Ulster ponder John Cooney at fly-half

Ulster could be tempted to play Ireland scrum-half John Cooney at fly-half on Saturday evening when they take on Conference A top dogs Glasgow in the extremely faint hopes of a Guinness PRO14 play-off spot.

Assistance coach Dwayne Peel hinted that the 32-year-old former Ireland scrum-half Paul Marshall could earn his 205th cap at some stage of the game, giving the impression that Ulster may utilise Cooney in the number 10 jersey, with Dave Shanahan as his half-back partner. That is despite Johnny McPhillips being available after he went off in the 28th minute in the 8-0 win against the Ospreys last week.

“Paul is available and in the mix definitely,” said Peel.

“I think in the last month, Dave Shanahan has performed well for us and in training he has been good. To be fair to Marshy, he is the type of guy who has got really stuck in at training and he has been good.”

However, definitely out is burgeoning blindside flanker Mattie Rea after he picked up a leg injury.

Peel, though, is confident Ulster can take heart from the last two successive wins as they approach the final curtain.

“Back to backs, it’s huge to get that really,” said Peel. “In the last two weeks, the training intensity has been really good and we’ve carried that through into the games. To get those wins is great for the confidence of the group.

“I think having that buzz every week is good and, coming down to the end of the season, it’s good to still be in the hunt, but it was a good performance (against Ospreys) and our intensity was very good and to be in the hunt is great, and hopefully we can stay in it, because we’re starting to pick up a bit of momentum.”

‘Sadness’ at players’ exit

Ulster rugby players feel a “great deal of sadness” at the exit of Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding but “know the boys will be successful on and off the pitch wherever they go”, one of the current players has said.

News journalists were banned from a team press conference yesterday because too many questions about the fallout from Jackson and Olding’s high-profile trial, in which they were both cleared of rape, were asked at a previous pre-match press conference.

A club spokesman said sports journalists had been “negatively impacted to the extent that they have been unable to access sufficient information and content for the days leading up to that week’s game”.

However, audio of a brief statement by hooker Rob Herring was later released.

“It is with a great deal of sadness that the players and pro staff have learnt of this outcome,” he said.

“We know that the two boys will be successful both on and off the pitch wherever they go. As a group, we have to move on and our full focus is now on Glasgow .”