Ulster v Tigers : pre-season friendly chat and banter and regular updates

"We'll take as full a squad as we've got. It is about getting the 'hit-out' physically and getting combinations and making sure everybody is fit."

Cockerill reported no fresh injury worries after seeing Crane, Brookes and Hawkins come through last weekend.

Craig Newby leads the Tigers XI, which is set to include club colleagues Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi, Anthony Allen, Scott Hamilton, Sam Harrison, Matt Smith, Rob Hawkins and Ed Slater.

don't know Allen so makes it hard to judge

but then it dawned on me if you have a half back partnership of Stringer and ROG, (neither any good at tackling) who would you have as the fullback? of course the defensive one to cover up for the halfbacks weakness.

Anyway hope it goes well for him this year. Think Tigers may have an advantage in the Scrum, but it'll be intresting to see how this goes, Ulster Line out, Backrow evens maybe Ulster

We'll take as full a squad as we've got. It is about getting the 'hit-out' physically and getting combinations and making sure everybody is fit."

Cockerill reported no fresh injury worries after seeing Crane, Brookes and Hawkins come through last weekend.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

don't know Allen so makes it hard to judge

Anthony Allen, the guy who has played 12 for Tigers for the last three seasons. Very good defensively and makes intelligent runs but is no the biggest guy so isn't going to be able to crash the ball up.

but then it dawned on me if you have a half back partnership of Stringer and ROG, (neither any good at tackling) who would you have as the fullback? of course the defensive one to cover up for the halfbacks weakness.

Or do you go for the secondary play maker at fullback who can give you a different attacking threat and bring your outside backs into the line far better than the tactical option selected at 10? That's what Tigers did for years with Goode at 10 and Murphy at 15.

Anyway hope it goes well for him this year. Think Tigers may have an advantage in the Scrum, but it'll be intresting to see how this goes, Ulster Line out, Backrow evens maybe Ulster

I'd have probably gone with that the other way round. Ulster look to have the bigger pack and with two good tightheads in the team should be strong. Tigers haven't got a grunt merchant in the second row as both Slater and Deacon are injured. They've got some good lineout options though (both Kitchener and Parling are excellent in that regard) and if Salvi plays a proper sticky fingered 7.

Artful_Dodger wrote:Ulster 7 - 0 Leicester Tigers HT

Have to say with the team Leicester put out I thought we'd be getting hammered at this stage.

Artful_Dodger wrote:Ulster 7 - 0 Leicester Tigers HT

Have to say with the team Leicester put out I thought we'd be getting hammered at this stage.

Artful_Dodger wrote:https://twitter.com/UlsterRugby

No real detail to it either though.

LeicesterTigers Good work by Manu, Crane & Waldrom takes Tigers up to the line, but knock-on allows Ulster to close it out

Try saving tackle from Ulster scum half Michael Heaney on Leicester number 8 Thomas Waldrom keeps it 7-0 Ulster! 20 mins to go!

Leicester Tigers scored two tries in the closing quarter of an hour as the visitors shared a 14-14 draw against Ulster at Ravenhill on Saturday.
A first try in Tigers colours for Vereniki Goneva cancelled out Ulster's seven-point advantage and then Thomas Waldrom finished strong work from the forwards to give Tigers the lead for the first time.

But the home side were not to be denied and a score in the 79th minute from wing Chris Cochrane, converted by Paddy Jackson, levelled the scores for a second time.

The Tigers starting line-up included just five players who also started last week's opener in Jersey, with director of rugby Richard Cockerill looking to give game-time to the whole squad in advance of the new campaign.

Ulster, on home ground for the first time under new coach Mark Anscombe and without their senior Irish international players, claimed the only try of the first half, earning a penalty try at a scrum five metres out.

Tigers started the afternoon brightly, gaining possession and field position early on, but could not find the finish to their approach work.

Brett Deacon, Thomas Waldrom and Julian Salvi all had promising runs towards the tryline in the opening moments, but Ulster defended their line and halted Goneva when the ball was flung out to the left.

Anthony Allen was at the centre of much of the good work in the backline and almost created an opening as he ducked under two tacklers but spilled ball as he closed in on the line.

The game was eight minutes old when Ulster earned their first possession in the Tigers half, but they then enjoyed a period of pressure with the scrum working well and centre Luke Marshall looking to carry when the opportunity arose.

Tigers escaped when one Ulster move ended barely a metre short of the tryline and then had Flood and Manu Tuilagi to thank for clearing the next attack.

Steve Mafi and Scott Hamilton combined smartly on the right wing when Tigers got some go-forward again, but the visitors' defence had to be alert as Ulster twice looked for grubber kicks into the corner, which were cleared virtually on their own line by first Geordasn Murphy and then Hamilton.

The opening score came just after prop John Afoa joined the action for Ulster as referee George Clancy awarded a penalty try at a scrum wide on the right. Niall O'Connor added the extras for a 7-0 lead.

Within 60 seconds Tigers found themselves a man down too as Micky Young was yellow carded after the visitors were penalised on halfway, the scrum-half returning for the last play of the half as the home side retained their seven-point lead up to the break.

Jordan Crane replaced Brett Deacon just before half-time and Cockerill kept with the same line-up for the restart to the game.

The second period began much like the first, with Tigers looking for a way through the Ulster defence. Goneva twice thumped into the Ulster backline inside their own 22, and Tuilagi also looked to force an opening.

Fraser Balmain and Rob Hawkins replaced Tom Youngs and Martin Castrogiovanni in 50 minutes and they were both straight into the action, carrying ball as Tigers looked for a breakthrough.

Murphy and Tuilagi then made inroads as Tigers recycled ball smartly in the Ulster half, but replacement Julian Salvi was whistled at a ruck and the hosts emerged unscathed.

A thumping tackle from Tuilagi created turnover ball and almost a score as Crane and Waldrom combined to take play all the way to the line before Ulster scrum-half Michael Heaney dived to make the tackle.

Tuilagi carried ball well in two more attacking moves around the 60-minute mark, as Tigers kept Ulster pinned back.

They got their rewards in the 67th minute as neat recycling allowed Crane to find replacement fly-half George Ford and his long miss pass gave Goneva a run to the line. The Fijian showed excellent footwork and a step to beat the last defender and score on the left. Ford levelled the scores with his conversion from wide out.

Tigers were dominating the possession and Waldrom claimed the second try, latching on to a catch-and-drive from a lineout and pushing his way past the last defender to dot down. Ford, from almost the same position as his earlier kick, made it 14-7 to the visitors with the conversion.

But with the clock ticking down towards full-time Ulster struck as wing Chris Cochrane latched on to a pass from Chris Farrell and side-stepped past the Tigers backline to score. Paddy Jackson levelled the scores with the simple conversion.

The game ended with the home crowd on their feet as one last attack took Ulster clear in midfield, but Niall Morris intervened and honours were shared.

Pre-season friendly: Ulster 14 Leicester Tigers 14
18 August 2012, 4:51 pm ::
Match Report By Neil Carnduff
New head coach Mark Anscombe's first taste of Ravenhill rugby proved a satisfying hors d'oeuvre for the 2012/13 season, with a largely experimental Ulster side more than holding their own in an entertaining 14 - 14 draw with a star-studded Leicester Tigers lineup.
Anscombe fielded a youthful side for the first home friendly of the season, while still finding places for several more established names, notably the rehabilitated Jared Payne at full-back, the returning Niall O'Connor at out-half, and new recruit Nick Williams at Number Eight.

Early Leicester pressure straight from the off came to an abrupt end on four minutes thanks to a smart Michael Allen interception well inside the Ulster '22', and the same player profited from good turnover ball moments later to cut an impressive swathe down the left wing. Slick passing then saw the Ulster forwards edge to within an inch of the line, but poor judgement from a resulting scrum surrendered possession on 11 minutes.

Tigers then seized back the initiative and looked moderately threatening until a stray foot in touch put Ulster back in control. Their possession paid off on 24 minutes as, with John Afoa having just entered the fray for Declan Fitzpatrick, strong scrummaging won the hosts the penalty try in the corner. O'Connor eased into his second spell at Ravenhill with a simple conversion to make it Ulster 7 Leicester 0.

Ulster continued to dictate play as the half progressed, with many of the younger players looking especially sharp, and Leicester were the happier of the two sides to see the arrival of the half-time break.

Half-time Score Ulster 7 Leceister 0

With Ricky Lutton, Mike McComish, Neil McComb, Sean Doyle and Paddy Jackson all drafted in at the break, Ulster maintained their strong momentum in the opening minutes of the second period, although Leicester began to show their collective nous on 50 minutes and were only contained by assiduous Ulster tackling.

Tigers launched onslaught after onslaught as the hour mark passed, but still Ulster kept them at bay, until the visitors' class finally shone through on 65 minutes with a neat sidestep carrying Fijian speedster Veroniki Goneva over on the left wing for their first score, duly converted to level the game at seven points apiece.

Ulster did their best to strike straight back from the restart, but were undone by an overcooked short pass which gifted possession back to the visitors. A well-executed 5-metre lineout allowed Number Eight Thomas Waldrom to pick up and stretch over the line with five minutes remaining, and George Ford's second conversion extended the lead to Ulster 7 Leicester 14.

With three minutes left to play, and Ulster's time fast running out, Chris Cochrane raised the biggest cheer of the day by bursting through on the '22', wrongfooting the last man and sliding in between the posts for a blistering solo try.

The Jackson conversion restored parity with a minute left, and there was just enough time for Peter Nelson to make a scintillating late dash down the right wing, before being clipped into touch just metres from the line by a despairing Leicester lunge.

The match finished, then, with honours even, but proved an exceptionally positive runout for the entire squad, with Newcastle Falcons now next up in Friday's final friendly, before the RaboDirect Pro 12 kicks off in earnest against Glasgow Warriors on Friday 31 August.

Full-Time Score Ulster 14 Leicester 14