Tuohy: ‘It’s time we won something’

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 5:

Ulster’s in-form lock Dan Tuohy fits that bill perfectly. Back in August during a pre-season friendly that Tuohy made ‘friends’ with the Leicester Tigers’ fans after a short-arm hand-off sent a concussed Toby Flood to hospital bringing the wrath of Tigers’ often-agitated coach Richard Cockerill.

The 28-year-old Bristol-born Tuohy knows all too well what’s ahead of him this afternoon but brushes aside any worries that may lie ahead of him in the hope of retaining Ulster’s current unbeaten trek in the Heineken Cup.

“The pitch is smaller than you think it is and the crowd is on top of you and it’s a hostile atmospheres but that’s great and you try to embrace that and use it to your advantage,” said Ireland international Tuohy who again partners skipper Johann Muller in the engine room as coach Mark Anscombe makes two personnel changes for the trip to decide who will top Pool 5.

Up front, Nick Williams gets the call at number eight after a frustrating season with injury with Roger Wilson moving to blindside at the exclusion of Robbie Diack and Callum Black taking over from Tom Court at loose-head.

Winger Craig Gilroy was given the thumbs up by the medical staff after he suffered a bang on the head and picked up a fractured nose during last week’s win against Montpellier.

Meanwhile, Tuohy is well aware of the permutations. Win and Ulster go through as top seeds of the Heineken Cup and a nice little home fixture at an expected 18,000 capacity Ravenhill where they will probably get another go at Leicester in the quarter-final. Lose and it will, in all probability, be back at Welford Road or a trip to one of the French heavyweights for the last eight and a fourth time in succession that they will have hit the road at the initial knock-out stages.

“I think as a squad you look at a set of milestones, we’ve not won at Welford Road, so to win there would be a milestone and then get the quarter-final here would be another milestone as it hadn’t happened since 1999,” said the seven-time capped Tuohy.

“Everyone keeps talking about 1999 because it was a famous occasion. We’re in the cycle of the squad now and it’s coming to the end for certain top quality players, so it’s about time we did the business and won something. I think we’ve a better opportunity of doing that if we get the home quarter-final.

“We’ve got ourselves in a good position by playing well over the five games but for us as a top European side we’ve got to be looking at a home quarter-final otherwise you’re going away where it’s going to be very, very tough.

“We had to do it last year but couldn’t and I think it’s a massive advantage for us if we get this home quarter-final and it would clear the way for us to possibly progress.

“It’s tough, we were there a couple of years ago and it was a nip-and-tuck game which we lost, we had a pre-season game this year so it’s a ground we’re familiar with.

“They are proud of their home record and they’ll want to defend it. We’ve got to go over there and spoil the party. Six years ago a great Munster team that did that.

“It’s exciting for us, we consider ourselves a good side and if you’re a good team you’ve got to go over to places like that and get results. We’ve won at Northampton, we’ve won away at Munster, I don’t fancy going away to Toulouse or Toulon, or Clermont or someone like that.

“So that confidence of winning at Welford Road would be infectious for morale. It will mean something to us with the three-month European break we need to get that win, put that to bed and then you can move on.”

Meanwhile, Flood, who is club captain, is recalled to the Tigers’ fly-half slot while centre Anthony Allen and Tom Youngs are recalled as is Jordan Crane at number 8 after missing out last week against Treviso. However, their in-form flying winger Myles Benjamin is injured.