Defiant Dan McFarland says difficult run is part of the job

If pressure is being applied by the chorusline of pundits and ex-players about the way affairs are being conducted, then you’d be doing well to ruffle McFarland’s feathers

Wed, 11 Jan, 2023 - 07:10

Declan Bogue

Back when La Rochelle wasn’t the glittering staging post it is now for rugby, the current Ulster head coach Dan McFarland was playing for Stade Francais in 1999 when they made a visit to the nascent club.

Despite being full of Galacticos, they were turned over. Worse was to follow, as the alarm bells went off early the following morning, head coach Bernard Laporte summoning his players for a two hour video analysis session commencing at 6.30am.