Had Llanelli coach Simon Easterby no concerns about what injured players were available to him this week, the alternative might have been to dwell on last week’s withering result.
Llanelli shipped a record home defeat, 41-17, to Treviso in Parc y Scarlets. To compound matters, Wales and Lions winger George North sloped off injured after a blow to the chest.
Easterby has spent this week hoping North will have recovered for his team’s visit to Belfast tomorrow, the giant wing reporting breathing difficulties after the game.
While the coach has consoled Lions boss Warren Gatland by insisting North has no long-lasting complaints, he is leaving it until today to decide if he can play against Ulster in what could be a fraught Pro12 semi-final for the Welsh team.
"George has trained this week. He took a heavy bang to the sternum but he's been good." said Easterby. "There are a few sore bodies and we will probably wait until Thursday before naming our team."
Priestland
More positive news for Easterby is outhalf Rys Priestland is in position to make his first start since recovering from major surgery. Priestland has played just 52 minutes of rugby, as a substitute, since recovering from the Achilles tendon injury suffered before Christmas.
The Welsh outhalf missed his country's Six Nations title defence and given last week's poor performance is now ready to return, while captain Rob McCusker is expected to recover from the damaged ribs that kept him out of the Treviso debacle.
Morale clearly could be an issue in Ravenhill against an Ulster side waiting on the fitness of tighthead prop John Afoa, who has injured a hamstring.
More pertinently, Mark Anscombe’s team have lost just once at Ravenhill all season: 12-16 to Ospreys in February.
“We need to use it as a bit of a motivator and show this Friday we are deserving of being a top-four side and of wearing the jersey,” said Easterby. “We mustn’t forget what got us into the position. When all the emotion dies down and the annoyance subsides a little bit, it’s about working on the next game, which is Ulster.
"We can't afford what happened against Treviso to happening again. It was unacceptable in many ways. We made poor decisions and that fed Treviso. I'm not sure we were complacent, but I think we took our eye off the ball a little bit.
Battering
"Sometimes you go into a game expecting things to happen and they did not. That clearly won't be the case in Ulster. We have already been there this season and came away with a battering. If we are not on the money and not accurate things like that can happen."
Ulster have won both of their league fixtures this season against the Welsh side – 19-12 at Parc y Scarlets in December and a landslide 47-17 at Ravenhill in January. But despite that, Anscombe has been preaching caution to his players this week and highlighting the perils of complacency.
Ulster don’t need to change anything and as Anscombe has pointed out, it’s about Ulster “keeping our focus and emptying the tank”.
Llanelli held on to fourth spot in the table by virtue of Pro12 champions Ospreys being beaten by Leinster last week at the RDS.
Apart from a possible last final fling for a Dublin final, they travel to Ravenhill clearly holed beneath the waterline, even if North and Priestland both make the squad.
“What happened was embarrassing, there’s no hiding from that, but we have to take what we have done right to get there,” added Easterby. “Ulster have gone well this year. They went 12 games unbeaten at the start of the season.
"They're a quality outfit. They have got individuals who do some damage for them. Ruan Pienaar, in particular, is a key player, Johann Muller, Nick Williams and Jared Payne at fullback, the spine of their team.
“They are pretty good at Ravenhill,” added the former Ireland flanker. “But that’s the beauty of this game, things can change in a week.”
