Les Kiss targets bonus point at Ospreys and a favour from Anthony Foley

“It’s massive, it really is, just as the win on Saturday last with Leinster was massive, and the players stood up and delivered.”

Les Kiss, Ulster’s Director of Rugby, was in no mood to play down the importance of his side’s trip to the Ospreys on Saturday, where a bonus-point win would ensure a Guinness PRO12 semi-final place.

“Going into the last round of games there are so many permutations, and that’s what makes this league so exciting I believe, but we know the Ospreys need a big win to qualify for Europe, and so it promises to be quite a Saturday afternoon in Swansea,” said the quietly-spoken Australian.

“The Scarlets are at Munster, just a point behind us, so we’ll obviously be keeping ‘tabs’ on what’s happening in Limerick. I don’t think I’ll need to give Anthony Foley a call,” he smiled.

“Axel is a class man, a class coach, and he’ll make sure Munster turn up, I have no doubts about that. But we have a job to do in Wales and we know that a try-bonus is the deal.”

Kiss expects an open and expansive game at the Liberty Stadium, acutely aware that while his team requires a bonus point to guarantee a Top Four place so too does the Welsh outfit as it runs into free-scoring form in a late scramble to grab a Champions League spot.

“If we’re organised, and disciplined as we were against Leinster, and play the smart rugby we played at Kingspan last Saturday then I believe we have the capacity to get those four tries.

“The Ospreys will be absolutely chasing a bonus too, and we understand that both teams will want to play an open game.”

Ireland and Lions winger Tommy Bowe will not be considered, but tight-head prop Wiehahn Herbst has returned to training and has some contact work this week. But Kiss feels he is ‘undercooked’ for a match of this importance.

Both Bowe and Herbst should be available should Ulster have a semi-final to look forward to in a fortnight.

Peter Browne’s ankle injuryhas responded to treatment and he should resume his partnership with the ever-present Franco van der Merwe in the second row.

Kiss insists coaches and players alike have carefully prepared for the challenge from the Ospreys, particularly from the attacking threat posed by the Welsh international half-back pairing of Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar.

“Webb is a really dangerous scrum-half, and we’re aware of what he can do, around the scrum and with his box-kicks, while Biggar is a big-game player, gets his backs moving, and has a superb kicking game.

“We know that they might have to try different things, that we might be seeing a few high balls hoisted. Hopefully we can deal with that and turn it into a positive for us,” said Kiss.

“The robustness and resilience of our mindset was impressive against Leinster, and we’ll need that again in Swansea, where we can soak up pressure, play the game at the pace we want.

“The boys are in a good place energy-wise, and I think they’ve got three big games left in them, but we are concentrating only on Saturday - and hopefully Axel can do us a favour at Thomond against the Scarlets!”