Ulster Head Coach Richie Murphy Discusses Upcoming Fixtures, Izuchukwu’s Debut, and Leinster Encounter

Ulster is set to resume competition on Friday evening, hosting Leinster in a United Rugby Championship fixture scheduled for 19:35 GMT. The match will be broadcast live on BBC Two Northern Ireland, and also accessible via the iPlayer, website, and app. Prior to the game, Ulster’s head coach, Richie Murphy, spoke with Gavin Andrews of BBC Sport NI. Regarding the demanding schedule against top-tier teams, Murphy stated: “I think the lads are excited. I think everyone knows what we are getting into. Facing teams like Leinster, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Munster and obviously Connacht on the back end of that, but also some very tight turnarounds involved. “We know what’s coming, we know our squad depth is going to be tested. We are also carrying a few injuries at the moment but we are working hard to be the very best we can be on those particular nights.” Concerning Cormac Izuchukwu’s Ireland debut against Fiji, Murphy expressed his delight: “Delighted for Izzy to get his first cap – he’s been in a fair few camps over the last nine months – when you’re in there you can feel the relief of a player when he gets his first cap. Let’s hope he can kick on.” On the topic of Ireland internationals returning to Ulster, Murphy commented: “You just want them to come back with an energy and enthusiasm for what we’re doing here.” Addressing the upcoming challenge against Leinster, Murphy observed: “Leinster at this moment are definitely the top team in our league. They’ve won six from six – they’re conceding very few points this year and they’re probably a different Leinster to what we have seen previously. “It’s hard to pick holes in how they defend, so lots of pressure in and around the breakdown, lots of pressure at set-piece, both scrum and lineout.” He further elaborated on their approach: “We’ll have to be very clever in relation to how we use the ball and we also need I suppose the ref to be strong in those areas.” Murphy also remarked on Leinster’s current squad situation: “It’s definitely a good time to play them because they’re missing maybe 18 players but with the 18 players they’re missing they just replace them with very, very good players.”