Billy Burns ‘back in the mix’ for Ulster, says Peel
Ulster will be without a handful of players when they head to Rodney Parade this Sunday to face a troubled Dragons outfit in the final run of three straight Guinness PRO14 games before a break for the climax of the Six Nations.
Will Addison, Michael Lowry, Marcell Coetzee, Kieran Treadwell, and Craig Gilroy are all sidelined, but Ulster will have fly-half Billy Burns available again and according to attack coach Dwayne Peel, he’s raring to go.
“He will be available, he is back in the mix, so it is good to have him there. I think it was the right decision not to play him in the last couple of weeks because he has been suffering a bit with a calf injury. He is fully fit now, and he has done some really great work and has been training well,” said Peel.
The former Wales and Lions scrum-half expects a serious test in Newport, especially after the Dragons’ 57-7 thumping by Benetton last week which was the worst defeat ever by a Welsh region in Italy.
A Christian Lealiifano try in injury-time saved Ulster last season in Newport and Peel expects the same intensity as this time.
“Look at their stats. Their home record is far, far superior to their away record,” said Peel. “They’re a different proposition at home, and we felt that last year really. We went there quiet confident but came away with a 32-32 draw and were lucky to get that with the last play of the game.
It has been a good quality league, if I am perfectly honest about our conference. There are some good quality teams in there. The Heineken Cup will prove that in our Conference, we have three in the quarter-finals. It is tough really. It’s is a good challenge for all the teams, you cannot afford too many slip-ups going into the next couple of weeks.
“With Benetton playing Edinburgh this week and Munster travelling to Scarlets and ourselves away to Dragons, it is an important big three games in the context of the league. But we’ve prepped well this week, given it our full focus, and realise in the context of the league how important a game it is.”
Peel winces at the thought of the regions back home in his native country in such disarray.
“I don’t know is the answer (to their problems). What’s going on and off the field there, probably doesn’t help.
“We’ll focus on ourselves. That’s all we’ve spoken about.”
Meanwhile Leinster’s Ireland prop Jack McGrath has been linked Ulster. The Irish Independent suggested talks between McGrath are at the Northern province have reached an advanced stage.
