After weeks like this you really have to sit back and have a laugh, so ridiculous has been the swing in emotions by the brethren of Ravenhill.
On Sunday/Monday it was doom and despair after another poor, poor, poor performance but by Tuesday/Wednesday it was back to World Domination, unbeaten runs between now and Christmas, top four Pro12 finishes and Heineken Cup quarter finals guaranteed.
What brought about this miraculous conversion amongst the believers? The signing of a 36 year old ex Springbok and the arrival of a “World Cup Winning” prop to replace the other “World Cup Winning” prop that his just left!
So are the brethren right to be getting hot under the starched and perfectly ironed collars?
Well, both players are genuine additions to the balance of the squad and Stefan Terblanche, the 36 year old ex Springbok referred to earlier, could end up a very important addition if his dedication and work ethic rubs off on our youngsters. Certainly our colleague Rob Otto over on Sharksworld thinks highly of our new recruit, telling the Front Row Union:
Stefan has always been a real team man and has been the elder statesman in the Sharks team for a few years now.
Most comfortable at fullback, a lack of options in midfield has seen him forced to cover at outside centre, which he’s accepted with good grace and adapted to as well as could be expected at this late stage in his career.
He is supremely fit and always perfectly conditioned, with a dedication, enthusiasm and work ethic that sets the benchmark to which all professional players should aspire.
All well and good but, with the best will in the world, I can’t see Terblanche turning us into world beaters overnight. Given his track record there can be little doubt that he will give a solid and professional performance at full back, but, the reality is, he’s an aging pro picking up his final pay cheque for three months work and even Disney has stopped making those sort of movies!
The arrival of Afoa and the rush to get him on the pitch come Saturday points more directly at Ulster’s problems, with a current crisis of confience evident in our big burly boys up front.
They really have taken a beating, literally and figuratively, over the last four games, in fact it’s been worse than that, they have been slapped around and treated with disdain, so Afoa’s arrival, timed with the return of Ferris and Best, must seem, to the under siege management and players, like the Calvary arriving just as the Indians (whoops ,sorry, Native Americans) are just about to break down the gates of the fort!
Afoa is a big ball carrying, mobile prop and after playing a bit part in New Zealand’s World Cup he appears to be raring to go. While we all love to see our big boys have a rumble, and Afoa can do it with a bit more pace than most, it has to be remembered that we have to get our hands on some go forward ball first. Something that has been singularly lacking of late.
The dramatically improved Best, who took a giant step forward throughout the World Cup campaign, will certainly help here and Afoa and Ferris should add to our go forward tally through their sheer dynamism. However, their efforts could go to waste in a sea of isolation and waves of turnovers if the rest of the pack doesn’t perform as a cohesive unit rather than the disjointed individuals they’ve been of late.
This cohesion, more than anything else is critical to Ulster’s season. If the forwards can front up and give our talented backs, young and old, some go forward ball then we might start and go places with this team.
Corrections, comments or questions?