Herring expects 'physical battle' against Zebre
Herring says Ulster must improve their attacking play this week [Getty Images] Ulster hooker Rob Herring is expecting a "physical battle" when they travel to face Zebre in the United Rugby Championship [URC] on Saturday [19:45 GMT]. The northern province head to Italy off the back of defeat by Connacht last weekend, but sit third in the standings as the URC reaches the final five round of games before the play-offs. Zebre remain bottom of the table following their defeat by the Scarlets but Herring insists they can take nothing for granted in Parma this week.
"You have to get over those losses pretty quickly as we have a tough game away from home this week," the 35-year-old told BBC Sport NI. "We probably got a bit lucky on the table with other teams doing us favours, so to come out of it in third is great, but we have a tough run-in starting with this one. "Their set-piece attack is good and they are a very physical team in defence.
"At home they seem to lift it up another level so it is going to be a physical battle and we have to get that right, especially away from home where we have to bring our own energy. " Herring felt Ulster "just weren't ourselves" in attack against Connacht and says the focus will be on "imposing our game on other teams like we have throughout most of the season". Those performances throughout the campaign contributed to an increased representation in Ireland's Six Nations squad with seven featuring in the victory over Wales.
The knock-on effect meant there were opportunities for some younger players to make their mark for Ulster and Herring feels that can boost their push for silverware this season. "In my time here, I don't think we've ever had seven guys in a Six Nations team and I thought all of the Ulster boys played well throughout the tournament," he reflected. "I think that's coming from the environment we have here and confidence they brought into [Ireland] camp.
"It's probably a new problem for Ulster to have so many, but then it gives young guys the opportunity to step up and show what they've got. "If you want to be a team competing at the end of the season, that's what you need. "