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

Personally I blame O'Connell lol

They say it was why Jerry Flannery had to retire. He'd used up the entire Munster supply. The injury was just a smoke screen. All those trips up here to use the Zero Gravity Treadmill at the Sports Institute were just a cover. He had heard that Smith had hidden some in the hope of returning to Ulster some day but he could never find it.

Sad really.

That's why he never has a good word to say about Ulster. Some think it's because everyone now realises that Best is better than he ever was, but it's really because of the dye.

Lets hope no one else finds it I was at UUJ the other day and there were some suspiciously blond people on the rugby team up there was never like that in my days there

It's out there somewhere Neil!

You didn't hear it from me but think the final scene in Indianna Jones and Lost Arc? Is that the name of it.

The one where the bad guy melts!

Remember the big storage place?

That was no Arc of the Covenant in thon crate!

When I was there we were all sensible no bleachers just ask my former teammates there Ali Birch and Alan Whitten

How is Alan Whitten doing?

I only just talked to him there the other day because before that I hadn't seen him in a long time, He was looking well, he hasn't changed his personality a bit very positive and always joking

Great to hear he's doing well.

Did he go back to the Academy?

I honestly couldn't tell you, didn't want to ask too much having not seen him for like 2 years.

I wouldn't be surprised if he decided professional rugby was not the best thing for him.

Good to hear he's well though.

No indeed you couldn't blame him, he is a very big personality though and certainly capable of doing it. Whatever he does I just wish him the best of health

Good to see Anscombe talks sense http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/21013214 Shane Horgan and others can do one. Shane Horgan may have been a good player that doesn't mean he knows anything about coaching, he definitely doesn't work with those guys every day. Also when Shane made his debut for Leinster what if he had a dip and wasn't scoring tries he was doing everything else but not scoring tries because Paddy has been playing pretty well except some of his kicking and tbh I think that's down to the fact he hasn't really recovered from his injury.

Nick Williams is out for 8 weeks - I think we all knew he wasn't going to be available for Castres. At least he should be back for the knockouts though and hopefully his form won't be to badly affected.

Yeah it's a pity because he has very quickly become an Ulster folk hero luckily we have a quality player in Roger Wilson to replace, the amount of injuries now though is worrying

Paddy Jackson and Craig Gilory are 'hopeful' for this weekend against Castres, if we had them two back it would take a bit of the sting out. If we could even have those 2 and Payne for Saturday I would be a lot more hopeful.

neilthom7 wrote:Yeah it's a pity because he has very quickly become an Ulster folk hero luckily we have a quality player in Roger Wilson to replace, the amount of injuries now though is worrying

6 MOTM awards this season says it all.....

Muller and Tuohy should be back before the next game on the 8th February. Get to castres, get the win (I can't see 4 tries being achievable) and make sure we at worst have to travel to London and not the south of France

MrsP wrote:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_kilkenny/11761630/

Phfwoooorrrr. I would! Keep him away from Cari

Yeah agree Stand we just got to avoid a bad away trip to France in the Quarter if we can do that I think with some guys back and others fitter and readier we can take any of the teams we get drawn. We need to manage our players over the 6 nations period just if we do that we will be flying

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

MrsP wrote:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_kilkenny/11761630/

Phfwoooorrrr. I would! Keep him away from Cari

That's a picture of BOD....I've never fancied him, especially not with his bouffant hair.

No with Bowe out I think we need a protective force fro Gilroy and Trimble as long as Cari is in the country lol

Cari wrote:

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:

MrsP wrote:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peter_kilkenny/11761630/

Phfwoooorrrr. I would! Keep him away from Cari

That's a picture of BOD....I've never fancied him, especially not with his bouffant hair.

Is that what you call that?

Not that fussy myself. I might even stoop to Tommy Bowe. Although he is about 6" taller so it wouldn't technically be stooping.

I've been a bit tied up, and I almost forgot to congratulate Ulster for winning the Pool in the Heineken Cup. They are a seriously good team and I think have as good a shot any any of the teams still in it. I think I am now officially on the Ulster bandwagon for the rest of the season.

My Saints had their opportunities and will most likely come up just a bit short. But they played well, the fought the fight and defended the faithful in that match in Belfast, and again last weekend.

Toulouse, Toulon, and Clermont are seriously good too, as are Harlequins and Saracens. I really can't recall a year when there seemed to me to be so much real quality with so little separating the teams in the knock-outs. This was a good Heineken Cup (with a week to go) but I think we are in for terrific knock-out stages. And whichever team which wins will truly have earned it.

Think Doc Grey you can add Leinster to that list now they are coming back to form,

Ulster, Leinster, Clermont and Toulon are the real challangers for me,

Toulouse, Harlequins and Saracens could do it as well,

Bad news is Leinster have had thier injury crisis, suffered in League, and maybe will just sneak into knock outs, and if they have should build from here.

For us our injury crisis is ongoing, at a critical time as well, hopefully we'll be over it as best we can, in time tobuild some momentium for the knock-outs, as cant afford slip ups there

Thanks for the wishes Grey.

Your lot could still get there if you beat Glasgow and some of the other second placed teams lose, right?

That single point defeat to you at Ravenhill could seriously come back to bite us from the point of view of a not travelling for a quarter.

Set for an exciting weekend!!!