Steven Kitshoff has admitted that his start to life with Ulster has been less than ideal, but is looking for a significant lift in a Springbok battle with Racing 92.
Kitshoff-boosted Ulster have lost their last three games, slipping to defeats against Edinburgh (24-27) and Glasgow Warriors (20-33) in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, and Bath (14-37) in the opening round of the Champions Cup.
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Even with the two-time World Cup winner wearing the No 1 jersey, Ulster have struggled for consistency in the scrums, particularly in their most recent loss against Bath in England.
“It was a bit of a wake-up call. At the same time, I didn’t think that I would just walk in and we would start winning. It does not work like that. You also have to put in hard work,” Kitshoff told The Irish Times.
“I haven’t been up to the desired standard yet, but as I’ve said before, rugby is a strange game where you have seven days between games to try again. I just have to pull up my socks and ensure that I come up with a strong performance against Racing 92.”
Ulster’s second-round Champions Cup clash at home to the French club in Belfast will present Kitshoff with a real opportunity to find form, in a battle against fellow Springboks Siya Kolisi and Trevor Nyakane.
“Just going out and thinking that things are going to happen for you is not the right mindset. I strongly believe that we will make things right. There are still many games to come,” Kitshoff said.
“A win will give us a boost in both the Champions Cup series and the URC. It will help us a lot psychologically and give the group energy for the road ahead.”
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