Ulster 2013/2014

First topic message reminder :

One guy I think deserves high praise from these two Treviso games is Sean Doyle.
As you know I reported some doubt about his future and that he needed to put his hand - he has done so big time.

Few more games like that and he will be with us next year for sure.

Obviously it's 3 and 10 where the question marks are, I'm sure they can do the job though.

agreed notch

Does anyone know if/how to record a game on the Red Button?

Can't be done Mrs P as far as I know

I think the Italians must have a trainee Director today!

MrsP wrote:I think the Italians must have a trainee Director today!

I was just thinking how poor the camera work is. You get matches like this in the 6N every year with low hanging sun making visibility difficult, but the quality of the coverage isn't badly affected.

I think the director is either not a sports fan or he/she is not used to watching/covering rugby.

Very keen on close-ups of players' faces rather than the play!

The 2 front rows are miles apart at the set of the scrum. Usually the Hookers have their front feet beside one another.

Scholes looking good

Clancy really giving nothing Ulsters way

Another terrible performance in the Pro12, another point dropped.

Leinster, Munster and the Ospreys are putting these teams away with much to spare and second teams out. We're destined for 5th place unless we pull the finger out. We need a couple of bonus points now in these next two home games, we've just heaped the pressure onto ourselves with this awful performance and poor result today.

Against the same opponents the Ospreys scored 11. That's our direct competition for the playoff place. Wouldn't be so harsh, but some of the players attitude- Darren Cave wants shooting for kicking that ball away! Pathetic.

I rarely drift off to sleep with ulster playing, but i certainly missed a few minutes hereand there today. Borefest.

Notch wrote:Another terrible performance in the Pro12, another point dropped.

Leinster, Munster and the Ospreys are putting these teams away with much to spare and second teams out. We're destined for 5th place unless we pull the finger out. We need a couple of bonus points now in these next two home games, we've just heaped the pressure onto ourselves with this awful performance and poor result today.

Against the same opponents the Ospreys scored 11. That's our direct competition for the playoff place. Wouldn't be so harsh, but some of the players attitude- Darren Cave wants shooting for kicking that ball away! Pathetic.

I think you have to put thing in perspective, that was most certainly Treviso's best performance of the season.

Whatever Treviso did, the chances we wasted and the mistakes we made were inexcusable. At least they turned up this week, but there were so many chances they gave us. So many times we simply blew it. We just can't afford results like that when we are trying to chase down the leaders and have probably the toughest run-in.

Glasgow have only two tries away to the Dragons so far, hopefully it stays like that. Scotstoun is looking like an unbelievably massive game for us

Remember last year when Glasgow had something like 10 consecutive BP wins? Bonus points are everything in this tournament and we just blew one. We need a massive improvement.

Dragons just gone ahead of glasgow- fingers crossed   

It's over!! Dragons win!

Now we need Munster to beat Ospreys. We're never realistically going to finish in the top two but we can sure as hell make 3rd or 4th.

Strange day. A stinking bad performance, but we are up from 5th to 3rd and a game in hand over the Ospreys (Glasgow have a game in hand over us)

It was a strange day indeed Notch, it was deflating to say the very least but with other results going our way the seeds of optimism we planted again. Lets just hope that performance is a one off and a kick in the rear end for the squad. It was just woeful.

Still not recovered from the Ireland game, nor disappointment that Ulster werent convincing...but a win is a win.

With our next 5 games Dragons & Scarlets (h) and Edin & Cardiff (a) and connacht (h) after Saracens...this could be critical in determining our position in the top 4 or not. Id' guess we would want the comfort of this top4 position sewn up before the last 2 games munster & Leinster..

However the crucial match.....will be Glasgow away just before those interpros......especially as Glasgows last 2 games...Trevio & Zebre!!

Pete330v2 wrote:It was a strange day indeed Notch, it was deflating to say the very least but with other results going our way the seeds of optimism we planted again. Lets just hope that performance is a one off and a kick in the rear end for the squad. It was just woeful.

Pete the problem is that its not a one off, performance levels drop significantly when players are away. Even the top players who aren't away seem to lose their edge and the error rate goes up

marty2086 wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:It was a strange day indeed Notch, it was deflating to say the very least but with other results going our way the seeds of optimism we planted again. Lets just hope that performance is a one off and a kick in the rear end for the squad. It was just woeful.

Pete the problem is that its not a one off, performance levels drop significantly when players are away. Even the top players who aren't away seem to lose their edge and the error rate goes up

Sadly this is true Marty. The whole team dynamic suffers badly when we're missing key players.

We were terrible   
Clancy was a disgrace  
Ospreys and Glasgow lost  
After that performance it is my understanding management is that they have lost patients with Marshall and he will be behind Heaney in the pecking in order next year unless he gets his act together.  I agree I've lost patience too  

Move on nothing else to be said.

Problem is we ha lost patience previously and tried both Porter and Heaney with neither doing enough. Is the young lad Shanahan worth a few bench spots. We have also just given Marshall a new 3yr deal.

Heaney is steady I think I rather have that

Forget Porter he is on the way out.
Marshall is a safety valve for Pienaer not being allowed to stay beyond his current contract and until Shanahan is reasy.
Marshall will never be first choice 9 at Ulster of that I am absolutely convinced

So looks like we might be needing someone at number 8 now too

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/26353418

Hope the issue with Nick Williams is resolved - he has been great at times for Ulster. Last season obviously he was outstanding, and seemed to have found his natural home.

I for one would be gutted if this is the end of the road.

Geoff - any insight?

Wilson has been pretty good since his return, and his control at the base of the scrum is - in my opinion - better. The problem I see is that if Nick has lost interest in playing for Ulster, we don't really have many other players at 8.

Asked to be best man at a mates wedding - never got a reply but went anyway.
I didn't realize he had not got permission I assumed he had.

Trouble is we have made a rod for our own back by bending over backwards to accomodate Afoa. I suspect Williams attitude is if he can get xx number of weekend s why cant I have 1.

This could go either way - do Ulster want him for 2 more years based on his performances of this year or do they see this as an opportunity to get rid.

a) you would assume this couldn't be an accident
b) if he disobeyed on purpose - that suggests a fall out
c) I hate the thought of these kind of tabloid dramas happening at our club
d) I REALLY hope this comes to nothing

Thanks Geoff, sounds bad. I still like him on the pitch more than Wilson. I hope he can regain last seasons form and stay with us for a few seasons.

My gut feeling is a big fine , a rap over the knuckles and told to buckle under and train hard.

If he accepts all that he will, probably, be ok.

We will know by time we play Scarlets - if he not in the 23 and MCormish is then it will not be looking good.

Wtf Nick Williams?! If its true, it kind of shows the folly of letting Afoa do as he pleases. But its a really poor show to let his teammates and coaches down like that.

But why on earth are Ulster making this a public matter? The last thing this needs is to be played out in the public domain!

If reports are true then I guess Ulster should have at least answered Williams request for leave. That said, I can't understand why he couldn't have asked again closer to the time.

Maybe both at fault, and hopefully nothing more than a storm in a teacup. I wouldn't read too much into it at this point.

Why can't all the imports we get have the attitude of Pienaar or Muller...

I heard today that Jared Payne is heading back to NZ later in the year.

GunsGerms wrote:I heard today that Jared Payne is heading back to NZ later in the year.

On a sanctioned break....  

All the players head off for breaks etc. during the season GG, that doesn't seem to be abnormal at all. For instance, after the Leicester game Pienaar went for two weeks to South Africa.

The point is a) these usually take place during breaks in the season and b) they are authorised by UR.

Munchkin wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:I heard today that Jared Payne is heading back to NZ later in the year.

On a sanctioned break....  

Yeah just on holidays.

GunsGerms wrote:

Munchkin wrote:

GunsGerms wrote:I heard today that Jared Payne is heading back to NZ later in the year.

On a sanctioned break....  

Yeah just on holidays.

Nice try though   

Am I missing something here or is there not a huge leap from,

"... holding an internal investigation into Williams's "alleged unauthorised absence". "

to,

"A question mark hangs over Nick Williams's future as an Ulster player. "?

Surely the first does not neccessarily mean the second is the case?

Well, yes. The result of that investigation may be that Ulster are also culpable for failing to communicate properly with the player...

But to just not turn up for the game is very disrespectful to his teammates and to the club. It's a very serious matter.

Mrs P you are of course right and usual newspaper hyperbole.

However David Humph is a noted for insisting players stay in line.
As I mentioend my gut feeling is he has been put in the naughty corner.
If he knuckles down and does as he is told he will ok, if he sulks or whingers it will be in the balance.
The ball is in his court

Indeed.

But maybe we should all wait until they have investigated the incident before we hang the lad!

I also wish they had sorted this out inhouse. But, maybe some journo saw him at the airport or something and forced the issue?

Has anyone else realized that we only have 1 guaranteed NIQ player next year - Pienaer

Afoa and Muller away
Payne becomes Irish
Williams has a cloud over him
No new NIQ signings

Continued uncertaintly is not great

MrsP wrote:Indeed.

But maybe we should all wait until they have investigated the incident before we hang the lad!

I also wish they had sorted this out inhouse. But, maybe some journo saw him at the airport or something and forced the issue?

Trouble is even someone like me, who is once removed from the club , thought something funny was going on.
Basically why was he not in Treviso when we were so short.

I suspect someone in a similar position couldn't keep their month shut and saw an opportunity to make a name for themselves  

Re: Ulster 2013/2014
Post by Notch Today at 3:20 pm

Why can't all the imports we get have the attitude of Pienaar or Muller...

I will second that Notch - two absolutely first class players, with 100% commitment.

Not for one second that I doubt Nick Williams - I hope that this is resolved, and quickly. He was at the end of the road as far as a career in Europe was concerned before he came to Ulster. From my perspective as a fan, it has been good to watch.

Internally - and clivemcl - I wholeheartedly agree - I hope it is sorted out quickly and quietly.

Given Williams recent form I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Agree with the comments on Afoa, he's taken the pi$$ really so its not surprising that other squad members are doing so now too.

rodders wrote:Given Williams recent form I wouldn't worry too much about it.

Agree with the comments on Afoa, he's taken the pi$$ really so its not surprising that other squad members are doing so now too.

Unfortunately that is true - a wonderful player, but the fact that he is off to England rather than NZ emphasises your point.

Payne, Peinaar, Muller - take a bow. (and for us old stagers - Andy Ward!)

Speaking of Andy Ward...is he behind the sudden improvement is the rugby fortunes of Down High?

I'll go even further back - Simon Mason !