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When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport, when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity

By Neil Best

I don’t fight for money. I fight for my legacy. I fight for history. I fight for my people.

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Ulster must go into their European opener with real fight and strong self-belief, and they can rely on a little bit of history on their side – because in the past Leicester Tigers have never found Belfast trips easy going.

I played the 2004 Belfast encounter when Ulster destroyed Leicester in 33-0. They came as multiple English Premiership and European Champions but with David Humphreys orchestrating we comprehensively put them to the sword. I remember taking a pass off a lineout strike move from Doaky – now Neil Doak the attack coach at Worcester. I didn’t get past Henry Tuilagi but managed to offload to Andy Ward who crossed the line.

After the game the banter in the dressing room was about the volume and choral cohesion the Ulster fans achieved in suggesting to Leicester where they might stick their chariots. In these big games the fans do make a difference and I’m with Dan McFarland when he called for the supporters to really get behind the team.

Of course, the following week Leicester put 40 plus points past us in what turned out to be the biggest score turnaround in back to back European club rugby. But then after Munster, it’s nice to be reminded that this sport can still produce some of the most amazing turnarounds and comebacks.

Our team talk before the second game was not to kick to Henry Tuilagi, and when Humph put it right down his throat at the kick off we knew it wasn’t going to go well. In the Welford Road tunnel at half time Roger Wilson started kicking Dorian West, he thought it was me and what I might describe as an incident occurred. That result in reality ended our European ambitions that season, Ulster remained stuck in a rut of European wins at home and losses away.

Of the current squad Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy and Chris Henry have enjoyed a 41-7 Belfast win over the Tigers on route to the 2012 Final. We shouldn’t forget Leicester have rarely had it their way in Belfast. Some little bit of history remains on our side.

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But on the other side of the balance sheet remains question marks over the scrum and centre pairing. I’ve no doubt Angus Curtis will make a terrific player for Ulster in the years to come but I wouldn’t have minded Darren Cave’s tackling pitted against the other Tuilagi for this one.

In the scrum a huge amount of expectation is already falling on the shoulders of Marty Moore and I think we’ve got be realistic in our expectations of a guy who has been injured and is effectively making his first appearance of the season. We need a few guys to do their jobs and a little bit more.

Last weekend Leicester managed a win against Northampton, but the Tigers fell away in the second half. Ulster have finished strongly this season and it’ going to take a good start and a strong finish against Leicester -to win they’ve got to play with ferocity, sporting ferocity.

When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport, when a tiger wants to murder him, he calls it ferocity

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Trevor 50 minutes ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

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Bull Shark 4 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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