It has been a year to forget for Ulster rugby.
Yet, this afternoon they will take on the Ospreys in a game that will have a large say in how next year may pan out.
Win, and Ulster will be guaranteed a spot in next year's Champions Cup. Fail to qualify, and the ramifications would appear to stretch further than the losses associated with being absent from European rugby's top table.
In an effort to play more first-team rugby and appease the desires of Ireland's head coach Joe Schmidt, it has been widely reported that Leinster's Joey Carbery would make the trip north along with fellow Leinster man Jordi Murphy.
Reduced to second-fiddle behind Johnny Sexton at the Champions Cup winners, Leinster, it would now appear that should Ulster fails to overcome today's test, Carbery's future may lie elsewhere; Munster appearing the only viable alternative.
As reported in today's Times, "today’s result may decide whether Joey Carbery joins the club. Joe Schmidt wants Carbery to play more at fly-half but he wants him to play in the Champions Cup, as this is the closest approximation to Test rugby."
Given the alternative option of Carbery playing alongside Murray in the red of Munster, it remains clear that the New Zealand-born Carbery may well prefer to fight for his spot at Leinster instead.
