Ian Whitten is delighted with Heineken Cup opportunity
Ulster centre Ian Whitten is looking forward to proving that he can compete against the likes of Biarritz when they play the French side on Sunday, October 17 in the Heineken Cup.
The centre will replace Darren Cave, who has been ruled out with a knee injury. Whitten is expected to partner Irish international Paddy Wallace in the midfield.
Whitten will relish the occasion of a rare Heineken Cup outing and said, "I made my Ulster debut against Stade Francais in the Heineken Cup and it's always very special and nice to be involved."
The centre knows that his team will face a daunting task as they try to beat one of the pre-tournament favourites away from home.
"Every week is a big game for us and the guys are confident that we can win, but we're taking nothing for granted," said Whitten
Whitten admitted that Biarritz has a winning mentality and will be difficult to beat.
"Biarritz are one of the top teams in Europe, who showed that they are capable of grinding out a result by their victory over Bath."
Currently, Ulster leads the group after picking up a bonus point and defeating Aironi 30-6 at Ravenhill.
Biarritz is only one point behind, and has already beaten Bath 11-12 away from home.
Whitten acknowledged that Biarritz has some fantastic individual players. "Dimitri Yachvili and Imanol Harinordoquy are very good players, but we have very good players ourselves and are capable of winning."
Ulster understands that a bonus point loss would not be the worst result and would give them a chance to qualify for the group.
Whitten hopes that he and Ulster can go one better and claim an unexpected win.
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