Ulster squad additions

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All things relating to Ulster squad changes

Not quite what I'm saying. Barker, Brady and Cronin remain the biggest profile players whose contracts are up this year and they are yet to re sign.

BBC Website report on Faloon

"Signing Willie is a big step for us," said Connacht coach Eric Elwood.
"He is an athletic, aggressive ball-carrier in the mould of a traditional number seven and, alongside his phenomenal work at the breakdown, I know he will be a major asset."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17523874

That's what most teams are looking for in a 7.

All the best Willie!, show the world that you're the next McCaw lad!

I'm willing to trust UR. If Birch is Faloons equal, then I'm happy to see the irish teams share the wealth. Its good for Ireland to have quality players playing rather than on the bench or less.

Does anyone even have any suggestions of what backrowers are out of contract around the world??

I hear Kaino is available......

McCaw might fancy it but I hear you can't get him without taking excess baggage in the form of Dan Carter

Have to say i think Faloons work at the breakdown is more the stuff of legend than substance going on this season. His link work and support play is excellent though. I think he will do well at connacht

Someone like Poitgeiter at the Bulls would be ideal i think but i dont think he will move. Other than that i struggle to think of the right calibre of player. Matt Todd at the Crusaders would be great but is Richies heir apparent.

One of the Braids' perhaps?

Warburton or Dusitoir would be my choice personally.

Standulstermen wrote:Have to say i think Faloons work at the breakdown is more the stuff of legend than substance going on this season. His link work and support play is excellent though. I think he will do well at connacht

Agree with all of that

Just throwing out a random suggestion of the U.S. captain Todd "The Meat" Clever.

Rava wrote:McCaw might fancy it but I hear you can't get him without taking excess baggage in the form of Dan Carter

Rumors of McCaw and Carter heading to Treviso for 5 months maybe Ulster can steal a march wouldnt mind seeing him and Ferris in the same back row

Barclay re signed for Glasgow so that is one down.

I see people are looking at Henry moving to 8 - I still think that is his best position. Not sure why he would be too small, he is roughly the same weight as SOB and is taller. He would be a great option there for Ireland too. As for what back rower we should sign, there are a few really good 7s in the SH, who are going to struggle for game-time internationally with Pocock, Brussow and McCaw.

Otherwise, if we wanted a good alternative to Kaino, what about Adam Thomson?

Henry will not be playing at 8 next year.
The only person mentioning Henry at 8 is Crozier and he hasn't a clue what goes on at the club.

He will either replace Ferris at 6 a lot of time and share the 7 duties with a newbie

or
He will be first choice 7

Wilson will be first choice 8 next year.

I'm sure theres a year or two left in Samo... lol

Ulster are missing an afro. (Cronin doesn't count)

Thomson will be going hell for leather for the All Blacks shirt with Kaino gone. His form for the Highlanders is consistently excellent but at times he has struggled with the step up. Obviously having kaino in front doesnt help but he wont leave NZ imo.

read that Kaino is rumoured to be off to Japan (toyota verblitz) for 1 million euros
nonu earning there 800k€ for 3 month!
no way that NZ stars will come to europe now even for a short stint.

Kaino is confirmed i think.

If Nonu's is only 3 months then you cant read anything into it. Nowhere in europe would take him for three months

The Japanese season is only 12 weeks long so Kaino would still be available for NZ for all bar Autumn Internationals.

Stevenson turned down big money to play in Japan by the way.
Not as much as the All Blacks though but still more than he is getting here.

I am sorry to see Willie go and hope Humph snr has got this one right. As I believe that willie is your natural 7 and he does it very well. IMHO we should have invested in him with more game time, he has all the traits of a 7 and those should be exploited to the fullest.

Ulsterexile wrote:I am sorry to see Willie go and hope Humph snr has got this one right. As I believe that willie is your natural 7 and he does it very well. IMHO we should have invested in him with more game time, he has all the traits of a 7 and those should be exploited to the fullest.

This is the same thing people were saying recently when Whitten decided to move and when others have decided to move. We don't know if these guys were offered a contract and decided to refuse. If they did then I say well done. How easy it would be to hang around, play a few bits and pieces of games and pick up the cheque at the end of the month. The are proud professional sportsmen and (with the exception perhaps of Tevez) most of them want to play regularly.

You say we should have invested in him with more game time. Who should we have left out? Chris Henry? I think if you look at his game time since Christmas, he has played in all our Rabo matches. He hasn't produced anywhere near the consistency required.

Henry does not have the awareness that Faloon has in the support play. Yes he is a good 7 and has worked hard at it, but Faloon is the natural and thats where I think the difference is. I agree his performance is not were it should be, and he should have been playing 7 all season even the HC. And we should have alternated 6&8 between the rest as they are not 7's, Henry does a good job but near where Faloon has the ability to be. This may be the kick that gets Faloon back on track and where he should be. I will be watching his performance with interest in the near future.

Actually I think Faloon has been brilliant for us this year. The few times that his backrow was bad he was alongside Diack and McComish and he still was the best of the three. That said, Birch is an able replacement and Henry has been playing out of his skin in the seven shirt. The long and short is that in a couple of years Faloon will be a better player and will be back in white.

Fitz, I hope your right and he returns to us a better and wiser player.

When you watch the willie Faloon that broke onto the scene A few years back and compare it to this seasons variety, this seasons form does not compare favourably.

I would go as far as to say that chris Henry is vastly superior to Faloon on the deck now and willies tackling which was epic in that first season has gradually deteriorated.

The only aspect of his game which is better than henrys is his link play but when you go to war you wouldn't want willie in his current form beside you. Pains me to say itand I hope he rediscovers himself at Connacht.

Henry is definitely our best openside, and I am a big fan of Faloon. I hope to see Faloon progress and really shine for Connacht, but he hasn't been consistent enough for Ulster. Hopefully he can turn that around for Connacht.

Some bizarre observations .

Henry is so superior at the breakdown , compared to Faloon, that to say otherwise is just bizarre. Faloon is a good link man but that is nowhere near enough.

But this is the best

Ulsterexile wrote: Faloon ... should have been playing 7 all season even the HC. And we should have alternated 6&8 between the rest as they are not 7's,

So you are saying that Ferris, Henry and Wannenberg shoudl alternate and only Faloon shoud be a certain starter. Sorry but that is utter tripe.

Ulsterexile wrote:Henry does a good job but (nowhere) near where Faloon has the ability to be.

Ulster are not interested in tomorrow and maybes. Heney is the better player now, going to play Munster on Sunday week we pick the player who is best now not someone who might come good in the future and that is, without question Henry.

geoff999rugby wrote:

Ulster are not interested in tomorrow and maybes. Heney is the better player now, going to play Munster on Sunday week we pick the player who is best now not someone who might come good in the future and that is, without question Henry.

Yeah, totally agree Geoff. In a perfect world Faloon would have been on the bench next season to provide a different option if the bish-bash-bosh backrow isn't working. He isn't going to be there and at the moment it will probably be Diack waiting to come on. That, for me, is a step backwards as he is neither one thing or another. I'll be interested to see who we bring in to replace Faloon though. A proper breakdown specialist like Daniel Braid would be a brilliant addition.

Birch is, as I have mentioned before, considered the equal of Faloon.

I tried to to see what S15 players there were about who werent (currently) international players. Perhaps Daniel Keegan or young Marcell Coetzee could be tempted to follow the Sharks before them?

FitzStephen wrote:Actually I think Faloon has been brilliant for us this year.

Seconded. He has been critical to so much of our best attacking play in the Rabo. I've said several times that our best attacking play comes when Faloon and D'arcy on the pitch. They both have an attacking instinct, ambition and awareness off space that a lot of our other players don't have.

Faloon is not as physical as Henry and in a real battle you'd want Henry all day long but if you want to play expansive rugby and score tries you need an openside who reads the game and looks for support players rather than to carry ball and take contact and has the pace to keep up with the play.

If the club had any wit they'd have rotated Henry and Faloon a la SOB and Jennings at Leinster. Henry for the tough stuff and to soften teams up and Faloon to speed things up and provide the cutting edge. Instead Henry has been run into the ground whilst Faloon has been rusting away on the bench for the first half of the season and then expected to show top form whenever he's brought in from the cold.

If Birch is the equal of Faloon then we are sorted next season but if that is true then I'd be wondering why Birch has played so few games compared to Faloon this year.

Rava wrote:

Ulsterexile wrote:I am sorry to see Willie go and hope Humph snr has got this one right. As I believe that willie is your natural 7 and he does it very well. IMHO we should have invested in him with more game time, he has all the traits of a 7 and those should be exploited to the fullest.

This is the same thing people were saying recently when Whitten decided to move and when others have decided to move. We don't know if these guys were offered a contract and decided to refuse. If they did then I say well done. How easy it would be to hang around, play a few bits and pieces of games and pick up the cheque at the end of the month. The are proud professional sportsmen and (with the exception perhaps of Tevez) most of them want to play regularly.

You say we should have invested in him with more game time. Who should we have left out? Chris Henry? I think if you look at his game time since Christmas, he has played in all our Rabo matches. He hasn't produced anywhere near the consistency required.

Willie wanted out before christmas. He went and saw what he could get from the AP teams and the westies, so it was his call this time. You can't keep someone who doesn't want to stay

You also have a limited on your budget.

I real feel that it is disingenous to say we should not have let so and so go without coming up with alternatives who should have gone instead.

Obviously that meas coming up with players on a similar contract - saying we should have let McCormish go rather than Ferris wont wash due to the, slight!, difference in salary !.

Speaking of Ferris - is there any talk of him re-signing after next season? I know it's a year away before any extension/ move would be announced, but I'm nervous already about his decision...
That said, given that his career is unlikely to last well into his 30's, you could hardly begrudge him a move to France (or Japan!!)

Discussion early next year I would imagine (Sept to Nov)

There are three key points that work to our advantage:

- Ulster success. The last two years have been a big boost in increasingly the likelyhood of him staying.
- His injury means he is less attractive to others. The insurance is horrendous.
- He would not want to jepodise his Ireland place.

Ferris is going nowhere, even if I... er actually make that Rava and Geoff have to hold him down and force him to stay put.

I might try to ask him nicely, Rodders.

I wouldn't even try to hold down Small P, FFS.

Too quick for you in your senior years Rava?

Dont want to worry you Rodders but at a game last year Stephen Ferris came out of the dressing room with his ear phones on, listening to some music, and oblivious to the world.

He knocked into me and sent me flying. As an after thought he turned round and said 'sorry did i touch you ? '. He hardly noticed !! - a minor brush to him was a major whack in the side to me - the guy is powerful !!

Ok I think we may need to send Willy and Rory_Gallagher in to back you guys up......

Geoff Ferris has been in my place of work in recent times. The lad absolutely casts a shadow. I'd love to meet Richie Gray.

roddersm wrote: All the best Willie!, show the world that you're the next McCaw lad!

I hope this is what he needs. He simply hasn't been up to standard this year and in truth I hope this is a bit of a wake up call for him. The player I saw in Willie Faloons debut season would not have been allowed to leave the club. I hope we sign a good openside now.

Notch - to be honest I didn't get to see Faloon's debut season and first saw him last season. Do you think that if he shown the form of his debut season now (even last season I thought he was really good) that he would have a shot for the 7 shirt in Ireland? Since everyone is obsessed with our natural 7s

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I thought Faloon wasn't even part of the accademy. It was his brilliant form for ballynahinch that got him into the ulster set up.

roddersm wrote:Ok I think we may need to send Willy and Rory_Gallagher in to back you guys up......

Am I the only one not enlisted to hold down Ferris? I'm on a par with MrsP in terms of ability to hold down Stephen Ferris it would seem. Not that I would volunteer...

Also, a mate just told me about Kyriacous shananighans in Italy, and hes been given a ban by Ulster from an internal disciplinary.

I'll try to find something online.

He peed in a taxi.

geoff998rugby wrote:He peed in a taxi.

Not cool Andy, not cool.

I was about to say 'aye we've all been there' in response to shannanigans but then I saw Geoff's post.