Ulster vs. Cardiff Rugby: Can Ulster add another win to its name this season?

United Rugby Championship’s next match will see two strong contenders clash. To be held on Friday, 4th March 2022, Ulster will be facing Cardiff Rugby at the Kingspan Stadium, Belfast, Northern Ireland. The match will be streamed live on NI, BBC, RTÉ 2, Premier Sports, BBC Wales & URC TV.

After the crushing win against the Dragons in the last match, where Ulster won by a whopping 12-0 score, the confidence of the team has likely soared. The previous game was played in hostile weather conditions, yet the men, coached by Dan McFarland, took the lead quite early on in the game.

The team currently stands 2nd on the scoreboard, with 40 points. Out of the eleven matches played, they have won a total of eight matches, thereby firmly establishing themselves as a strong force to be reckoned with.

• Nathan Doak
• Nick Timony
• Iain Henderson
• Stuart Mccloskey
• Mike Lowery

Currently, on the 12th ranking in the scorecard and total points of 18, Cardiff has certainly had a promising spell this season. Of the seven matches played so far, it has won four of them.

Not to mention that its last win against Leinster – the current scorecard topper, is likely to have boosted their morale immensely. No one can forget Jarrod Evan’s excellent long-range penalty that sealed the deal for Cardiff’s victory in the previous match.

• Rhys Priestland
• Rey Lee-Lo
• Owen Lane
• Josh Turnball
• Will Boyde

At the surface, both teams have been performing well, in their own regards, in this season of the United Rugby Championship.

Let’s take a look at the statistics of the previous matches where the two teams went head to head:

1. In 2017, the two clashed at Kingspan Stadium, with the match ending in a draw of 24-24.

2. In 2016, Ulster won 35-22 when facing Cardiff in Cardiff Arms Park while Cardiff emerged victorious in another match with a lead of 23 against 13.

3. In 2015, Ulster won 24-17 in a match played in Kingspan stadium.

As you might have noticed, the Kingspan stadium has proven to be lucky for the Ulster team.

Another thing in favor of Ulster is the return of its top performer Iain Henderson. The skipper has been missing this season owing to an injury and COVID-19. James Humes is also being taken off the bench along with Nick Timoney, thereby creating a strong team for the match.

According to the current performance of both teams so far, it is safe to predict that the match would be a fun watch for all rugby lovers. While Cardiff will likely give Ulster a run for their money, the previous head-to-head instances, along with Ulster’s current strong performance, suggest that the team is likely to emerge victoriously.