The Rabo Pro12 Final - RDS - 25th May - Leinster V Ulster

First topic message reminder :

Well, there's been little chat on here for Ulster fans lately, so I decided to create a thread to try an encourage some build up!

My wifes birthday is on friday, and I long ago booked myself to do some work in Galway that day. Naughty naughty Clive! To make up for it, I booked a long weekend for the missus and the wee man to come.

Then I realise when the Rabo Final is. Long story short, I've rearranged hotels, Travelling from Galway to Dublin hotel for the weekend, and got two tickets through the supporters club!

I'll be in the North Stand, and we are going to attempt to bring little Ruan in the baby carrier! Is that mad???

Anyways, I'll put team info in here when it becomes available.

I have this weird fantasy that keeps coming to me, that Ferris will surprisingly be fit and named after having been kept top secret! There has been no timescale on his current injury since February when they stated he would probably miss the season.

Will Luke Marshall be allowed to play?

Any injury worries?

Will Leinster care more about this game than they did the Amlin final? (Honestly, barely a smile at final whistle!)

Off thread, but looks like Hartley is out of the Lions for acting the chube. Maybe Best will be there after all. Just a little cheerful thought for those of us Ulster.

SUFTUM.

What happened to Fartley Munchkin?

Awh Tommy getting his runners up medal... Better than a kick in the nads.

Rory looks devastated....and is bleeding a lot!

Congratulations to Leinster. Worthy champions.

Cari wrote:What happened to Fartley Munchkin?

Abusing the ref

Munchkin wrote:

Cari wrote:What happened to Fartley Munchkin?

Abusing the ref

Well, there's no place for that sort of knobbery in the Lions. Pack your budgie smugglers Rory, you're off to Oz!

Munchkin wrote:Of thread, but looks like Hartley is out of the Lions for acting the chube. Maybe Best will be there after all. Just a little cheerful thought for those of us Ulster.

SUFTUM.

Ross Ford is on stand by I believe...

rodders wrote:

Munchkin wrote:Of thread, but looks like Hartley is out of the Lions for acting the chube. Maybe Best will be there after all. Just a little cheerful thought for those of us Ulster.

SUFTUM.

Ross Ford is on stand by I believe...

Ah, rodders, don't be spoiling it. Let me dream awhile

What a waste of booze!

I think it'll be a quiet night in Dublin then...

Well done Leinster.



The icing on the cake of my fantastic day was not to be.



Very proud of my team this season. What a season it has been!

MrsP wrote:Well done Leinster.



The icing on the cake of my fantastic day was not to be.



Very proud of my team this season. What a season it has been!

A consolatory MrsP. Ulster have had a superb season though considering the tragedy early on. Be proud of them, as they should be of themselves.

Good grief...Rory will need some Stain Devil to get all that blood out of the shirt!

Wally is telling Rory about Fartley...he's remaining very calm...

I love listening to Leo Cullen.

Cari wrote:I love listening to Leo Cullen.

Well it's much easier than looking at him.

Gutted. Well played Leinster. Deserved.

Another few cm travelled on the graph that is Ulster's upward trajectory.

SUFTUM

Those last few moments define what Leinster are all about now.

Jennings is at the very core of it all.

That's the Triple. B&I Cup, Amlin, and at long laaast Allah... the PRO12. And away from home too.
Permission to throw our Blue hats in the air Sir?

Me, Im havinasmugvictoriouswhank.

We are still the best team in the NH. No doubt.

Enjoy it Gib - it's well deserved. I'm happy to give you the clap:

The mainstay players came back into form at the crucial time and Dublin is a fortress. See you next year when Matawalu scores a 90m interception try against you for the win in the last 3 minutes.

From a neutral point of view it was a great game of rugby between the two best sides in the Rabo by far. I thought Ulster should have been ahead at half time, should have has a penalty at a scrum (not penalty try) and how did Diack butcher that scoring chance? In the second Leinster raised their game and just about deserved the win.

Leinster also had the rub of the refereeing decisions but I don't think either yellow was warrented. In the first the player on the floor (again) did not release so penalty could have gone the other way. I am still a bit confused about Nacewa's yellow, since when has grabbing a players jersey been illegal?

Shame for Ulster the best team over the season by far but pipped in the final.

Well done to Leinster. The game could easily have gone the other way and that represents a major step up for Ulster from last year's HEC final.

First thing to say is; congratulations to Leinster and your wonderful supporters. The atmosphere was incredible from both sets of fans. It was as much 50/50 in the ground in terms of noise as it was 50/50 between the teams on the pitch.

Game could have gone either way, but we missed our chances and Leinster took theirs. Simple as that. I think if Diack scored, we would have won. We could have and should have won at the end but another penalty given away killed our momentum. The penalty count was pretty decisive in not getting possession and position on the pitch, we didn't appear to play the ref well; I would have to watch the game again to give an unbiased assessment of Laceys performance because its impossible in that atmosphere to be unbiased. Certainly knowing how to get on the right side of the ref in big games is something champions need to do. It's a game we could and should have won- Leinster are the best team around at just coming out ahead in those 50/50s. You have to give them credit for that.

Every game like this makes us a little bit stronger. Next year the targets will be the same- win the Heineken Cup or Pro12 or both. We've shown enough this year to know we can do it.

Well done Leinster, looking forward to hosting you at Ravenhill again soon.

Notch wrote:Every game like this makes us a little bit stronger. Next year the targets will be the same- win the Heineken Cup or Pro12 or both. We've shown enough this year to know we can do it.

100% spot on Notch

I just wish we didn't give them so many soft points, good field position and easy outs from their half from penalties. We had them, we really do have this teams number when it comes to the forward battle, but for indiscipline. We were outsmarted at the breakdown and that is the experience and guile of Leinster at play.

I think we are 1% off winning a trophy and I expect to be involved at the business end again next year.

Notch wrote:I think we are 1% off winning a trophy and I expect to be involved at the business end again next year.

That's the key Notch, to keep putting ourselves at the business end of the season and in contention. Keep doing that and we'll get there!

We weren't outclassed today, just beaten.

SUFTUM.

Ozzy3213 wrote:Congratulations to Leinster. Worthy champions.

This.

Absolutely gutted, but fair play to Leinster. You are real champions. What a team.

Leinster play like a NZ franchise. They're such a great team, as are Ulster and I also expect them to be in the KO stages of Europe and the Rabo play-offs next season. Great final, how Ulster didn't get a try though I do not know !

Well done Leinster on the win, as for us well we played very poorly in the first half and give Leinster an early try although had Diack had a bit more sense we would have only been 3 points behind at the break. 2nd half we played much better but the amount of penalties we gave away beat us, there were far to many. Either way well done to Leinster you deserved the win and we will be back for that title next year.

I've stayed away from this one for a while. Not really a lot to add to some very good (and may I say very gracious) posts that are already here after the game.

All I'll really do at this point is add to neilthoms words and say if the tail end of this year represents more of the same next season then certainly Pro12 will be a brutally competitive league. If Ulster and Glasgow keep hitting as hard as they hit; if Munster start to regain some of their mojo, if Ospreys refind some of their rhythm, if even a side like Treviso keep creeping up and making the bigger sides fight harder and harder to beat them, and if Leinster don't fall away now dramatically, having lost two central playmakers and their coach, then we certainly have a League that will be one of the strongest and most physically attritional in Europe.

The only thing I'd be careful about is that if we find ourselves in the place of where AP was a few years ago. It felt it was the toughest League, with the best hard-edged rugby being played in Europe...but it wasn't excelling inEurope.

All sides in Pro12 that have the ability to go far in Europe; and there are, as Schmidt himself alluded to, about six or so of them - all of those sides should manage their seasons as best they can to fight hard in both League and Europe. Concentrating all resources to one above the other will have us navel-gaze our own League and take our eye off Europe.

Congratulations to Ulster for a game that had me on the absolute edge of my nerves and my seat! Down to the last seconds I always felt they had more than enough to hit back and ruin the dream of Leinster sending away three absolutely primary people on a high us Leinster people anyway felt they deserved. It was always much more than a title race to me. It was to say 'Thanks' to some very influencial people in the right way.

But after that game, and even though there were non-Irish qualified players giving their all to the game, Schmidt himself must have been smiling inside at the potential he now has when able to choose from Three (no four) Irish sides rather than just the one.

neilthom7 wrote:Well done Leinster on the win, as for us well we played very poorly in the first half and give Leinster an early try although had Diack had a bit more sense we would have only been 3 points behind at the break. 2nd half we played much better but the amount of penalties we gave away beat us, there were far to many. Either way well done to Leinster you deserved the win and we will be back for that title next year.

Love you Neil. In a manly way.

Most people enjoyed the game, even one or two none rugby fans I spoke to said it was a good game. The reason for that was the ref was blowing up for any illegal play. The players were very slow to cop on though and the ref was slow to book players. Henry should have gotten a definite yellow for his kick that time and Trimble also was a lucky boy, coming into the side of the ruck and shoulder charged Madigan into the head.

Leinster deserved the win, finally they got over the line. I think the ferocity of the hits showed how much both teams wanted to win. People knock the Pro 12 but its getting tougher every year.

SecretFly wrote:
But after that game, and even though there were non-Irish qualified players giving their all to the game, Schmidt himself must have been smiling inside at the potential he now has when able to choose from Three (no four) Irish sides rather than just the one.

He can't complain about having no options anyway! He will just have to wait a while to have options everywhere, until a few 9's and tightheads mature, like Moore, Furlong, Jack McGrath, Luke McGrath, Marmion etc.

Well done leinster.

Leinster have gone and proved that they remain the top province. Ulster have shown that they are close, very close to taking the Crown.

Most teams lose a few big games before they learn how to win them, Munster in 2 H-cup finals, Leinster in semi finals, Ulster have now had the H-cup final, the Q-final against saints and Saracens and the Pro 12 final. Thats the learning over now, next year its a chase for silverware.

Leinster will be pushed hard by Ulster next year again for who is the top team. Personally I believe that with this experience, and Leinster losing Sexton and Nacewa and a new coach being in charge, that it will swing to Ulster next year. One times for sure, whoever is top province next year will have to work very hard for it, and will be pushed all the way by the other Provinces.

If this is the last H-cup, I hope that we can bring it back to Ireland, so that whatever happens in future we can claim to be the European champions, and have the European trophy.

Kingshu wrote:Most teams lose a few big games before they learn how to win them, Munster in 2 H-cup finals, Leinster in semi finals, Ulster have now had the H-cup final, the Q-final against saints and Saracens and the Pro 12 final. Thats the learning over now, next year its a chase for silverware.

That's it. We now have a team strong enough to win trophies, they just need to do it. What sets Leinster apart is their ability to take their chances in big games, that's why they are such a champion side. We just need to break that duck and each season we are getting closer. We all are desperate for silverware but remember how far we have come in a few seasons .... how long ago does IHumphs penalty against Barritz to put us in the HEC QF feel now?...beating Bath in England? Huge achievements at the time.

We've hit some big milestones in recent season and the next step is to win a final. We are almost there. Everyone just needs to be patient and keep the faith with this quality group of players.

yeah I hope ulster push on. I would also like to see a core group of young Ulstermen like Henderson, Gilroy, Jackson etc. taking on leadership roles and maybe develop a legacy there.

What a game.

Weather was class, atmosphere was absolutely rocking and the game didn't disappoint. Maybe not one for the casual rugby fan, but purist would enjoy it, ferocious battles all over the pitch.

Commiserations to Ulster, very close to winning it at the end. I had the top chewed off my flag by the final whistle.

Haven't really contributed to this thread as was up North for the game (funny that).

A lot of good stuff written on this and I don't want to repeat it all apart from saying Ulster have improved hugely in 1 year and have such heart. The Ulster men should be very very proud.

A few things people didn't mention:

Cave: Had an outstanding game and comfortably outplayed O'Driscoll. For Diack's near miss on the try, Cave was outstanding at first receiver, dummy to inside man effectively destroyed the chance of the drift defence working then managed to pick out the right pass, wasn't that it was hard but identifying it would have been. Great feet during the game and his defence as always was excellent.

Heaslip: Is way back up there towards his best form. I did not enroll with the Heaslip is playing badly idea, I think he was actually hugely productive (DK and the backrow balance/realignment being what I consider the problem). He is so good at the breakdown and doesn't get fair due here, he and Jennings comfortably dealt with Henry and Best. Then in the carrying stakes he has really tried to regain his rangey athleticism.

Toner: Had a really bad September-January but since Feb he has been outstanding. Carries better than previously, has excellent handling skills and is outstanding at the modern set piece (Kick off reception). Does have weaknesses in his scrummaging but he in my opinion more than makes up for this with his work around the field. I believe that along with Tuohy and Henderson, he will be one of the younger second rows who come in after POC and Ryan move on (which is still a few years off hopefully).

BOD: Physically looks poor. Missed a few tackles, broke very few, looked anonymous on the ball, it is his defensive organisational skills and breakdown work that are making him a good player but in terms of his actual physical performance he needs to up it IMO, maybe the back spasms were still at him but Cave and Payne went round him too easily IMO

I thought Toner was excellent. Had a couple of huge collisions with Touhy, which shows how far he has come on physically as Touhy is one of the most powerful Irish locks. He was excellent in the lineout, as per expected.

Heaslip, just in time for the Lions, is back to his best.

Diack despite making a horlix of the try scoring chance, had a super game I thought. Bowe looked very sharp and Paddy Jackson had a great game.

Rory Best gave everything as always and there is no more deserving Lion.

A lot of good performance out there.

rodders wrote:I thought Toner was excellent. Had a couple of huge collisions with Touhy, which shows how far he has come on physically as Touhy is one of the most powerful Irish locks. He was excellent in the lineout, as per expected.

Heaslip, just in time for the Lions, is back to his best.

Diack despite making a horlix of the try scoring chance, had a super game I thought. Bowe looked very sharp and Paddy Jackson had a great game.

Rory Best gave everything as always and there is no more deserving Lion.

A lot of good performance out there.

With you on all of these Rods.

Best to get in to the Lions first XV simply has to prove he can find his men out of touch though, he was grand on Saturday but he has been fairly poor out of touch since January and whether Muller is there or not, or POC is there or not at the end of the day results are what is needed out of touch and Gatland won't select him if he can't fulfill this aspect of his game.

Best is not the best lineout thrower, he's not the worst but it is one of his weakest aspects, that's just the reality.

His all round game is outstanding though. For me he's without doubt one of the best hookers in the world game and bar a couple of dips has been consistently excellent over the past few seasons and is still improving as a player.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he goes on to be one of the standout players on the tour.

rodders wrote:Best is not the best lineout thrower, he's not the worst but it is one of his weakest aspects, that's just the reality.

His all round game is outstanding though. For me he's without doubt one of the best hookers in the world game and bar a couple of dips has been consistently excellent over the past few seasons and is still improving as a player.

I wouldn't be surprised at all if he goes on to be one of the standout players on the tour.

Gibson wrote:

neilthom7 wrote:Well done Leinster on the win, as for us well we played very poorly in the first half and give Leinster an early try although had Diack had a bit more sense we would have only been 3 points behind at the break. 2nd half we played much better but the amount of penalties we gave away beat us, there were far to many. Either way well done to Leinster you deserved the win and we will be back for that title next year.

Love you Neil. In a manly way.

Right back at ya Gibson, we are all friends here, well mostly lol