Les Kiss well aware Ulster must step it up

Ulster’s coaching team are only too well aware that they will need to improve their overall game if they are to get their Champions Cup venture off to a winning start at Bordeaux-Begles on Sunday.

Director of rugby Les Kiss was fairly scathing of his side after they lost 30-25 to Connacht in Galway after not turning up in the opening quarter of the game.

Kiss says it is the one very potent part of playing in France in that you hit the opposition hard in the opening minutes and let them know you are there.

“It’s now all about readying ourselves for Bordeaux,” said Kiss.

“Hopefully we can take some lessons from the wins against Toulouse home and away last year and approach it in a similar fashion. You need to be on your game right from the first whistle. You need to play at a good tempo against the French teams.

“We’ll have to dust ourselves down, take an honest look at things and move forward. We’ve got to, that’s all there is to it.

“We took a hard look at ourselves this week, but nights like Saturday past happen from time to time.

“In the second half we seemed to get on the right side of a couple of calls and we don’t kick the ball out. We didn’t kick the ball out after a scrum penalty. Then some other incident happened and suddenly they scored. It just turned around in that moment.”

Ulster’s Australian assistant coach Joe Bakarat, who is leaving shortly to return to his home country after Christmas to take up a position with Western Force, knows that there is a big test in the popular wine region of France.

“They have got some good international talents as well so you’ve got to make sure you do your homework well, which we have,” explained Bakarat whose main critique is defence and breakdown work. He is also a great admirer of their director of rugby, former French captain and hooker Raphael Ibanez who has seen his side win five of their opening eight games in the Top 14, including the last three.

“Ibanez has been a magnificent role model for French rugby for a long period of time,” said Bakarat. “His team have their mauls, but they like their off-loads and there is that uncertainty of their game that any French team play.

Bordeaux’s, like most French teams, have a real cosmopolitan look about them, including Ireland’s Ian Madigan who pulls the strings for them at fly-half. Obviously he looks at the duel with his international adversity Paddy Jackson.

“I think there are a few people looking forward to seeing the two boys going at one another,” he said.

“They are both really good footballers and I suppose the team that gives their No. 0 a little bit more go forward with the ball, will make their 10 stand out.”