Ulster 'battle-hardened' after tough season start

Ulster back row David McCann says the province's difficult start to the season should stand them in good stead for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign.

Richie Murphy's side edged out United Rugby Championship champions Glasgow with a late score in their first home game, then lost to the Lions and the Bulls on their two-match tour to South Africa.

Connacht were seen off after a titanic interprovincial contest at the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday to secure a second victory of the new term.

Ulster face Ospreys in Belfast on Friday, followed by an away trip to Cardiff, before a break for the international window.

"We had a really tough start to the season - the champions at home and then two games away in South Africa at altitude, so to get the win over Connacht and five points at home, it was vital for us, and I think we deserved it," said McCann.

“I feel like we’re battle-hardened now – a lot of people have got game-time, a lot of people have got experience, so I think it’s been a success in a lot of ways but we need to keep working for these next two games.

"It’s key we get our points at home, but then it’s what we do away, when it’s tougher, when we don’t have the crowd behind us."

At just 24, McCann has already racked up 50 appearances for Ulster and is passing on his experience to younger members of the squad.

"It’s only three or four years ago that I was making my debut so I can relate to those people [young players] – it’s easy to try and give them a bit of advice - to enjoy it and don’t be burdening yourself with too much pressure.

"There’s definitely an onus on us. We have sort of been given the responsibility. There obviously are more experienced guys but it is sort of over to us and that’s what we make of it so it is exciting to be a part of that."

McCann - who signed a new Ulster deal last month - is expecting a stern test against an Ospreys side who sit 13th in the URC table after one win from four outings, five places below Ulster.

"We’re expecting them to come at us at set-piece and at the breakdown so we’re just looking to make sure we control those areas – if we do that I think we’ll be in a good place to get a win.

"We’ve shown a lot of character in our defence, a lot in our attack to really grind out in the 22. I think there’s a lot more we can improve on in our attack, we haven’t really got into our flow fully, but as is pretty clear it’s a process with this team at the moment – taking all these learnings and then moving forwards is what we're all about."