Ulster's First Big Test v Cardiff Blues on Friday

First topic message reminder :

This Friday Ulster face their first really big test this season with the visit of the Blues who have two BP wins to their credit. Ulster will be hoping for a big performance from their forwards with a lot fewer mistakes than against Aironi. Payne will make his debut and IMO should be in the starting 15. These are the games Ulster need to win to ensure they are in pole position when the WC players return.

Ah at least he's eye candy Rodders...

Chris Czekaj could have another player's eye out with that hairdo!

Dreamer - Oh! I know the Scrum V presenter is out there so he might be with them.

Jeebus Humph has left his kicking boots in the changing room.

Ah there we are Dreamer - Charlo's doing the Radio Cymru commentary for the Welsh match!

aha! just said Gareth Charles is on Radio Cymru! (glad I know now )


Blues are going to be feeling very lucky to only be 3 points behind.

Handling errors abound tonight though, not surprising giving the downpour they started the match in really.

I know it's raining, but that last drop was ridiculous. And it should never have been passed in the first place.

Lovely kick by Payne. Jees he looks classy.

Good defence by Cardiff

I like the ULSTERRRRRRRRRRRR chant they're doing.

Yellow coming...? Nope.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Cave gets the first try. 8 - 0 before conversion.

17 - 0. I think the slippery pitch helped the second try over...but the Blues aren't making any progress to even slide over themselves.

oh Blues, Blues, Blues what are you doing. Their heads don't look connected in this match at all, so many stupid mistakes.

They haven't had any sort of posession this half really, and what they have had, they've kicked away poorly. Need to improve asap.

Xavier rush doesn't look a happy chappy....

Great 1st half by Ulster.

Awful first half by the Blues!

Two great tires from Ulster though Rodders, you must be well happy with that.

From a Welsh perspective though I hope the Blues improve. THey've shown much better form than this in their first two games, how they can rediscover some of it now.

Good half from my lads.

Payne looks handy!

Very happy dreamer. I'm really loving our centre partnership, even if a few of the other Ulster boys on here don't think Spence is a 12.

This is as good an attacking display since, ironically, we last played you guys.

Very impressed with Payne so far.

Bah forgot about this one I was watching Japan Vs New Zealand

any updates for me people? how is the match going?

Same as everyone else, Payne brilliant so far.

I'm gutted that I am at work and can't watch this game!

17-0 to Ulster Alyn. Two excellent tries by Darren Cave. Ian Humphreys missed a couple of kicks.

Cardiff haven't had many opportunities so far and have conceded a lot of penalties.

AlynDavies wrote:Bah forgot about this one I was watching Japan Vs New Zealand

any updates for me people? how is the match going?

badly for blues

Blues r playin awful poor execution by sweeney

Humph has lost the plot!

LDCPete wrote:I'm gutted that I am at work and can't watch this game!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/welsh/default.stm Yes u can

This isn't the best rugby match I've ever seen I have to say, some pretty poor errors from both sides here.

Ulster look like they want it a heck of a lot more though, much more commited in everything.

This guy Payne looks like he's from another planet!

Wetre there any arms used in that hit on Darcy a few mins ago?

Good to hear the commentators praising a late hit on Humph which could, maybe even should have been a yellow!

Don't think they were praising it MrsP

One even mentioned the lack of arms used and said that Molitika escaped a yellow.

Rush has got one now anyway, think it's a tad harsh though, that tackle wasn't anywhere near as bad as Molitika's I don't think.

MrsP wrote:Wetre there any arms used in that hit on Darcy a few mins ago?

Good to hear the commentators praising a late hit on Humph which could, maybe even should have been a yellow!

Stuart Davies was a wily old back row player back in the day, he can't help himself!

I missed the start of the 2nd half.

Who is Darcy on for?

Dreamer, I was talking about their inital comments!

I also had my tongue in my cheek!

Ah did Stu Davies say it?! ha, that doesn't surprise me at all! I must have missed that bit though sorry, always take what he says with a massive pinch of salt anyway

Get you now MrsP

Cave has gone off MrsP. Whitten has gone to 12.

Was he injured?

MrsP wrote:Was he injured?

I gather he was

He didn't come out after half time and they didn't give an explanation for the change mrsP. I'd imagine it must be because of injury? Hopefully nothing serious.

Good to see Porter on.

I hope Martyn Williams is ok. Phenomenal player.

That laulala is a monster. I hope IHumph is ok, thats two late hits he's taken.

And no arms again!

I love you Jared!!!!.....er.... sorry I was thinking out loud there....

It's okay Rodders.

You are amongst friends here!

roddersm wrote:That laulala is a monster. I hope IHumph is ok, thats two late hits he's taken.

It wasn't late, he passed as he was being tackled, dont think it was bad.

not late no, but no arms used. I don't like to see that.

Dreadful performance all round by the Blues really, they just didn't look like they were mentally prepared for this one. Ulster played really well, especially first half. Lost their way a bit in the 2nd but still managed to get a v good win.

Positives were few and far between by the Blues

Do ypu think their two bonus point wins had lulled them into a bit of complacency?

Perhaps MrsP, although their discipline was dreadful against Treviso as well so that should have been a warning sign for them that they'd have to improve on that aspect of their game for today. Doesn't look like they did though!

I'm just glad we managed to get the win.

And I think we should let that new fella stay for a while.

Didn't quite make the same entrance as Pienaar but still looks like he could come in handy.

They talked to Cave at the end and he said he was subbed as a precaution with a bit of hamstring bother.

Awful....just plain awful,

Only Tom James, Chris Czechaj and Mamma Molitika have actaully earned their money in the last few weeks.

Perhaps we should replace the entire team with Ponty RFC, bar the above and our internationals... :/


....and from hear on out the hammering begins...lets aim for 11th place.

Drinking my last pint in the car park. The Blues were dreadful - only thing worse was iHunph's kckng.

100% will take the win. But Gilroy, Whitten, Payne all looked very good.

And Tuohy...and Cave...and Spence.

Did they award MOTM?

I would have given it to Tuohy.

I've got to admit, i thought the Blues would be a lot better than they were. We clearly deserved to win but it was frustrating we didn't maintain our high standards from the first half into the second. We went a bit flat and the game lost all rhythm.

I think it's pretty good though, I need to a bit more patient because it looks like we're going to good places. We have nine guys at the World Cup to come back in and we've got to be positive about where we are right now! We're left thinking we never hit top gear even when we win. We have a lot of potential and thats exciting. 3 out of 3- next week is going to be really hard though.

Hope Humph and Cave are ok.