Edinburgh vs. Ulster (22 March)

Does anyone know if this game is going to be televised?

Ta

Not in the UK by the look of things

http://edinburghrugby.org/fixtures

Balls to that! Had arranged to meet a few mates and watch it in the pub. Ah well.

You'll have to come to Murrayfield!!

Will increase the attendance 20% if you bring 5 guys along!

The more the merrier. Am thinking of initiating a whip round to see if we can raise enough to cover the early termination of Francis' and Atiga's contracts....

Extended Ulster squad to face Edinburgh in the RaboDirect PRO12, Friday 22nd March, Murrayfield, 7.30pm;

Forwards (14)

Neil McComb, Callum Black, John Afoa, Robbie Diack, Mike McComish, Dan Tuohy, Lewis Stevenson, Johann Muller, Nick Williams, Rob Herring, Niall Annett, Ricky Lutton, Tom Court, Nigel Brady

Backs (11)

Ricky Andrew, Jared Payne, Michael Allen, Paul Marshall, Peter Nelson, Michael Heaney, Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Niall O’Connor


Additionally, apparently it'll be on the BBC NI website.

1) Court
2) Herring
3) Afoa
4) Tuohy
5) Stevenson (doubt Muller will actually be ready)
6) Diack
7) McComish
8) Williams
9) Marshall
10) Jackson
11) Allen
12) Olding
13) Cave
14) Trimble
15) Payne

Bench:
16) Black
17) Annett
18) Lutton
19) McComb
20) some random passer-by
21) Heaney
23) Andrew
23) Nelson

with Olding covering flyhalf. Much better starting 15, but we are still in bare bones territory. Muller on bench just so we have 23 players?

3 hookers named in 14 forwards points to Muller in the squad.

You will have a lot of 2nd rows covering the back row.

15 and 23 jerseys between Andrew Nelson and Payne. Obviously gives Payne an out if he is not quite ready

Tuohy can pass as a blindside in very low light.

If we need to do any more jiggery-pokery between the second row and back row than that, we're in real difficulties.

If we accept Mike McComish at 7 then 4, 5, 6, 19 & 20 have to come from this group who have all played in the 2nd row this season

Dan Tuohy
Lewis Stevenson
Neil McComb
Robbie Diack
Johann Muller

PS I notice the lengths you have gone to, to exclude NOC from the squad

Do you blame us?

The question for me is can Edinburgh deprive Ulster of a bonus point.

Frankly that's what this comes down to.

It looks as though Muller is being lined up for a short cameo off the bench. McComb has played more backrow that Tuohy this season so he will be covering lock and backrow.

funnyExiledScot wrote:The question for me is can Edinburgh deprive Ulster of a bonus point.

Frankly that's what this comes down to.

I think respectability and the impression that the players actually want to be there would be a good start!

RDW_Scotland wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:The question for me is can Edinburgh deprive Ulster of a bonus point.

Frankly that's what this comes down to.

I think respectability and the impression that the players actually want to be there would be a good start!

That's the minimum lads. If you can knock them over in a nasty, tiring 8 nil victory that would be great.

The Great Aukster wrote:It looks as though Muller is being lined up for a short cameo off the bench. McComb has played more backrow that Tuohy this season so he will be covering lock and backrow.

Spot on - Muller and McComb on the bench is almost certain.
Brady will miss out.
Not sure who the back would be to miss it - if up to me NOC.
Nelson can cover wing and Allen can cover centre, Olding covers 10.

Olding at 12 and Allen on the wing with Payne at 15

Expect Henry, Pienaer and Muller to start next week alongside Best, Gilroy and Marshall.

RDW_Scotland wrote:

funnyExiledScot wrote:The question for me is can Edinburgh deprive Ulster of a bonus point.

Frankly that's what this comes down to.

I think respectability and the impression that the players actually want to be there would be a good start!

I think notions of respectability went out the window a long time ago.

The weather might be truly horrific on Friday if the forecasts are anywhere near accurate, which will play into the hands of our brutal pack.....oh, hang on.....

Might be one for Gregor Hunter to start. He and Tonks can agree to simply kick the ball as far as they can (in any direction) each time they get it. That would at least be entertaining to watch.

It's time we started bullying the fat kid as well. He's big, he's round, in defence he can't be found, Ben Atiiiiiga, Ben Atiiiiiga.....I'm going to work on that.....

So it looks like our injury list has dwindled to McAllister, Fitzpatrick, Macklin, Ferris, Henderson, Henry, Doyle, Wilson, Bowe, Wallace, Marshall, Farrell, D'Arcy!

Yee-ha!

To be honest, with so many players coming back from injury and so much upheaval, I'd say Edniburgh will deny us the the BP.

Weather looks horrendous on Friday night - sleet and high winds.

Probably gonna give this one a miss....!

Someone mentioned on Facebook this will be on the BBC website. Any other news regarding coverage?

See the 2nd post from me on the thread - Edinburgh website says no TV coverage so it is very unlikely.

It will be on BBC radio Scotland probably.

Stephen Watson said to someone on Twitter it will be on BBC online... if they are bothering to record and broadcast it live, I'm not sure why at least BBC NI aren't showing it on TV

I'll probably go along to the game if I can escape work on time.

Glutton for punishment I am.

Hopefully some of the Scotland lads can feature. I really really don't want to see Piers Francis and Ben Atiga at 10 and 12.....

Edinburgh don't have many games left so I'd hope there aren't calls to rest players

RDW_Scotland wrote:Edinburgh don't have many games left so I'd hope there aren't calls to rest players

Do we rest players at Edinburgh? I thought the stated policy was to drop players as soon as they showed glimpses of form!

Edinburgh could benefit from a new coach bounce though, interim coaches so everyone eager to impress.

Ulster still recovering from massive injury crisis and adding Marshall, Henderson and Pienaar to the list hardly helping things. We're threadbare and have been in poor form.

Ulster with no BP is my honest prediction.

Looks like Muller to start at least that is what the white smoke is saying.

Have to say I am slightly surprised - and nervous that they may be rushing him back.

Can't believe they would rush it given we still have another game before the QF. Surely Williams is to start. A McComb, McComish and Diack backrow is the stuff of nightmares given their form

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/ulster-are-braced-for-worst-on-henderson-1-4915044

More injury woe. This is different to Ireland, we're weakened to the point where our options are severely limited. I don't think we have the good in the back row for Saracens if we don't get Henry back to full fitness at least. Similarly, am concerned about potentially missing Wallace AND Marshall at 12.

Once again, I'm concerned we're stuck in a vicious cycle of injury. We've been rushing guys back and asking them to play through injury against our better judgment and there have been a lot of aborted comebacks injury wise.

Notch wrote:am concerned about potentially missing Wallace AND Marshall at 12.

A concern for the Sarries game definitely, but don't lose sleep over this fixture. Assuming Matt Scott is rested, the Edinburgh 12 will be a chap called Ben Atiga.

When he trundles onto the pitch, you'll probably think he's front row. He isn't, he's our inside centre. Former All Black and IRB Young Player of the Year no less.

He's a one dimensional crash ball merchant with the stamina to play for about 15 minutes. Thereafter you'll see him wandering around the pitch hitching up his shorts, being distracted by the steakhouse stall at the side of the pitch.

Provided your inside centre can tackle, you'll be fine. If he can run relatively quickly, you'll make hay.

Yeah I was talking about the Saracens game- no offence!

Obviously I'd like to have more players available for this one too, but given the form of Edinburgh this season injuries offer little in the way of excuses should we lose.

I'm glad to see Scottish rugby fans are as sunny and optimistic as they always have been- we should have a couple of guys short on match practice too though. From an Edinburgh PoV, this is a good time to be playing Ulster.

Anyway, Atiga will need to be sharp to catch the young Stuart Olding then; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1hlTNMJFgA

Notch wrote: From an Edinburgh PoV, this is a good time to be playing Ulster.

From the ‘only won 4 games all season, players shot of confidence, new coaching team who have limited experience of coaching a pro club’ PoV yeah??

We are a dour bunch – but we every reason to be with Edinburgh!

RDW_Scotland wrote:

Notch wrote: From an Edinburgh PoV, this is a good time to be playing Ulster.

From the ‘only won 4 games all season, players shot of confidence, new coaching team who have limited experience of coaching a pro club’ PoV yeah??

We are a dour bunch – but we every reason to be with Edinburgh!

When would you rather have played us? When we had a full squad and beat all 11 Pro12 teams consecutively? Or now, when we have a lot of injuries and our form has led us into frittering a massive lead?

I'd frankly rather we skipped all games against Irish provinces, with the exception of Connacht (we can usually squeak a LBP against them at home).

In case the Ulster fans haven't noticed - we're pretty downbeat just now! Edinburgh haven't won a game in 2013, and we only saw 4 wins in the first half of the season, and only 2 at home...

Injuroies have been a problem but tbh Ulster coaches are to blame as well as they have been rushin guys back only for htem to get injured again those were games we should have sacrificed for future good now we are paying for it, lessons need to be learnt from this if they are not then it will only continue.

Neil need some names there - a big claim.
Please back it up with examples

Tuohy maybe but other than that who are you talking about.
We took a risk with Payne to beat Glasgow but my understanding is the match did not make his groin strain any worse.

On a happier note Henderson not as bad as first feared - should be back early April

Well, Edinburgh team announced. Just so our opposition fans can get in their routine pre-match depressive wails

15 Greig Tonks
14 Lee Jones
13 Dougie Fife
12 Ben Atiga
11 Tom Brown

10 Piers Francis
9 Sean Kennedy

1 Allan Jacobsen
2 Steven Lawrie
3 Willem Nel
4 Grant Gilchrist
5 Sean Cox CAPTAIN
6 Stuart McInally
7 Ross Rennie
8 Netani Talei

Substitutes
16 Ross Ford
17 John Yapp
18 Geoff Cross
19 Perry Parker
20 Hamish Watson
21 Richie Rees
22 Harry Leonard
23 Tim Visser

Thats a pretty good front row they've got on the bench. Ulster to follow.

Ross Rennie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I might actually go to the game now, purely becuase Ross Rennie is finally back. Plus it is no longer meant to be pishin doon with gale force winds!

Interesing that Sean Kennedy is straight in at 9 and Piers Francis has been chosen at 10?

That really is a beast of a bench we've got - massive amount of grunt to call upon there.

Slightly more optimistic now!

Ulster name makeshift back row, but at least Nick Williams is back and on the bench.

(15-9): J. Payne, A Trimble, D Cave, S Olding, M Allen, P Jackson, P Marshall;
(1-8): T Court, R Herring, J Afoa, J Muller, L Stevenson, D Tuohy, M McComish, R Diack;

Replacements (16-23) N Annett, C Black, R Lutton, N Williams, A Birch, M Heaney, R Andrew, P Nelson.

Who is S Olding? and M Allen?

Stuart Olding - very talented U20 player, plays along the backline: 10, 12, 13 and 15. Has scored some lovely tries from 12. Raw, but exciting.

Michael Allen - 21 year old. Plays centre or wing. Good, solid player at this stage and level. Strong in defense, likes to straighten the line.

Neither will let us down, I'd say. Olding might produce some magic.

Well Edinburgh have us beat in 2 areas

Backrow
Frontrow bench

We need to nullify those advanatages.
Olding,Cave and Payne will creat plenty of opportunities if they get the ball

Great to see Ross Rennie back in the squad - He's godzilla and the breakdown is Japan.

BBC ALBA, why aren't you televising this? Its not like Glasgow are playing at the same time!

Manky it's on the Red Button and online!

Good to see Rosco back, he's a classy player who's been very unlucky this season with injury.

Pack is decent, but the back row is slightly worrying. However,if we get ball to those backs... PJ, Olding, Cave, Payne...

RDW_Scotland wrote:Who is S Olding? and M Allen?

Olding:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1hlTNMJFgA