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As Ulster enter the business end of the season, it’s time for substance to replace says Cormac Izuchukwu.
After winning plaudits for playing some dazzling rugby this season, Ulster’s goal is now all about victories on the field of play.
“Yeah, yeah, it’s black and white, you know. Again, you can touch on the fact that we didn’t play great rugby today, but this part of the season is about wins,” admitted Izuchukwu.
“We won, so that’s everything, you know, and then can we win again next week, regardless of how well or poorly can we play, a win is a win, and if you lose, you’re out. So, it’s massive, it’s all about winning really.”
Ulster battled their way to a 28-24 win over the Ospreys on Saturday and their prize for reaching the quarter-final is a home tie against top French outfit La Rochelle.
Not only did Ulster have to navigate their way past a dogged Ospreys side, they also had to manage the awful conditions as Storm Dave brought high winds and driving rain to the occasion.
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Knowing the weather forecast beforehand is one thing, but trying to implement a gameplan on matchday is another thing as the Irish international explains.
“There’s like 40 mile-an-hour gusts, whatever it was out there, so we knew going into the game that it wasn’t going to be a normal game.
Ulster's Cormac Izuchukwu scores their side's eighth try during the Investec Champions Cup match at the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast. Picture date: Friday January 17, 2025. “I’m obviously prepped during the week with that in mind, but I was caught off guard.
“I said a lot of lads were, just how strong that wind was and how much it really affected us, but I thought we handled it well.
“They were on top of us in that first half for a fair bit of it and we were back to the wall, but again, we came out fighting and I thought second half time we kicked off.”
Two tries in the third quarter helped Ulster turn a 14-17 half-time deficit into a 28-17 lead. But a penalty try for the Ospreys in the 69th minute set-up a nail-biting finish.
And with less than two minutes left on the clock, the Ospreys thought they had clinched a famous win when scrum-half Kieran Hardy touched down under the posts.
But much to Ulster’s relief, the score was disallowed after a forward pass in the build-up.
Ulster Jacob Stockdale runs in a try against Ospreys during Saturday night's European Rugby Challenge Cup Round 16 match at the Affidea Stadium, Belfast.
PICTURE: Brian Little But whether it was a try or not, the thought process for the players is to go again from the restart, no matter the outcome.
“Obviously at the time, you’re probably in your own head a little bit, as is natural for any player. But then it’s just kind of next moment we kind of got onto the post and we’re talking about going back down.
“If they’d scored for the restart and trying to get the ball back and trying to score, but then it was a forward pass, so again, flip the script, you go again, but back on it. Then it was a scrum, so then we got back into it.”
