McFarland blasts decision to stage Ulster's Champions Cup game in Dublin

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland blasted the decision to stage his side’s Champions Cup game against La Rochelle at the Aviva Stadium rather than Kingspan Stadium.

The Irish province fought back from a 29-0 half-time deficit in the behind-closed-doors game to secure two bonus points from the 36-29 reverse.

But with the game moved from Belfast to Dublin on Friday night, McFarland stressed the playing surface on their home ground was playable long before Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off.

“My personal opinion is that we were there this morning at 10 o’clock, 9.30, and that pitch was playable.

“I was there the night before and the people there predicted that it was going to be playable.

“The work that the people did, the staff and volunteers, to get that pitch ready was phenomenal under the current circumstances. It was ready.

“We knew it was going to be ready because the weather was predicted to change overnight. But that decision was taken away from us.

“The bottom line is the decision was wrong. It could have been played at Ravenhill.

“There is more to European rugby than a game played between four lines. There’s more than that. It’s an occasion.

“Whether you’re in Thomond playing Toulouse, whether you’re in (Ravenhill) playing against Racing, whether you’re in Welford Road watching Dan Cole win his 300th cap, it’s an occasion.

“It has spirit, it has feeling. If you want to reduce it to the word ‘product’, the ‘product’ is more than just the game.

“To me that should be remembered in the decision making in this sort of thing.”

La Rochelle assistant coach Donnacha Ryan admitted playing with only a handful of people in an empty stadium gave the game a strange atmosphere and added that the reigning champions would look at the discipline issues that allowed Ulster’s second-half fightback.

“The boys adapted really well to the last couple of days, especially to the beginning of the game as well,” said the former Irish international.

Standing in the middle of a firm but playable pitch @KingspanStadium just now. Frustrated doesn’t even come close to covering how I feel right at this moment, if I’m honest. Such a shame for all @UlsterRugby supporters, players and staff.

— Jonny Petrie (@JP_Petrie) December 17, 2022

“I think we started really good in the first half, really precise, clinical. You know I think Ulster, they are a very proud team and I think last week was very, very difficult for them. I’m sure they had a tough week of it.

“But yeah, the first half certainly we were very, very, good. We gave away four penalties in the first half but in the second half we gave away 12.

“So that’s something for us to work on during the week. As well as the impact of our bench as well.”