Ulster vs Glasgow Warriors - HC Round 5

First topic message reminder :

Preliminary Ulster squad has been announced - unfortunately Luke Marshall and Adam D'Arcy are ruled out. The former being a serious blow for Ulster.

Glasgow have been in excellent form recently, should be a good match.

Provisional Ulster squad to play Glasgow, Heineken Cup Pool 4, Fri 11th January, Ravenhill (kick off 8.00pm):

Ulster team:

(15-9): J Payne; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; P Jackson, R Pienaar;
(1-8): T Court, R Best, J Afoa, L Stevenson, I Henderson, R Diack, C Henry, N Williams;
Replacements (16-23): R Herring, C Black, D Fitzpatrick, N McComb, R Wilson, P Marshall, M Allen, C Cochrane

Glasgow team:
15 Murchie 14 Maitland 13 Dunbar 12 Horne 11 DTH 10 Weir 9 Pyrgos

1 Grant 2 Hall 3 Low 4 Ryder 5 Kellock (Captain) 6 Eddie 7 Harley 8 Strauss

Subs: 16. MacArthur 17 Reid 18 N/A 19 Campbell 20 Swinson 21 Matawalu 22 Wight 23 Hogg

Kellock is a warrior. Great leader and the heartbeat of your side. He should captain Scotland.

Tom Court must get back in the Ireland squad. Is there a better scrummaging Loosie in the Isles?

Glasgow are a side with a lot of potential, the halfbacks are still developing, very good back row and out wide, they need a fullback to step up, their front row to be fit and something in the centre. Persevere with Weir.

So good to get a win last night.

Glasgow fought well. They have had such a terrible time with injuries but when they get everyone back they will be a force to be reckoned with I'd say.

Mind you, it looked like we had a fair few injuries ourselves. Williams knee looked worrying, Gilroy and Jackson both got injured and Payne didn't look like he was running freely from the off. Mind you, he always walks like he just got off a horse so....

It looked like Pienaar hurt his hand in that late chargedown and I wouldn't be surprised if he has done something too unfortunately.

Payne was definitely about 70% I would say. He was running very gingerly. His positioning was top notch though.

From a Glasgow perspective I think kellock was very good. Harley was caught out a couple of times in the tackle but I like him a lot as a player (not sure about a 7)

Not sure about weir at all to be honest. Disappointing backs for a team coached by such a gifted player like Townsend. Pack can mix it with anyone I feel although I think with muller and a fit ferris in there we would be a different animal too

[quote="toml"]Kellock is a warrior. Great leader and the heartbeat of your side. He should captain Scotland.[quote]

Been there done that. He wasn't very good.

MrsP wrote:So good to get a win last night.

Glasgow fought well. They have had such a terrible time with injuries but when they get everyone back they will be a force to be reckoned with I'd say.

Mind you, it looked like we had a fair few injuries ourselves. Williams knee looked worrying, Gilroy and Jackson both got injured and Payne didn't look like he was running freely from the off. Mind you, he always walks like he just got off a horse so....

It looked like Pienaar hurt his hand in that late chargedown and I wouldn't be surprised if he has done something too unfortunately.

Yep Pienaar was definitely staring at his hand when he kicked the ball out last night. If we didn't have him and Jackson we'd be in big trouble at half back.

Strauss was very good and I thought Pyrgos and Maitland battled away defensively. Thought Toonie should have got Scott Wight on as Wee Dunky was all over the place. Think it shows the influence Jackson when he is on form. Some of the posters on 606 need to wake up that he is the best FH we have and we need to persevere with him.

Tom Court is indeed one of the most destructive loosehead around but he faced Moray Low yesterday, when he faced the enormous Mike Cusack it wasn't exactly the same story.

Aye Vince we are missing the Coo but believe Jon Welsh and ah hem Ed Kalman make their comebacks from long term injury for Stirling County today.

BTW guys - cracker of a game at Hughenden today Hillhead v Ayr - always a warm welcome there.

VinceWLB wrote:Tom Court is indeed one of the most destructive loosehead around but he faced Moray Low yesterday, when he faced the enormous Mike Cusack it wasn't exactly the same story.

Cusack to me is a lump but he doesn't offer a massive amount outside the scrum. lif I had a choice between Low and him I would defininely take Low. What will the make up of the Scottish props be? Will they both be called up? Is Euan Murray still knocking about

Cusack has another year and a half residency to go before he can be called up, so I'd expect Low and Murray to share tighthead duties, hopefully with Dr Cross no where to be seen

Will Tom Court have a chance of taking Healy's spot for Ireland - inthe scrummaging form of his life, altho maybe Cian offers more in other aspects?

Standulstermen wrote:

VinceWLB wrote:Tom Court is indeed one of the most destructive loosehead around but he faced Moray Low yesterday, when he faced the enormous Mike Cusack it wasn't exactly the same story.

Cusack to me is a lump but he doesn't offer a massive amount outside the scrum. lif I had a choice between Low and him I would defininely take Low. What will the make up of the Scottish props be? Will they both be called up? Is Euan Murray still knocking about

Cusack is anything but a lump, he is actually all strenght weighting in at 130 kg for just 5ft10in, he is just massive and it shows at scrumtime.

If a game isn't played on a sunday i think Murray will play tighthead otherwise it will be Morray Low as Geoff Cross has gone backward at the rate of knots.

Cusack is a powerlifter and his benching in the gym is legendary. Call him a lump if you want. But only if you have a getaway car ready.

Let's not be too harsh on Low - there's absolutely no way he can be back to full fitness yet. He is a 125 kg bear and on his day is destructive. I love the way that Cusack has flown under the English press radar and I really hope he chooses Scotland once he becomes eligible.

I couldn't give a flying proverbial what he may or may not offer in the loose -I need my props to have the best core skills and win me penalties. Against the Blues earlier in the seasons, Cusack was responsible for winning about 12-15 points worth of penalties by himself. And people would rather dribble on about a prop not often dropping a pass when appearing in a three quarter line?? You cannot be serious.

I go back and forth about Lions props all the time. I really wanted Best and Healy at 2 and 3 but then I watched the England-Ireland 6N last year during the famous 'manshaming' game. The Irish front row got taken to the cleaners. I know that it wasn't entirely their fault but that stuck in my mind.

Precious much lads. He has never done anything outside a scrum that I have seen. Massive presence in the scrum I grant you. Low for me is a much better all round player

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Will Tom Court have a chance of taking Healy's spot for Ireland - inthe scrummaging form of his life, altho maybe Cian offers more in other aspects?

I get the impression Tom Court could be running in tries from halfway as well as doing everything he is and he wouldn't get a recall.

IN the world of picking on form he'd have a great chance. Not for Ireland, selection politics are everything and form doesn't always mean much. Ultimately there's two young looseheads with Irish accents and thats the image the IRFU want to project especially after getting criticised over failure to develop young props and criticism of bringing in overseas props.

Tom Court has been royally screwed by the selectors in the past too, he's played more minutes at tighthead for the national side than he has for Ulster!

Speaking of "power lifting".

Which Ulster heroes managed to hoist Nick Williams into the night sky for that lineout????

Rory Best seemed a little rusty yesterday? Has he been out recently? Hope he gets back to his dynamic best in time for B&I Lions

He didn't play in either of the games over Christmas but I can't remember if he had a knock in the Leinster game.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:Rory Best seemed a little rusty yesterday? Has he been out recently? Hope he gets back to his dynamic best in time for B&I Lions

Indeed he's been rested. Part of the reason why I'm not such a fan of the IRFU Player Management Scheme, it often curtails players form. Rory Best last played on the 21st of December versus Leinster, where he was his usual excellent self.

He is then rested for three weeks and looks rusty on his return. I guess its more about looking for him to peak for the Six Nations. I wouldn't be worried about his form though, not after a longish break. We'll see how he goes in Castres next week.

I didn't think Best was that bad, other than his lineout work, although that was also in part down to missing Muller out there. Ulster will need him back and firing by the QF's if they are to mount serious assault on this competition.

I don't have a massive issue with kilcoyne getting a shot over court if that logic was applied across the board. We will need to bring through a new generation soon so I understand kilcoynes getting gametime as he has been playing well.

However the continued selection of O'Gara flies in the face of this so I'm not sure what exactly it is down to. If kilcoyne continues his selection then surely Henderson over DOC is a good shout?

Anyway I'm digressing. For next week I would rest Williams, bring in Wilson, bring in McComb and switch Henderson to 6. Marshall to 9 as well. In fairness I think McComb and Marshall have deserved their shots in an HEC game and I don't think we will lose anything.

Ozzy3213 wrote:I didn't think Best was that bad, other than his lineout work, although that was also in part down to missing Muller out there. Ulster will need him back and firing by the QF's if they are to mount serious assault on this competition.

Yeah, he is our single most indispensable player. He SHOULD be fit for April.

Just realized Muller is out for 8 weeks, I thought it was 6 (as of early December)

Should be no problem having him back for the knockouts.

Just thought Id throw in my 2p's worth as an ulster fan....

Was delighted with the win in such terrible conditions. To have qualified with a game in hand is a great achievement.

Scrum seems to be going from strength to strength and despite some pathetic gripping elsewhere I'm still delighted with our half backs this season. Feel Henderson needs to be in playing in the backrow at this stage of his career. Him, Henry and the man mountain try machine Williams is a potent combination.

The injuries picked up are certainly a concern. Paddy Jackson has a sprained ankle, not too serious, but may still keep him out next week. Payne clearly not 100 per cent. He limped out of the team run this week, was surprised he played, but having got through this week, he will probably be nursed through to next weeks game before getting a rest. Williams looked in very bad shape and I've also heard a whisper Best may be out of next weeks game. With Ferris, Muller, Bowe, Marshall, Touhy already out its a little concerning.

I agree, but Diack is calling the lineouts right now. So we need him. For next week I'd rest Jackson and Williams, if they are fit, due to injuries sustained.

1. Tom Court
2. Rory Best
3. John Afoa
4. Lewis Stevenson
5. Iain Henderson
6. Robbie Diack
7. Chris Henry (c)
8. Roger Wilson
9. Paul Marshall
10. Ruan Pienaar
11. Craig Gilroy (if fit)
12. Paddy Wallace
13. Darren Cave
14. Andrew Trimble
15. Jared Payne

I thought Diack played very well yesterday. He made a fair few carries, some big hits and looks a lot more robust this season. His line-out work was also essential. I don't think he should be dropped.

Goods points. As you say, Diack is running the line-outs and playing well so will play. Maybe play him in the row as he did in Italy to allow Henderson to play 6. I just feel Henderson gives a little more dynamism both in defense and attack than Diack.

Notch wrote:I agree, but Diack is calling the lineouts right now. So we need him. For next week I'd rest Jackson and Williams, if they are fit, due to injuries sustained.

1. Tom Court
2. Rory Best
3. John Afoa
4. Lewis Stevenson
5. Iain Henderson
6. Robbie Diack
7. Chris Henry (c)
8. Roger Wilson
9. Paul Marshall
10. Ruan Pienaar
11. Craig Gilroy (if fit)
12. Paddy Wallace
13. Darren Cave
14. Andrew Trimble
15. Jared Payne

Looks good to me, strong team that can get a result whilst not risking anyone unnecessarily.

But then Diack doesn't do the work in the tight that Henderson does either. Diack is an out and out backrow- at least Hendo can scrum in the row and jump in the middle of a lineout.

Will we have Payne or Gilroy next week?

Missed the match due to work but congrats to Ulster and their fans. Its been a brilliant last couple of seasons. You will take some beating this year

MrsP wrote:Will we have Payne or Gilroy next week?

God I hope so.....Gilroy we could just about manage without as Allen is a very solid young player. Payne on the other hand has become as important as Pienaar.

Well without Payne we don't have another registered fullback so I hope so

Is Nelson injured?

I've lost track. I know McIlroy played at 15 for the Ravens yesterday.

They aren't registered in the heineken cup squad are they?

Wait I'm wrong Nelson is registered

Nelson is but I wondered if McIlroy was playing 15 because Nelson was injured. I just can't remember. We've had so many recently.

No idea but I still hope Payne is ok because he is incredibly important to us. If Nelson is not injured throwing him in v Castres away would be a huge task but if it has to be done.

Still, you'd think he would have been named for the Ravens if he was fit, no?

I think he is injured.

He started the game at Parc Y Scarlets but I can't remember seeing him since.

Nelson is injured.

Is he Ginger McGinger?

he is our flame haired fullback

Thought so.

With the results this weekend so far, I can't see us getting a home quarter final. Even if we managed to win with a bonus point, we will struggle. Where are we likely to go - even with a round to go?

Clermont.

That's comforting:)

Well if we win and get a bonus point we would finish at least 5th and in that case would draw Leciester if we won and got the bonus that is the team that would knock us out of 4th. If we just win then its a lottery and same iof we lose

You've got to beat all comers from now on if you want to win the thing. If the Scarlets lose again it may be Leicester or Toulon.

I will work it out when I see what we do next week, all we can do now is our best. If we want to win the tournament we have to beat these teams sometime. SUFTUM

Shame we we had a 'strange' performance against the Saints at home. I know they had a point to prove after the first game, but we should have planned for a backlash. Not being negative, but a home Qf would be slightly easier to enjoy, if that's possible.

Well it would be better off course but I believe we can beat anyone on our day with our squad fit.