Ulster Coach Richie Murphy Discusses Team Progress, Ward’s Status, and Upcoming Toulouse Match

Ulster is set to commence their Investec Champions Cup season with a challenging away fixture against the reigning champions, Toulouse, who have secured the title six times. The match is scheduled for Sunday at 15:15 GMT. Head coach Richie Murphy addressed reporters on Tuesday, offering insights into various topics. Regarding Ulster’s performance relative to his expectations, Murphy stated: “It’s probably slightly below where we wanted to be. We’ve had a tough run of games as well, we’ve played the top three teams in the league at the moment and been in South Africa in the Highveld. “Between the Cardiff and Leinster games, we probably should be at least one better but we’re a young side and we’re going to have ups and downs.” When asked about confronting a formidable Toulouse squad, he remarked: “Excitement? Maybe. Fear? Probably a little bit. You look at their team, they’re two or three deep international wise in nearly every position. “But there are things in their team that you look at and think there are opportunities. It’s whether you can be good enough to take that.” Addressing Zac Ward’s physical condition and contractual status, Murphy confirmed: “Zac is back fit. He has passed all the return to play protocols for this weekend. Zac is progressing well, obviously he had never played on the wing before coming in with us. Coming in from the Sevens he has shown some really good growth over the last number of weeks. “Zac is on an IRFU contract at the moment. We are in conversations with him about going forward from here.” He added, regarding Ward’s potential return to play: “We’re positive about his progress and over the next number of weeks we might see him out there in a white jersey.” When questioned about the necessity of a ‘medical joker’ to address injuries in the back-three, Murphy responded: “No, not at the moment. We’ve brought Rob Lyttle [former Ulster wing] back in for a couple of weeks. We’ll see how that progresses. We also have a few academy players who we want to try and bring through. Between them, we’re actually OK. “If someone else were to get injured, that could become an issue then.” Regarding the availability of Ulster’s Irish international players for Sunday’s match, Murphy stated: “The internationals all returned to training yesterday (Monday). They obviously haven’t been with us for five weeks. Cormac Izuchukwu, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole and Stuart McCloskey have all returned from international camp.”