Ulster v Cardiff

First topic message reminder :

Diack and Henry set to get their 100th caps.

Good to see Doyle back, he looked promising enough at the beginning of the season.


Forwards (16)? Johann Muller, Callum Black, John Afoa, Robbie Diack, Iain Henderson, Declan Fitzpatrick, Dan Tuohy, Ricky Lutton, Rory Best, Mike McComish, Lewis Stevenson, Chris Henry, Nick Williams, Tom Court, Sean Doyle, Rob Herring;

Backs (11)? Michael Allen, Ruan Pienaar, Paddy Jackson, Paul Marshall, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe, Jared Payne, Peter Nelson, Craig Gilroy, Stuart Olding.

rodders wrote:Must be an issue between Best and Gatland.

Best seems to be behind Ford as well.

The fact that Gatland didn't contact best at all, but did with Robshaw show he isn't in high regard with the selectors.

I actually rate Hartley and think Youngs is the elephant in the room.

Hartley isn't a bad player just not a very nice guy on the field, maybe being a Kiwi gave him the edge but Best does everything the other three do just as well if not better and more

But sure none of the players knew before the announcement on TV. The problem for Best was that there is no Irish voice in the coaching setup, and the staff as a whole seem to have a very short memory when it comes to selection, unless you are Jamie Heaslip and Dan Lydiate. Rowntree cleared wanted the two English lads even though neither is good enough to displace the other. Hibbard is a fine choice and will be a good player for the Lions. Depending on how the team is set up then they could do with a ball carrying hooker and someone like Healy if you pick Tipuric and Warburton in the back row. But to suggest to Best that he is the fifth best hooker available to the Lions is laughable. He has been the outstanding hooker over the course of the season.

Hookisms and Hyperbole wrote:But sure none of the players knew before the announcement on TV.

Tommy Bowe knew from the week before and said he had to keep it a secret.

Best made the ERC longlist,
people say it was his darts that let him down, and ok Ulster's line out and Ireland in the 6 nations wasn't the best this year, but Ulster had the Best line out last year in the H-cup. To put the decline of it all on one player isn't right. Jumpers lifters timing and the call have to be right, throwing it is just a part of it.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/rory-best-finally-set-for-lions-callup-29229096.html

But Best is in a good place. He has a good personal record in direct opposition to England’s Dylan Hartley, whose disciplinary record is a huge disadvantage to him. And although converted centre Tom Youngs has done remarkably well since switching to the middle of the front row as recently as 2009, he does not have anything like the nous Best has accumulated in a lifetime in that key position. When it comes to Test-level experience, Best is the man.

Nor will Scotland’s Ford come back to haunt him a second time.

Hibbard is 29, Best is 30. The Ospreys hooker stands 6ft tall; his Ulster rival is a year older, an inch shorter and a few pounds lighter.

As a scrummager, Best is exactly that – the best. His breakdown play is exemplary, too, as is his discipline. And his tackle-count bears scrutiny alongside that of any front-five forward.

So is there a flaw? Yes, his line-out throwing. That is his Achilles heel.

Nevertheless, he will be on the plane to Australia, as will Ulster team-mate Tommy Bowe.

Lets be honest; Ross Ford being ahead of Best would be ludicrous, and any rumours that he is are surely chinese whispers for that reason.

rodders wrote:

Hookisms and Hyperbole wrote:But sure none of the players knew before the announcement on TV.

Tommy Bowe knew from the week before and said he had to keep it a secret.

He said in his interview on Tuesday that he found out from Darren Cave as he was coming of the training pitch

Evenin' All,

I'm doing my multi tasking special tonight - Ulster on this PC and O's on the telly.

Meanwhile, I've seen something very cute at Ulster...you always do this to me!

Spoiler:

I WANT ONE!!!!

Andy Ward didn't hold back on his thoughts about Best not makign the Lions squad anyways

Did I hear right...? NO TOMMY?!

Ah yes i did...it's Cardiff's Lions who aren't about. Pheeeeoooow.

neilthom7 wrote:Andy Ward didn't hold back on his thoughts about Bets not makign the Lions squad anyways

Did you see the crowd banner Neilly? "BALDY BEST IS STILL THE MANE MAN IN OUR PRIDE" Very clever...

I did see that well we are known for our wit apparently lol

Have they put the pitch camera on a dog's back or what?

Notice how the camera steamed up when Tommy walked past...

Haha I dunno maybe maybe lol lets go lads C'MON ULSTERRR

Yeah gwaaan Ulster...

Good run by Tommy, almost lost his shorts in the process!!!

I was at this reverse fixture when Ulster romped away with the win, and Tommy scored twice.

Crowd making their thoughts very clear about Rory Best lol

Pratchell? I think you mean Patchell...and it's the Blues not Cardiff...the valleys fans won't like that...

neilthom7 wrote:Crowd making their thoughts very clear about Rory Best lol

Yeah they love him...

oh dear thatw as very poor defence there

Don't worry Ulster...that'll probably be the only try from the Blues...

Nice try

Lewis Jones is improving all the time

Prince Harry kicks the conversion it's 0-7 at 4:53.

Ospreys and Scarlets conceeded a try at the same time the Blues scored one.

Great scrum great scrum

Blues scrum destroyed....what a surprise

What sort of a knob whistled there get away to f out of our stadium if you cannot observe our traditions of silence

wales606 wrote:Ospreys and Scarlets conceeded a try at the same time the Blues scored one.

O's are going to get a pasting by the looks, Leinster really on the attack.

Shame Pienaar missed that...I'm sure the phantom whistler will get the blame...

Oh dear Cardiff.

hahahaha, hopeless.

...aaah! Sweet Karma...Pienaar intercepts and scores!

yeah Pienaar go on ahead son that will put the whistling out of whoever that was.

Harry Robinson should not be near the Blues game, let alone Wales

Is that the rugby equivalent of an own goal?

Ulster look sloppy so far.

Welcome to The Rory Best Show...

Yeah Notch agreed trying to play too much rugby too soon need to just be a bit more patient

Some fantastic distances on the Ulster kicks.

Panic on the streets of Belfast...Rory is injured.

He's OK...would've been blydi cruel if it was anything worse.

Cardiff are getting murdered in the scrums

Blues backrow and B.Davies are doing very well

Hamiltom stepping up, and Navidi maintaining his excellent standards.

I keep forgetting Patchell is still 19 - he is younger than the Scarlets Owen Williams and he now has 150pts in the league.

Such a talent, we need to give him a platform to play with

Leinster have scored another try...O's have yet to get anything.

oh dear big John is off, Deccie Fitz is on

Yeah Wales, he could be a Welsh ten of the future.

I really dislike Ryan Constable- he's a cheerleader. He's talking about Ulster 'asserting dominance' when we're three points down, making lots of basic errors and not crossing the gain line

We are not playing well at all here.

I hope someone sitting close to that fella tells him to shut up, I hate people who come to a ground and can't respect that teams tradition, if you want to act like a tool go watch football. Good job by Pienaar but again another mistake by Ulster we need to cut them out

Scarlets 9-10 Treviso
Leinster 14-0 Ospreys
Edinburgh 19-7 Dragons
Connacht 0-10 Glasgow
Zebre 25-27 Munster