Connacht head coach Pete Wilkins claims it is hard to read much into Ulster’s form as he claims they have had one eye on Saturday’s fixture against his side.
While Connacht have dug deep for wins over the Sharks and Scarlets, Ulster come into the game after two defeats in South Africa to the Lions and the Bulls.
Sitting fourth in the URC table, Connacht travel to Belfast on Sunday ahead of their second inter-provincial game of the season.
While they may be the form team heading into the game, Wilkins believes this game would have been on Ulster’s mind in South Africa.
“I’m not sure Ulster’s performances in South Africa will bother them too much. I reckon they picked that side against the Bulls with Connacht in mind the other side of it.
“There were some important players who were coming off the bench, or were subbed early and when you hear Richie Murphy’s comments after that they were not too disappointed with the result, I think they were looking at it with us in mind.
“They’ll have some degree of energy preserved from that and to get back in front of their home fans they’ll be determined to get off to a good start and get their fans involved.
“That Scarlets performance, as delighted as we were with the result, we were disappointed with the performance overall.
“And that is probably timely as well because we are going up to Ulster, not taking anything for granted and that all departments of our game need to be better if we are going to get the points up there.”
One of the standout players for Connacht so far this season has been Cathal Forde, who kicked the winning penalty to defeat Scarlets last Friday.
Since making his Connacht debut in 2022, Forde has played a number of roles from fly-half to inside and outside centre.
In what looks to be a big season for the 23-year-old, Wilkins says he has been “hugely impressed” by him.
“We have known the talent that is there, and we certainly value him very highly, and we have done so since he came through the academy here.
“What he has shown so far in his appearances this season, not only can he bring talent to the fore as an inside centre, but there is a confidence and assuredness about the way he has approached that role at fly-half as well.
“I just think the direction he has given the team there and his ability to vary his game there has been very impressive. That was the next step we were demanding from him.
“I was just delighted for home to have nailed that kick. It wasn’t just the execution of it, but to have the mental strength to line up and slot it, I thought that was mighty impressive,” he said.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
