Ulster warned against complacency

Ulster and Irish Wolfhounds assistant coach Neil Doak has warned the festive season is a dangerous period where teams can fall away following the intensity of the Heineken Cup.

Sitting proudly unbeaten from four outings atop Pool 5 in the Heineken Cup, Ulster have to switch demands to the Pro12, where they aim to move up into a more challenging position.

Currently fourth, six points behind leaders Munster who they face on January 3 at Ravenhill, Ulster tackle Italian side Zebre in Belfast tomorrow night before the first big interprovincial date on December 28 against Leinster at the RDS.

But first up is the task of dispatching Zebre, who have only one victory to their name this season and lie just a point above Connacht in the league standings.

“You get the highs of the European games and then you drop [the intensity] down a little bit,” said Doak.

“We talked this week about complacency creeping in. Obviously Zebre had two very tough weeks in Europe, but we have emphasised that we dare not take them lightly.

“We have not done terribly well against Zebre at any time. We did win a couple of weeks ago, but it was tight enough. They held on to the ball well. We are aware we have to be mentally aware of the challenge.

“You can be sure they will be looking if we are off our game, off our normal pace. They would love to come here just before Christmas and toss the cat among the pigeons. To beat them we must do the basics well, hold on to the ball for phases and force them to defend.

“We are working ourselves into the right areas and finishing well in the backs. Hopefully we can now get the forwards in the mix with a bit of mauling and get them in for a few scores,” says Doak, who is more than happy to have a part to play in the international arena to progress up the coaching ladder with his association with the Wolfhounds.

“Very glad to be involved again following my time with the side last June. With a new coach coming in there’s definitely an air of enthusiasm, which nearly culminated in beating the All Blacks in November.

“Joe [Schmidt] will want to progress well in the Six Nations and will give me a chance to be with some of the senior team I was with in the summer. You need a bit of luck along the way in coaching.”