The Ulstermen can make it two wins from two in Italy
Ulster remain the only one of the four provinces, to have never lost to the Italian outfit Treviso, however that doesn't mean the Ulstermen will have a simple task. Head coach Neil Doak may know that his side have been fairly dominant against Treviso in recent seasons, but he also concedes that the Italians "can be dangerous".
Head Coach Neil Doak:
"They have a lot of strength in their lineout" said Doak "that's a platform they like to attack from". Although Ulster will be hopeful to not just secure a win, but also tack a bonus point onto it. After last weekend's win over Dragons, Ulster will go in to the game with plenty of confidence, even if they were slow to start. Dragons took an early lead, but Ulster rallied well to take control of the game. Some degree of rustiness can be excused however, given the likes of Charles Piutau, Ross Herron and Rob Lyttle were making their competitive debuts.
Neil Doak, @JacobStockdale & @RossClive were busy at today's press conference. Big game v Treviso on Sat! pic.twitter.com/oxTSQAjURI
— Ulster Rugby (@UlsterRugby) September 6, 2016
One player who certainly impressed on Friday night was young winger Jacob Stockdale. The Ireland Under-20 player was handed a start at Kingspan and looks well placed to hold on to that position for Saturday's game. If there was any pressure felt by Stockdale, it certainly doesn't show as he says himself "I'm massively enjoying it, getting out in front of the Ulster faithful is always pretty exciting" He'll now have to take that confidence with him to Italy for the first away game of the season.
Stockdale says he's enjoying his rugby:
Ulster's downfall last season was a lack of early year momentum, not managing back-to-back wins until rounds 9 and 10. The game with Treviso offers an opportunity to get off to a perfect start. That being said, back-row Clive Ross reiterated Doak's warnings about taking anything for granted. "Teams are hoping to get better" said Ross "there really are no gimmes anymore. The challenge is to get up for every game equally" Ross, along with Rob Lyttle was rewarded for his performance last weekend with a place in Sky Sports' Team of the Week.
The team to play against Treviso will be anounced at 12pm on Friday