Tomorrow in Belfast Benetton meets a tough opponent: “Ulster has heavy forward, a great test for physicality”
/ TREVISO
Tomorrow morning Benetton leaves on charter from Venice to Belfast, in the evening the hardest obstacle so far in Urc awaits, the match against Ulster. After two tight home successes, especially the last one resolved by Marin’s drop (he will be the starter) at the last breath, coach Bortolami has in mind to make a certain turnover, also taking advantage of some returns: “Yes, Baravalle is back on the bench, Herbst too and Steyn will be involved. Negri was also present, after the problem he had in the first friendly match. So there will be some new faces, but they have been training for a few weeks already, so we preferred to wait so that all the mechanisms had been oiled, to give them and the team the opportunity to make the most of their energy and the desire they will put on the field ».
What race could it be?
«I think it will obviously be played on a physical level, Ulster is one of the toughest teams in our league. He has very heavy forwards and backs that play more than in previous seasons. It will be a great test from the point of view of physicality and the ability to withstand physical confrontation: we are confident. What we need to improve compared to the match against Edinburgh is consistency in important situations, when we had the opportunity to score we let it slip and we put the opponent in a position to score. Obviously away from home these possibilities are lower, so we will have to be good at optimizing the efforts and opportunities we will have during the match ».
Never before have so many young people growing up like this year.
“In the first two games there were several young people who played, from my point of view and all the staff want to give the opportunity to those who deserve it during the week: Rhyno Smith for example will have the opportunity to take the field and to show his enthusiasm and his worth. My confidence is total if I see that there is the right intent and approach. But then I think that all the new ones have entered very well, clearly there are team and group dynamics that must be taken into consideration, but I am really happy with the approach of the new guys, they have brought great quality and energy, both Italians and foreigners. I think the way the team has performed up to now is proof of this ».
Large screen for the Lions. Tomorrow evening at the Cantera in Ghirada restaurant you can watch the game on big TV screens, moreover in the company of some of the green-and-white players who stayed at home. For reservations call 338-7296294 or write to [email protected]. –