Jersey RFC v Ulster Ravens. British and Irish Cup Preview

Ulster Ravens Rugby Union

Founded: 1879

Home Ground: Ravenhill

‘A’ team Head Coach: Allen Clarke

Last Season: Runners up RABO Direct PRO12

A brief history:

The Ulster Ravens side to play Jersey are the ‘A’ side of the Irish provincial giants. Like last seasons Irish opponents, Leinster, they play interprovincial matches against each other as well as Munster, and Connacht, also featuring in the British and Irish Cup matches. The ‘A’ side is largely made up of their senior players requiring game time, Academy players and AIL (All-Ireland League) players. The only full time professional sports side in the whole of Northern Ireland, Ulster has a proud history both nationally and at European levels. Despite winning the Interprovincial Championship for the first time in 1976, it was not until the mid to late 80’s that they enjoyed real sustained success when from 1984-85 they either won outright, or shared the title every season until the professional era began. Despite this change into the professional era, a largely amateur side achieved perhaps Ulster’s greatest achievement, by winning the 1999 European Cup against French side Colomiers.

Domestically, in 2006 Ulster won the Celtic Championship for the first and to date only time, but struggled to match the achievements of powerhouse Irish rivals Leinster and Munster until recently. Their League success has been limited, but they did top the RaboDirect PRO12 last season playing some excellent rugby, but once again they were to lose out in the playoff final to Leinster. In Europe they have become a force once more, losing an all Irish clash in the 2011 final to Leinster having beaten Munster in the quarter finals, and then last season they again qualified for the quarter finals, beaten by high flying Saracens who were coached by a former Ulster Captain, Mark McCall.

Ulster in the British and Irish Cup:

Ulster’s ‘A’ side has yet to live up to the expectation of its first team, and thus far has been stuck in the shadows once again of Leinster and Munster. The inaugural season of the British and Irish Cup began well, with four wins and a draw from five matches in their group, pitting them up against Munster in the knockout stages. A slick performance from their rivals in a 27-3 drubbing, sent a disappointing Ulster out of the competition. The following season was to be a disaster. Despite an opening day win over Swansea, they suffered four straight defeats including games against Bedford, London Welsh and Moseley, all who had been beaten the previous season’s competition, to leave them second bottom of the group. The 2011-12 campaign offered much more promise, with four group wins out of four, putting them into the knockout phase. Once again they came up against rivals Munster, and despite a much better performance than 2009-10, they again were comfortably defeated 20-9. Last season they won four from six, only losing home and away to Bristol, and with only the top side qualifying, Ulster was to miss out again, despite having 23 points, (enough to top four of the other seven groups).

This season they came unstuck against a powerful Cornish Pirates side, before narrowly beating Jersey at Ravenhill. A shock reverse to Scottish Champions Ayr followed to ultimately sink their chances of progression to the next phase, before they gained revenge by beating Ayr in the return match. But with the Pirates winning all four of their matches with a bonus point, the Cornishmen will progress from the group. Mathematically Ulster still have an unrealistic chance to take a best runners-up spot, but it would require a quite astonishing set of results in other groups and two bonus point wins against Jersey today, and Pirates next weekend to make the quarter finals, whilst the home side are just playing for pride, confidence and a chance to impress Harvey Biljon before the league fixture against Rotherham at the end of the month.

Any previous:

A much-changed Jersey side travelled to Ravenhill, the starting XV featured Academy players such as Jack Burroughs, James Voss and Luke Stratford. It appeared to pay dividends as Jersey dominated the opening proceedings, scoring an unconverted try by Captain Alex Rae after some powerful forward play. Sadly that would be Jersey’s only score of the half as the initiative was lost, and after a successful penalty got Ulster a foothold in the match, they would not relinquish their advantage until late in the match. Worse was to follow for Jersey as the Ulster fullback McIlwaine, somehow evaded four tackles to score a fine individual try with the Ulsterman going virtually the length of the pitch giving them a somewhat fortuitous lead in the wet and blustery conditions. Another penalty gave the home side an 11-5 lead at half time, and this was extended on the hour mark as a second, superbly converted try, gave the Ravens a 21-5 lead, and in the wet windy conditions it was one they would not relinquish, despite a rally from the Islanders. With a glut of changes giving the initiative, and power back to The Reds in the final quarter, Jersey scored two penalty tries in rapid succession, both converted, to bring themselves within two points with only minutes remaining. A late penalty from Ulster gave them a narrow 24-19 win, only after a late charge by full-back Jack Burroughs was denied. Despite the defeat, the losing bonus point put Jersey temporarily on top of the group, and in with a great chance of progression to the knock-out stages ahead of the back to back games with the Cornish Pirates.

With the emphasis for Ulster quite rightly on their huge Heineken Cup clash with French side Montpellier, the side to play Jersey will be shorn of a number of fringe first team players who will have been seconded to the first team squad for a match that looks set to decide who will progress to the Quarter finals of rugby’s premier club tournament.

Whilst the first team takes preference, the A side still take the British and Irish Cup seriously. Elite Performance Director and Head Coach for the A side, Allan Clarke said, ‘We value the tournament, it’s because of the exposure for the players in the squad who do not get regular game time in the professional game, it’s important for us to further assess and provide opportunity for players to put their hand up for senior selection.’

Clarke was more than pleased that his side hung on for a 24-19 win in the game at Ravenhill earlier in the season. ‘We were very inexperienced, Jersey had a significant upper hand in the pack, and it needed a lot of character for us to get the win, we were very pleased with the result and the character the team displayed.’

Despite the fact that effectively both teams are out of the tournament with this and one other match still to play, Clarke believes it will be anything but friendly when the teams take the field on Saturday. ‘The game of rugby by its very nature is competitive,’ he said. ‘I don’t expect any player to take the field in either of the two teams, expecting just to turn up and throw the ball around. You have to earn the right to do that. We will have to defend well, look after the ball, and see what comes out of that on the day. We believe, and are preparing for a tough battle.’

Clarke was positive in talking up his side’s chances of registering an away win that could cement second spot in the pool. ‘There is a lot of enthusiasm in the group; we have a lot of young players who have ambition. If that is harnessed in the right way it can make any group of players dangerous.’

The task facing Clarke is harder than one would imagine, as he will have some of his better players cherry picked the night before. But he is fully supportive of what the club has to do in what he describes as a huge match for the first team. ‘That is our priority this week, to beat Montpellier, and that makes it difficult to for the player underneath (the first team) as we have a role to ensure that we beat Montpellier, but also to remain competitive at Jersey on Saturday. We know it will be a very difficult encounter this weekend.’

Ulster: Ones to watch

Mike McComish

DoB: 7^th December 1983

Height: 1.88 m

Weight: 106kg

Position: Back Row

McComish joined Ulster from Connacht at the start of the 2011-12 season. He is an accomplished Number Eight but can play anywhere in the back row. A former development player within the Ulster Squad, he had spells with both Rotherham and Otley in England before joining Connacht ahead of the start of the 2009-10 season. McComish attended Campbell College and has played for Ballymena in the All-Ireland League. The 27 year old has played for Ireland at under 21 level and has also represented the Ireland 7’s side. He runs his own Sports Management Company, CornerFlag Management Limited, who list an impressive array of clients from the Lions and the Irish National side, as well as our own Mark McCrea and Niall O’Conner.

David McIlwaine

DoB: 9^th May 1989

Height: 1.91m

Weight: 92kg

Position: Wing

McIlwaine is equally comfortable at fullback or on the wing and returned to Ulster in the summer of 2013 having spent two years playing in England. First for Doncaster where he scored 96 points before injury curtailed his season, and then a year at Bristol, making eight appearances, scoring nine points from four kicks in the 39-16 win over Jersey at the Memorial Ground last season. He is a graduate of the Hughes Insurance Ulster Academy having started there in the summer of 2010. Surprisingly he didn’t play rugby at school, and instead learnt the game at his local club, Larne. Playing at full-back in the game at Ravenhill he scored a fine try, evading several tackles having started on his own ten-metre line.

Ricky Andrew

DoB: 2^nd December 1989

Height: 1.83m

Weight: 80kg

Position: Full Back

Full-back Andrew spent one season in the academy of current Top 14 champions Castres, while on a year abroad during a French and Spanish degree at Queen's University and credits his southern sojourn as a crucial period in his rugby development. With another year of his studies to complete, Andrew returned to the Ulster Academy, turning out for Ballymena after his time at Queen's came to an end. He went on to make a bit of club history for the Braidmen when alongside brothers Joel and John; he became part of the first trio of brothers to represent the club in a league game. A try scorer against Ayr in their win last time out, he has played both centre and on the wing for the Ravens.

James McKinney

DoB: 3^rd January 1991

Height: 1.80m

Weight: 86kg

Position: Fly Half

A distinguished schools career, playing for Campbell College and representing Ulster and Irish Schools preceded progression into the Ulster Rugby Academy. Selection for the Ravens followed, playing in the 2010 British and Irish Cup semi-final against Munster. McKinney has the distinction of representing Ireland U20′s in consecutive World Cups, 2010 in Argentina and Italy in 2011. During 2010 he illustrated his accuracy from the kicking tee with an 83% strike rate. He had a one-year stint with Rotherham in 2012 and his strong performances and glowing reputation that emerged from that year saw him re-sign for his native province, Ulster, in 2013. This will be his third match versus Jersey, having been involved twice last season with the Titans.

Jersey RFC v London Welsh RFC. Preview

London Welsh Rugby Club

Founded: 1885

Home Ground: Kassam Stadium

Head Coach: Justin Burnell

Last Season: 12^th (Relegated from the Aviva Premiership)

Last season:

It was a baptism of fire for London Welsh after their protracted summer court battle which resulted in their promotion into the Aviva Premiership. The rules that stated only clubs who fit the extensive entrance criteria were allowed to be promoted, initially ruled out Welsh, and after their play-off final win over the Cornish Pirates there seemed to be a reprieve for relegated Newcastle and another year in the Championship for the Exiles. However, with a ground share agreement with Oxford United Football Club in their Kassam stadium put in place, this decision was overturned in the courts, therefore allowing promotion. It left Welsh with a race against time to get ready and sign players to bolster their squad to compete in the top division. They were then to find out that their first match was against the mighty Leicester Tigers, followed up by a trip to face champions Harlequins at The Stoop, where they suffered heavy defeats against the top two from the previous season.

Despite this they finished September with two back to back wins over Exeter and Sale and narrow bonus point defeats to both Gloucester and Saracens. Two more wins followed before the turn of the year over Bath and London Irish, and their five defeats were mostly tight affairs, losing narrowly to Northampton and Worcester, where given better fortune, they may have won them both. This led to Welsh fans believing that they could actually survive, despite having been written off in the close season. The turn of the year saw events on and off the pitch take a turn for the worse. A fine and a five point deduction for falsifying registration documents and subsequently fielding an illegible player was a huge blow. This was appealed as it was largely blamed on one man, rather than the club as a whole, but this time the courts were not to favour Welsh, and the decision was upheld. Sadly for The Exiles, a terrible run of nine straight league defeats (as well as three defeats in four cup fixtures) in 2013, meant that it was only a single season stay in the top flight. They signed off with a fine win over fellow strugglers Worcester who also only won once in their last eleven matches.

The season so far:

Rumoured to be in financial trouble and with a possibility of a mass player exodus, the prognosis for Welsh didn’t look as rosy as it has turned out to be. Justin Burnell took over as Head Coach from Lyn Jones, having been coaching at the Cardiff Blues, and they started the season with a comfortable win over play-off finalists Bedford. They then scored 40 points in bonus point wins over Nottingham and Plymouth, high flying Rotherham coming the closest to registering an upset, Welsh winning the game by only five points. Two defeats in the British and Irish Cup was the precursor to five straight league wins, where play-off hopefuls Cornish Pirates, Bristol and Leeds were all put to the sword. Ealing were nilled and Moseley outplayed before a shock defeat away to a revitalised Bedford. Two more cup wins followed before a televised match against fellow exiles, London Scottish, in a first versus third clash. Welsh were to suffer their second straight defeat and first at home this season in a game where little went right on a day where the weather provided as stern a test, as an in-form Scottish who triumphed 13-5.

With 27 different try scorers this season already, it really is a squad ethos at Welsh as they strive to regain their place at the top table. Arguably the sternest test of the season so far for the Islanders, Jersey can take heart from their recent performances, even if results have not gone their way. With the expectation levels dropping for this match, there is a chance for the players to turn out with the pressure reduced. The endeavour and commitment is still evident and with big players returning from injury to strengthen the squad, there is a chance of an upset should Welsh fail to reach their high standards of the opening few weeks. Burnell agrees that the Islanders still hold a big threat despite their league position. ‘Jersey is a very good side,’ he said. ‘We have done a lot of research on them, they have a massive scrum, which they rely heavily on, and they are not far off being the best scrum in the league.’ He added, ‘they have a good set piece which is up there with the best in the league looking at the statistics, Nicky Griffiths at nine, one of the best scrum halves and with the experience of Bishop in the centre they have a good attacking threat. Jersey has a very good all-round game.’

 The new man at the helm of London Welsh, Justin Burnell, was rueing the missed opportunities in the defeat to play-off rivals London Scottish last time out. ‘We were bitterly disappointed, we certainly had enough possession, but we just didn’t utilise it to the best of our ability,’ said the head coach. ‘In crucial moments, crucial times, we didn’t turn our pressure into points. Held up twice, TMO (television match official) twice, crooked feed, then it is six-nil, but we’ve got them on the back foot and a wild pass, interception and they go the length of the field to score.’

The former Cardiff Blues head coach had a job on to lift the club after relegation from the Premiership, but he felt that the players and staff coming in have galvanised those who stayed. ‘There were a lot of personal changes off the field as well as on, a complete new coaching system. The players who stayed within the system, come in (to the Championship) with a wealth of experience.’

Burnell has not been fazed by the standard of the division this season, when asked about the tightness of the battle for the top four, ‘There are so many good sides so it’s not surprising at all to be honest.’ He went on to say after Welsh were made to work very hard to beat struggling Ealing and Moseley in recent weeks, ‘There are some very good sides across the board, I don’t think the standing in the league is a measure, it more so highlights the fact just how strong the teams in the top half of the league actually are, the teams down the bottom of the league are fantastic teams.’ The GKIPA Championship is getting stronger and more intense year on year. Burnell concurs with this, ‘People constantly talk about the standards in the Championship and I have to agree they are very high.’

Burnell has assembled a very strong squad, backed up by their own internal statistics, with 27 separate try scorers. ‘What that highlights, and it’s something we are very proud of, we don’t just have a strong 15,’ Burnell stated. He added, ‘The team that plays in Jersey will be completely different to the team that played against London Scottish and Bristol, the trust and the confidence we have in the whole squad, maintaining our strength in depth to overcome any injuries. We have already used between 35 and 40 players this season, identifying our own strength and weaknesses.’ Burnell continued, ‘You will see it this week, there will be players who were outstanding last week against Scottish, irrelevant to the loss, who will not be involved this week on the basis of other people who have worked just as hard and are deserving of a place.’ A formidable challenge awaits the Island side at St Peter.

Ones to watch

Tom May

Position: Centre/Fly half

DOB: 5.2.1979

Height: 5ft 10in

Weight: 15st 1lb

May joined Welsh after two seasons at Northampton in which he made 53 appearances, scoring eight tries. The centre, equally at home at outside half and wing, made his debut for Newcastle Falcons 1999 and went onto make 267 appearances, including 66 tries, in a 10-year spell at Kingston Park. In that time he helped the club win two domestic cups. He scored twice in a narrow win over Harlequins in the 2001 Tetley's Bitter Cup final, and three years later helped the club to a Powergen Cup final victory over Sale, before he moved to Toulon in France. May was capped twice for England in the summer of 2009 against Argentina. He has also represented England Saxons and England Sevens. This season, having been made captain, he has been in fine form for Welsh, winning player of the month for November.

Seb Stegmann:

Position: Wing/Centre

DoB: 12/04/1989

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 14st 9lb

Stegmann joined the Exiles in February 2013 and made a huge impact on his arrival, scoring a fantastic solo try on his debut against Saracens. The winger also showed his ability at outside centre in defeat to London Irish, crossing for his second try in Welsh colours. Coming through the Academy at Harlequins, he made his first-team debut against Newcastle Falcons in 2007 in the Premiership. He scored three tries in eight appearances during the club's Aviva Premiership winning campaign of 2011/12, and went on to score 11 tries in 35 appearances for Harlequins. Representing England at U16, U18 and U20 levels, he won a Grand Slam with England U20s in 2008, scoring three tries as well as featuring at the U20s Junior World Championships.

Top scorer this season with five tries in 13 league and cup matches, and with seven in 19 overall for Welsh.

Peter Browne:

Position: Second Row

DoB: 25/10/1987

Height: 6’7”

Weight: 18st 4lb

Browne also joined Welsh from Harlequins having made 31 appearances during three seasons at the Twickenham Stoop. He moved to Quins in 2010 from Newcastle Falcons, for whom he made 27 appearances after joining them during the 2007/08 campaign, making his debut for Quins in the London Double Header against Wasps. At over two meters tall, the Bristolian second row is also equally adept at number eight. Browne has also represented England Students, and as a devout Christian he completed a theology degree at Durham University whilst he was playing for the Falcons. Browne’s fine early season form was a big influence in the unbeaten opening to the 2013/14 season for Welsh.

Carl Kirwan:

Position: Flanker

DoB: 21/03/1991

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 17st

Kirwan came through the Academy at Newcastle Falcons before plying his trade with his hometown club Middlesbrough in tier six, National Three North. Powerful and pacy, despite his size, the flanker represented North of England U18, Yorkshire U16, U17 and U20, Durham U18, and England Counties U20. It was while playing for Yorkshire that he was spotted by former Titans coach Andre Bester, who took him to Rotherham in the summer of 2011, having been a scaffolder in the North Sea. Kirwan made his Championship debut against Moseley in October 2012 putting in an inspirational man of the match performance, scoring twice, capping his first season at the club by being named Rotherham’s Young Player of the Season. He has four tries in ten league appearances this season only having joined this summer.