Former Leinster coach Matt Williams joined OTB AM on Tuesday to talk about the PRO 14 final between Leinster and Ulster on Saturday.

While he does not see Leinster losing the match, Williams believes that the northerners have a better chance than Munster did to end Leo Cullen’s perfect season.

“Why Ulster have got a chance is because [they] will throw 100 punches, you’re just not sure how many are going to land,” Williams said.

“Last week, Munster didn’t throw any.”

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland said that they have “a puncher’s chance”.

Williams believes that McFarland may be selling his side short.

“I think they’ve got more than what Dan [McFarland] is suggesting, he’s obviously playing his cards close to his chest,” he said.

“Ulster have a pretty good record against Leinster, [they] don’t come down to Dublin and rope-a-dope.

“You can’t rope-a-dope against Leinster, you can’t sit back and do what Munster did and think you’re going to box kick the team into submission.

“When Leinster lose, teams have got to throw a lot of punches.”

The northerners have had a good record against the defending champions over the past decade, as Williams alluded to on Tuesday morning.

Stuart McCloskey of Ulster in action against Mark Bennett of Edinburgh during the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final match between Edinburgh and Ulster at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray/Sportsfile

“Ulster almost did it last year in that Champions Cup game that we all remember, where if the ball was put down correctly over the line by Jacob Stockdale, Ulster probably would have won that game,” Williams said.

“They came down in December last year, there was that wonderful game in the RDS, 50-odd points to Leinster and 45-and-a-bit or something to Ulster.”

Ulster never say die

McFarland’s chargers clawed their way into the final through a last-minute penalty against Edinburgh on Saturday, which Williams says showed their never-say-die attitude.

“Ulster will not die wondering what if,” Williams said. “They’ll get all the dance out in the music.

“Leinster don’t like that, it makes them uncomfortable, so they’ve got a good shot.

“[They’re] not favourites, but they’ve got a good shot.”

Williams has been impressed with the culture and attitude that McFarland has brought to his side.

“They’ve played some really exciting rugby and they’re giving everything to the jersey,” he said.

“That is something that a few years ago we couldn’t say about Ulster sides, they just didn’t seem to be putting it in.

“My fading contacts north of the border were saying it wasn’t a happy camp, and that a lot of people that were wearing the jersey didn’t really appreciate the history and the value of it.

“But that’s turned around now.”

Ulster’s fight to the end against Edinburgh, in particular, will give their fans hope for this weekend, according to Williams.

“So maybe this is a week where Ulster can come out and show what a Dan McFarland side looks like,” he said.

“Last week, what we saw from a Dan McFarland side was: 1. They won’t quit, 2. They’ll fight to the last second of the game, and 3. They just never know that they should be beaten.

“They were beaten in that game for all money, and they refused to be beaten.”

Ian Madigan of Ulster celebrates with Ulster skills coach Dan Soper after kicking the game winning penalty during the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final match between Edinburgh and Ulster at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray/Sportsfile

Williams is aware that Ulster have not looked as good with ball in hand post-lockdown as they did pre-COVID, but thinks that they will still be courageous.

“We haven’t seen the fluid attacking play that we saw at times last year, and the absolutely desperate defence that Ulster put in in some of those great Heineken Cup games,” Williams said.

“I think we’ll see the courage, we’ll see the commitment, but I’m not sure, we’ve got no evidence to say that they’re back to their full-throttle that they were showing pre-COVID.”

Williams believes that there has been a shift back towards the resolve that Ulster had a decade ago.

“They certainly have shown in the last 12 months, especially in the Heineken Cup, that they’ve got some deep resolve back in their organisation,” he said.

“That resolve has been very hard to find at times, probably since their final, when they reached the Heineken Cup final against Leinster almost a decade ago.

“They haven’t really shown that same fight that was associated with Ulster teams, but they have shown that in recent times.”

Jacob Stockdale of Ulster in action against Chris Dean of Edinburgh during the Guinness PRO14 Semi-Final match between Edinburgh and Ulster at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Bill Murray/Sportsfile

Selection is crucial for both Leinster and Ulster

The visitors will be expected to make very few changes from their last two matches, with Ian Madigan expected to make a similar impact from the bench as he did last week.

Williams thinks that Leinster will be able to make a few more changes and rest some of their key players for their European semi-final against Saracens the following week.

He said that this will give Ulster fans hope, as their team will be focusing on the PRO 14 final rather than their European semi against Toulouse next week.

“I think this is the one that they’ll feel they’ve got a shot at,” Williams said.

“Leinster are also chasing two rabbits; you know the old story: you chase two rabbits, you get none.

“I’m pretty certain that Leinster will put a team different to the team they’ll put out the following week against Saracens.

“While that Leinster side still beat Ulster a few weeks ago, it is very different in a final.

“I think this game will be a lot closer than a lot of people think, and this will also hugely depend on the team that Leinster put out.”

The PRO 14 final will kick off at 7:35pm on Saturday, in an empty Aviva Stadium.

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