Castres V Ulster match thread

[neilthom7]

First topic message reminder :

So we are into the final round of group matches and this Saturday 19th January at 1.35pm Castre will take to the field V Ulster. Now Ulster are already guaranteed to qualify from the group and Castre are out but there is plenty riding on this for Ulster namely a home QF. If Ulster were to win and get the try bonus point they would definitely get a home Quarter final anything else and then it is down to other teams results as well. The biggest thing for Ulster will be to avoid any QF trips to France. The biggest worry for Ulster going into the match is now a big injury list. It is possible Ulster if all of their doubtful players don't make it will not be able to field 3 backs on the bench. So what are your predictions guys?
The match will be on Sky Sports 3 and I will update this thread with teams as we know them.

Ulster
(15-9): Gilroy; Trimble, Cave, Wallace, Allen; Pienaar, Marshall;
(1-8): Court, Best, Afoa, Stevenson, McComb, Diack, Henry (capt), Wilson;
Replacements (16-23): Herring, Black, Fitzpatrick, Henderson, McComish, Heaney, Jackson, Cochrane.

Castres
P Bernard, M Evans, S Bai, R Lamerat, M Garvey, R Tales, R Kockott; Y Forestier, M-A Rallier, A Peikrishvili, M Rolland, C Samson, M Babillot, P Faasalele, P Wannenburg.

Replacements: B Mach, S Taumoepeau, M Lazar, I Tekori, T Lacrampe, J Bornman, P Bonnefond, M Andreu.

[Portnoy's Complaint]

All will be better once the working class dross have been moved out, the estates bulldozed and gentrified and the middle classes move into their apartments and mews surely?

Like when they've finally tarmaced the Causeway and built a Hilton on it so the Yanks can have easy access to the Nike golf course.

I feel sympathy for the working classes of both sides of the divide.
From over here - Removed, distant and sanitised by the BBC and political spinners weaving their toxic webs.

That's probably why I support the Palestinians as well.

[MrsP]

Not what most of us have felt when the eejits have been out stopping good honest middleclass folks from getting to their rugby matches!!!!



Anyway. I hear it's raining a bit and quite breezy in Castres.

[Notch]

I do feel sympathy for the working class people in these areas MrsP. The vast, vast majority have not been involved in protests and many have been involved in largely peaceful protests- difficulty getting to a rugby match is absolutely nothing compared with what vulnerable pensioners and others living around the Short Strand, Templemore Avenue etc. have had to deal with these past six weeks. Make no mistake, the biggest victims of this are people living in inner city East Belfast.

Why on earth this discussion must be framed in a Castres vs Ulster thread is utterly beyond me!

Portnoys, at this point I would say if you have any questions about these issues please start a thread in the off-topic section, frame them respectfully and link to it if you wish to discuss this rather than having discussions taking place in threads which should be rugby orientated.

[MrsP]

Eh...

Notch...

It was a joke.

[Don Alfonso]

In fairness, I introduced the dreaded topic of Politics as I believe it has a bearing on why keeping Pienaar would yield disproportionately great rewards.

[MrsP]

Yeah,

It was Don's fault. Give out to him!

[Don Alfonso]

Hey! My point was at least vaguely rugby-related!

SUFTUM!!!!

[Notch]

It's not exactly easy to do irony in purely typed communication! Best avoided. You do across as being entirely serious, even though I know you in person

[Notch]

Hey! My point was at least vaguely rugby-related!

SUFTUM!!!!

Either way, this is all about Ulster vs Castres- come on the Ulstermen! First 20 minutes and first points need to go our way!

[MrsP]

Absolutely!

SUFTUM!!!!

[Don Alfonso]

Just texted "DUFTUM!" to a mate and my phone auto-corrected it! It's a sign!

'MOOOOOOOOOON ULSTEEEEEERRRRRRR!!!

[Cari]

Afternoon All

Room for a shameless bandwagoner?

[Cari]

Goooo Nigey!

I like the Ulster shirts...they look Welsh...Nigel will like that

[Portnoy's Complaint]

Why is Castres not a quagmire?
It's only a stone's throw from Biarritz.

Ugly town though by French standards.

[Notch]

Afternoon All

Room for a shameless bandwagoner?

Always!

Our kicking game and linespeed in defence has been poor to start.

[Cari]

Good work from the Ulster forwards.

[Notch]

Great opportunity missed. But we seem to be scrummaging very well, penalised that time but they are under pressure early on.

[Notch]

Our defence is very sluggish. We look sluggish in general.

[Cari]

Argh no. Castres 12 is over with the opening score.

The wind takes the conversion kick wide. 5-0.

[Notch]

The bigger concern for me is that we've messed up two first phase opportunities in their 22 with unforced errors. We need to be pushing the ball deep and making our tackles on the gainline. Then we can grind out the pens.

[Cari]

Right I had to change streams, so I missed something, it's 5-3 at 13 minutes on my screen.

[neilthom7]

Pienaar doing his usual 41m penalty kicking just Cari

[Cari]

Oh thanks Neilly. I'm trying to cook my dinner at the same time too.

Castres in a good attacking position again. Mon Ulster!

[Notch]

Two out of three lineouts not straight!

Errors are killing us. You can't give them the ball because they love holding onto it and they are not an easy side to disrupt. Their ball retention is excellent so we can't afford to be careless with possession like this.

We can't be playing like this if we have aspirations in this tournament. We have been poor in almost every facet bar the scrum.

[Cari]

Paddy!

[Notch]

Not making our tackles. Come on!!

[neilthom7]

Some very poor tackling from our backs

[Glas a du]

Paddy!

Don't you start

[neilthom7]

I think Owens is going to send a Castres player to the bin if this cynical play continues

[JmD]

That has to be a card, professional foul

[Cari]

Penalty try coming?

[neilthom7]

Got to be a penalty try here

[neilthom7]

Oh Ulster

[JmD]

100% wrong. Castres didn't engage.

[Cari]

Buggger!

[neilthom7]

Diack to 8 then, Wilson looked like he was hurt by that guy coming round of the scrum a few scrums ago

[Notch]

I'm fine with that, except in the last few weeks I've seen penalty tries given for far less.

[thebluesmancometh]

Is it just me or is an effective pick and go the most exciting thing ever! Ulster have just made about 10 really hard yads through 4/5 plays, not a great yardage, not very clever in a effort to reward ratio but as a forward and a back watching your tight 5 going forward forward forward rumbling on you just get a whack of a pick me up!!!

Ive played at Lock and backrow, and the pick and go that rumbles on and on makes you get to your feet quicker, want more, and buoys you massively.

Ive also played 9 and centre and taking those staeps on and on as your forwards do the hard yards is so exciting!!!

IMHOP Ulster have this as a huge weapon and prob don't do so enough, everytime they get a pick and go phase on they produce something soon after, they should do this a few times more, Castres are clearly outmuscled!!!

[neilthom7]

Well played Allen

[Cari]

Great tackle!

Hope Wilson's not seriously injured.

[neilthom7]

Our lineout has gone to Poopie

[Notch]

Muller would make such a huge difference here. That was confusion in the call that time as well as a possible overthrow. No-one went up.

[Notch]

4 lineout turnovers in Castres 22. Only one lineout won!

[neilthom7]

I mean we have Diack and 3 second rows on the field, we have an Internationally experianced, world class Hooker and apparently we are confused by some French wind

[neilthom7]

Johan does not look happy I suspect he will have those guys back to lineout school next week

[Notch]

No, we have no experienced lineout operator on the pitch and it shows!

[Golden]

Afternoon folks,

When is Muller back?

[neilthom7]

Paul Marshall is doing the right things here

[Notch]

Thank God for the Three Musketeers!

[Cari]

Pienaar kicks a third for Ulster but it goes wide.

HT 8-6

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