Familiarity will lead to tight affair, insists Leinster’s Nienaber
There might be five places and 25 points separating them in the United Rugby Championship table ahead of their meeting at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow evening (kick-off 7.35pm), but history has told Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber not to expect anything easy from interprovincial rivals Ulster.
While the defence specialist enjoyed two wins over Ulster during the one full season (2016/17) he was part of the Munster coaching team alongside his fellow South African Rassie Erasmus, they had to fight tooth and nail for victory in both of those fixtures.
After a Rory Scannell drop goal secured a 15-14 triumph against Ulster in a Guinness Pro12 clash at Kingspan Stadium on October 28, 2016, Munster required a conversion from current Leinster assistant coach Tyler Bleyendaal to claim a 22-20 win in the competition’s return fixture at Thomond Park the following April.
His opening set of encounters against the same opposition with his present employers were less successful as Ulster claimed home and away victories at the expense of Leinster during the regular phase of last season’s United Rugby Championship.
The eastern province subsequently gained revenge on Ulster by defeating them at the quarter-final stage of the URC in the Aviva on June 8 of last year and Leinster also secured bragging rights when the sides clashed in Belfast during round seven of the current league campaign.
Yet Ulster are coming into this weekend’s contest on the back of a spirited display in 43-31 defeat away to Bordeaux in a Champions Cup Round of 16 showdown last Sunday week and with both teams being so familiar to each other, Nienaber is anticipating a tough battle at Irish Rugby HQ from Richie Murphy’s side.
“Last year in the pool stages, we lost to Ulster twice comfortably. We got them in the quarter-final of the URC. We got a result and it’s the first result that I’ve ever had as a coach for Leinster against Ulster.
“Then this year we got a result in Ulster, but I think if you look at that scoreline, it was 27-20. So it was one score. That’s interprovincial derbies for you,” Nienaber said.
“They are tight and that’s what we expect. It’s going to be a very physical game with not a lot of space. Because both teams know each other inside out.
“Richie has coached here. Some of their players come out of our Academy, so we’ve got a good understanding of what their profile looks like.
“I think that’s the thing. We know so much about each other. There’s not going to be a lot of space available on the pitch, because we know each other so well. I think it’s going to be a tight game.”