historically Ulster have seen us as the team they must overcome home and away to secure a Heineken Cup place, and a derby fixture is always highly competitive, so we know we have to up our performance and up our game.”

Ulster show several changes, including a first start for tightwad prop Jerry Cronin who replaces the injured BJ Botha.

Darren Cave will make his first Ulster start in six months after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Cave and Simon Danielli replace Irish duo Paddy Wallace and Andrew Trimble, who will miss the rest of the season with fractured thumbs. Craig Gilroy moves to the right wing.

Prop Jerry Cronin will make his full Ulster debut while Johann Muller returns to the second row after missing the trip to Dublin with a dead leg, while Willie Faloon starts at openside flanker, with Chris Henry moving to blindside and Robbie Diack dropping to the bench.

Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin said: “We have to win the last two games, there’s no doubt about that. At the minute we are not even thinking about the second one.

“The most important thing for us is to make sure that on Friday night at Ravenhill we get the result we need.”