General manager Antonio Pavanello hoped for a different match “Three placeable kicks, but we lack discipline in the first half”
THE AFTER-RACE
“We could have done better.” So the general manager Antonio Pavanello: «At the end of the break we had 3 kicks, we could have placed and maybe we would have put the match back on the tracks, but I respect the feelings of those who were on the pitch. Unfortunately we lack discipline, especially in the first half ». The analysis is the same as for coach Marco Bortolami: «We played a game from the point of view of character on the same line as the first two. Obviously coming to Belfast and trying to win the game is not easy, I think we didn’t offer him two too soft tries in the first half. It is part of our growth path: being more square and not giving these opportunities to the opponent, especially away from home. In the second half the team responded very well, we scored a goal each, we had a few more opportunities that perhaps with a little more patience we could achieve better, perhaps with a bit of cynicism. Let’s say these are the things we saw in the first two games, on which we know we have to work. The positive note is that many players have returned, it was the first for many of them after a long time so it is natural that there were situations that were not perfectly in place, but the commitment and the fighting spirit of the team were there and therefore we can look ahead with confidence ».
For Treviso the away taboo remains (it hasn’t won out in the “league” since March 2020) but certainly Belfast is not the easiest capital to conquer. Kingspan Stadium is hard to get out alive – the crowd is super hot, much more so than the very autumn weather – and there aren’t many strategies to do it: you have to be perfect. This was not the occasion: Ulster understands that Treviso is suffering in speed, so he abandons for a moment the effective weapon of the drive (17 tries in the last Pro 14) to give rhythm. Then they propose it again, and goodbye. The second half of the first half? To be archived, it happens. In fact, in the second half, the start was great, with a much more offensive approach, creating several headaches for the Northern Irishmen, up to Ratuva’s 15th goal with the Benetton shirt. It will not be enough, and the bonus will not arrive either.
Nathan Doak is the man of the match: «Two goals? These are important points, it is difficult not to be happy. We had a yellow card, against Benetton it was tough, we waited for them but it wasn’t easy. Nice to see the public, he gave us a hand ».
No downsizing, then. The goal now is to find the right feeling to regulate, on Saturday in Monigo, the equally difficult Ospreys .. –