Caolin Blade: Discipline key for Connacht's chance in Ulster

Connacht can't say they haven't been warned.

The aggregate score in two losses against Ulster so far this season is 58-30 with six of eight tries conceded coming directly from penalty concessions.

Hooker Tom Stewart is the BKT URC’s leading try-scorer with many of those coming from lineout mauls, including three against Friday night's quarter-final opponents Connacht (7.35pm).

In total Andy Friend’s men have conceded 23 penalties and one yellow card in this season’s fixtures against Ulster.

Dan McFarland's side lead the way in maul tries, scoring 16 and also topping the maul metres made with 467.

Addressing that aspect of the match is key to Connacht’s chances of going further in the competition.

They do have a potential game-winner in their ranks with lock Niall Murray having 16 lineout steals this season, the most in the tournament.

"I think our discipline away from home is going to be huge and our defence," scrum-half Caolin Blade, a try-scorer in the opening round 36-10 loss to Ulster back in September, said.

"You don’t have to have your best performance but you need to apply pressure on Ulster.

"You can’t let them have their best performance. It comes down to unforced errors, it comes down to discipline, getting points on the board is going to be massive.

"I’m quite aware we’ve lost to Ulster twice this year and we’ve looked a bit into that and areas of the game they have dominated us. If we match them in them areas we’ll be quietly confident going up.

"We turned a corner probably the last time Ulster beat us [in December], at the Sportsground. We’ve gone on a really good run since.

"Confidence and having a good run coming into this game mean nothing if we don’t produce it again.

"We’ve scouted Ulster, the way they defend and