Rugby

Ulster desperate to keep European hopes alive against Exeter Chiefs

Charles Piutau returns to the Ulster side for their return game against Exeter Chiefs. Picture by John Dickson
Charles Piutau returns to the Ulster side for their return game against Exeter Chiefs. Picture by John Dickson Charles Piutau returns to the Ulster side for their return game against Exeter Chiefs. Picture by John Dickson

European Champions Cup pool five: Exeter Chiefs v Ulster (tomorrow, 5.30pm, Sandy Park, live on BT Sport 2)

WITH their Pro12 hopes controversially slipping towards the brink, Ulster could really do with keeping their European hopes alive on the south coast of England tomorrow evening.

An air of desperation has begun to cling to the skies above Mount Merrion Avenue following the defeat to Scarlets that leaves Ulster with an uphill battle to make the domestic playoffs.

To slip from Europe over the next fortnight would be a double blow. With two rounds to play, the permutations, the ifs and buts of it all, remain too vast to whittle down.

The one certainty is that if Ulster don’t win tomorrow, they are out. The probability is that if they don’t bring a bonus point with it, and if Clermont don’t help by putting the knife in Bordeaux earlier in the day, then it will remain a very difficult task for Les Kiss’s side.

It seems a far cry from twelve months ago when they carried the only even-partly-realistic Irish hopes into the final round of fixtures.

Munster and Leinster have since wheeled their ships back in line, and Connacht are in the throes of a three-way battle with Wasps and Toulouse in pool two.

Even two bonus point wins might not be enough to propel Ulster into the knockout stages, but what option is there other than to throw whatever they have at it?

That Exeter have no hope of progressing will be of some comfort to their visitors. It could have been the opposite scenario had Paddy Jackson not held his nerve in Belfast, or had Gareth Steenson’s even-later drop-goal attempt not slithered wide at the Memorial End.

It will be a third meeting of the season for the two sides, with Exeter having won a friendly at Sandy Park prior to the start of their respective Pro12 and Premiership campaigns.

The Chiefs’ domestic form has been contrary to their European showing, with just one defeat in eight propelling them into the top three as they turn the corner past the midway point.

They drew with 13-13 Saracens last weekend in a repeat of last year’s Premiership final, though the headlines were dominated by a head-high tackle – a scenario not unfamiliar to Ulster.

Brad Barritt’s high swinging arm caught Exeter lock Geoff Parling and resulted in an early red card for the European champions.

While the Chiefs are putting forward the ambition of winning a first ever home game in the Champions Cup, the seven changes to their starting line-up was a predictable move in the circumstances.

Michele Campagnaro and former Ulster centre Ian Whitten form a new partnership in midfield, while Gareth Steenson also faces his former club again as he continues at fly-half.

For the visitors, Dave Shanahan will make his first senior start for Ulster in their crunch Champions Cup tie against Exeter on Sunday evening.

In the absence of the injured Ruan Pienaar, the young scrum-half is preferred to Paul Marshall and will pair up with Paddy Jackson, who kicked a late drop-goal to snatch the win for Ulster when these two met back in October.

There is surprisingly no Tommy Bowe in the Ulster 23, with Charles Piutau back in the side on the right wing after having been rested in last week’s controversial, and potentially costly, defeat by Scarlets.

Jacob Stockdale is preferred as backline cover along with Brett Herron and Marshall.

Ross Kane will make his first European start in an unchanged front row, with Iain Henderson moving to the back row alongside Chris Henry and Sean Reidy.

It’s hard for a rookie to replicate Pienaar’s vision and decision-making. In such circumstances, the conductor of the orchestra is one man Les Kiss would have wanted to have had at his disposal.

But if Ulster can find the desperation within themselves to salvage the situation, they can bring their hopes at least to the final afternoon.

THE TEAMS

Exeter Chiefs: P Dollman; J Nowell, M Campagnaro, I Whitten, O Woodburn; G Steenson, D Lewis; B Moon, L Cowan-Dickie, G Holmes; M Lees, J Hill; T Johnson, D Armand, T Waldrom Replacements: J Yeandle, M Low, H Williams, D Dennis, K Horstmann, S Townsend, J Simmonds, O Devoto

Ulster: L Ludik, C Piutau, L Marshall, S McCloskey, A Trimble, P Jackson, D Shanahan; C Black, R Best, R Kane, K Treadwell, P Browne, I Henderson, C Henry, S Reidy Replacements: J Andrew, A Warwick, J Simpson, F van der Merwe, C Ross, P Marshall, B Herron, J Stockdale