DAVID MCCANN BACKING INTERIM HEAD COACH RICHIE MURPHY TO DELIVER SUCCESS AT ULSTER

Murphy took the reins for the first time in last Saturday’s defeat at the Sharks as he began his temporary stint with the province after finishing the U20 Six Nations campaign with Ireland.

“It has been enjoyable because it is new ideas and new ways of looking at things coming in,” said McCann. “It gives people energy and it makes people think in a different way.

“I definitely feel that way. I can see once we bed these things in and give them time and really get to grips with it we’ll start to see that on the pitch.

“Richie has been very clear about what he wants from us and what he expects from us, so it is then over to us to deliver on them.

"It may take a little bit of time but you can start to see in training that those little things that are being talked about are starting definitely to come into play.

“We are not ripping it up and starting again – it is just little tweaks, things on the pitch that just need to be a little more accurate or how we can do things slightly differently.

“It’s not completely fresh...it is just little tweaks that will actually allow us to improve our performances, be more consistent in our actions and that will allow us to be more consistent in the big games.

“If you are more accurate in little things and the habits you go about on the pitch consistently...for example, the breakdown – the knock on effect can be massive as that gives people more time and more space with the ball.

“Some of our backs when they have time and space are unstoppable – as you have seen in years past – so if we can be more accurate in those areas it is just the little changes that will allow us the time and space to give them the ball."

After suffering an injury which kept him out the last two months, McCann has started in Ulster’s last four games.

“I’ve enjoyed the fact that I have been competitive and got a place in the team and deserve that,” he added. “I think it still is competitive and I have not taken anything for granted.

“It has been enjoyable to play consistently, put in good performances and I am just hoping to keep that going.

“There are things that I have worked on like the lineout and the breakdown work which has been better and put me in a position where I have got consistently picked.

“I think it is also just a bit of time in the saddle and a bit of experience has really helped. I just don’t want to be playing well, I want to be getting the best out of myself.”

McCann is looking forward to battling against the Stormers number eight Evan Roos.

“You look at a few players who are dangerous for them and how they go about their work,” he said. “When it is another back row you think about how you are going to react to that and what you are going to do in attack as well.”

2024-03-28T22:43:25Z dg43tfdfdgfd