James McKinney may have been Ulster’s man-of-the-match against Munster at Thomond Park, but another player had a great claim to be given the accolade after an excellent performance in Limerick.
A final minute hand-in-the-scrum aside, Sean Doyle was superb during the 80 minutes and played a big part in the narrow win.
Doyle’s contribution was highlighted by Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe after the match and now the 24 year-old is targeting a role in this Saturday’s RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final against Leinster.
“The win against Munster was massive. You don’t go down to Thomond Park and get a victory too often. It was a first for me and it will be something that I will remember for a long while,” said the Australian-born flanker.
“It was a huge lift for the whole squad. It puts pressure on everyone to perform because if the second and third choice guys can go down and get a win against Munster, then the guys who are first in line need to maintain their game as they know that we are knocking on the door.”
Doyle will leave Ulster in the summer having signed a contract with Super 15 franchise the Brumbies. Before he returns to Australia, Doyle has just one aim.
“I would like to go home with a trophy in my bag. People like Johann (Muller) and Tom Court (who are also leaving the province in the summer), I will be playing for them and doing the best for them because they deserve it.
“The time that they have spent here, the effort that they have put in and the contribution that they have made to Ulster Rugby, they don’t deserve anything less than to take home a winners’ medal.”
He added: “The last few weeks we have been building and building. We have beaten Munster and we lost to Leinster by two points, despite going down to 14 men.
“We have a massive amount of confidence. I am looking forward to going down there and I would love to help Ulster get the win.”
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