Nathan Doak Previews Investec Champions Cup Clash Against Toulouse and Antoine Dupont

Antoine Dupont previously achieved a 12-minute hat-trick against Clermont earlier this season, a performance that Nathan Doak acknowledges as indicative of the threat posed. The Investec Champions Cup fixture between Toulouse and Ulster is scheduled for Sunday, 8 December, with a kick-off at 15:15 GMT. The match will take place at Ernest Stade-Wallon in Toulouse. Coverage will be available on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds, and Radio Ulster, alongside text updates on the BBC Sport website and app. Ulster half-back Nathan Doak has characterized the upcoming challenge of confronting Investec Champions Cup titleholders Toulouse and their prominent player Antoine Dupont on Sunday as akin to “a Test match”. Richie Murphy’s team is set to compete against the Top 14 leaders at Ernest Stade-Wallon, marking their initial fixture in this year’s tournament. Doak acknowledges that his team confronts a significant challenge but expresses enthusiasm for the opportunity to play against a squad rich in talent, notably the acclaimed French international Antoine Dupont. Doak stated, “This is why you play – you’re playing against Toulouse and against Dupont – it’s just something that you want to be a part of.” He further added, “It’s a big challenge but something we are looking forward to.” Antoine Dupont, a former world player of the year, contributed two tries during Toulouse’s 48-24 victory against Ulster in the previous season’s competition. Doak also commented, “He’s the best player in the world for a reason but you don’t want to get too honed in on him as they have quality throughout their whole team. For us it’s just about making sure that we do our things right and focus on ourselves and see where that gets us.” Ulster approaches its European opener having recently experienced a narrow defeat by Irish interprovincial rivals Leinster in Belfast. Doak suggests there are “things tactically we can tidy up in attack and defence” as his team endeavors to overcome their renowned French adversaries. The 22-year-old added, “As a group we’re trying to stick together and whoever’s on the pitch it’s about leaving it all out there, putting our best foot forward.” He further described them as, “They are class opposition. It’s always fun to play against them. It’s proper rugby, I suppose like a Test match against them, with so many internationals.” Doak received a call-up to the Ireland squad prior to the second Test of the successful summer tour of South Africa and aims to rejoin the international setup in pursuit of his first senior cap. Doak commented, “It was a great opportunity to be a part of that and having had a taste of that it’s something I want to have more of. I just have to put in performances that give me a shot at trying to get back in there.” He concluded by saying, “I feel confident in myself and have enjoyed the confidence of the coaches in getting starts so I’ll try and put my best foot forward for the team.”