Latest Blogs

Anscombe Happy with Ulster Start

anscombe Ulster coach, Mark Anscombe, was pleased with his side’s start to their Heineken Cup Campaign, despite allowing Leicester to pick up a losing bonus point, and he is now looking forward to next weekend with confidence.

Ulster started slowly against Leicester, with Logovi’i Mulipola crossing early to give the Tigers an unlikely lead but, to their credit, the Ulstermen fought back and a try from Tommy Bowe and 17 points from the boot of Paddy Jackson eventually helped them to a 22-16 win.

Whilst people who bet on rugby may have been dismayed by the start that Anscombe’s side made, he was clear that all that mattered was picking up the four points for a win.

“They might be happy with a point but our objective was to get four points and we achieved that, each week and each game we play that is our objective and if we stick to doing that we’ll come through,” the New Zealander said.

He dismissed the significance of Owen Williams’ late penalty which secured a bonus point for the visitors.

After starting their domestic season strongly, Ulster will be delighted to have taken their Pro12 form into the Heineken Cup but Anscombe knows that this is only the first step and that if they are to repeat their impressive European run of 2012 then they must ensure that Ravenhill becomes an impenetrable fortress.

“We’re happy with the four and there is only six games and you have to win your home games to be there at the end of the day and we have won our first one, we’ll enjoy that and then we’ll start to think about our trip to France next Saturday,” he said.

However, some rugby betting pundits are wary that next weekend’s opponents, Montpellier, are likely to provide an even sterner test than the Tigers.

Anscombe can be rightly pleased with Ulster’s start, and any win against the Tigers is a good win but he will be aware that they must get out of the blocks more quickly in the South of France otherwise they will be punished by Montpellier.


About Ellaine

Ellaine is the founder of FRN and author of "Mini and Youth Rugby: Complete Guide for Coaches and Parents" (published October 2015). She has been playing rugby union for over 10 years in the UK and the US for teams including Oxford University Blues, London Wasps, Henley, NOVA, and GWU. She has recently developed a love for rugby 7s and has played on several international rugby 7s teams. She also enjoys playing touch rugby and regularly plays for the FRN Mixed Touch Rugby team. She is passionate about helping others develop a love for rugby. View all posts by Ellaine

Leave a Reply

Buy our Newly Released Book!

FRN Rugby Blogs

Follow FRN on Facebook

Follow LIT 7s on Facebook

Follow FRN Touch on Facebook