Ulster vs Leinster; Official Opening of the New Ravenhill Stadium

First topic message reminder :

Ulster play Leinster on Friday night on the very special official opening of Ulster Rugbys newly redeveloped home. More team news to follow later in the week but until then enjoy these photos from the construction of the original Ravenhill grandstand and the first ever game held at Ravenhill- the same fixture, Ulster vs Leinster, in January 1924. Ulster won, here's hoping for a bit of the spirit of 1924!

The stadium has a rich history having hosted Irelands decisive win against Wales which secured our first ever Grand Slam in 1948, a famous win for Ulster over Australia in 1984 and wins over Toulouse and Stade Francais by a semi-professional Ulster side en route to winning the European Cup in 1999.

This is the beginning of a new era for the stadium and for the team, and it's time for a new generation of players to write their own history- starting on Friday. There will be an opening ceremony at 7pm and the game kicks off at 7.30pm.

Photos from the Opening of Ravenhill, 1924:

Opening Ceremony Details:

The teams are up;

LEINSTER

15: Rob Kearney 14: Zane Kirchner 13: Brian O'Driscoll 12: Gordon D'Arcy 11: Dave Kearney 10: Ian Madigan 9: Isaac Boss
1: Cian Healy 2: Sean Cronin 3: Martin Moore 4: Devin Toner 5: Mike McCarthy 6: Rhys Ruddock 7: Shane Jennings 8: Jamie Heaslip (captain)

REPLACEMENTS: 16: Richardt Strauss 17: Jack McGrath 18: Mike Ross 19: Leo Cullen 20: Jordi Murphy 21: Luke McGrath 22: Jimmy Gopperth 23: Luke Fitzgerald

ULSTER

15: Ricky Andrew 14: Andrew Trimble 13: Jared Payne 12: Luke Marshall 11: Tommy Bowe 10: Paddy Jackson 9: Paul Marshall
1: Tom Court 2: Rob Herring 3: Andrew Warwick 4: Johann Muller (captain) 5: Iain Henderson 6: Roger Wilson 7: Chris Henry 8: Nick Williams;

REPLACEMENTS: 16: Niall Annett 17: Callum Black 18: Adam Macklin 19: Dan Tuohy 20: Sean Doyle 21: Michael Heaney 22: James McKinney 23: Darren Cave

At Ravenhill, 7.30pm. Live on RTE/ BBC NI

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU, 1st competition game)
Assistant Referees: John Lacey, David Connolly (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Eugene Ryan (IRFU)
TMO: Dermot Molony (IRFU)

I love this man;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/27242806?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Do it for Johann lads!!

Portnoy's Complaint wrote:I just surfed up on this wave: http://www.brianodriscoll.ie/

Who else in rugby has his own website (regardless of how thin and shabby it is)?

[ed] http://www.jonnywilkinson.com (a tiny tad better)

http://thisisshanewilliams.com nothing to do with the lickle Welsh wizard.

I discover Stuart Hogg has one the other week there http://www.stuarthoggrugby.com/

http://www.jameshaskell.com

http://david-pocock.com

http://www.jamieheaslip.ie

But the cringiest one of all is;

http://www.james-oconnor.com.au

The state of J'aime   

ME-109 wrote:The state of J'aime   

It is quite funny.

I'm hoping the next big player website is a co-venture between Paddy Jackson and Simon Zebo, featuring lots of lip synching.

Better not let Sin É see it...he'll go mental   

ME-109 wrote:Better not let Sin É see it...he'll go mental remain in his default state  

No charge   

Curiosity check guys. Driving up to the game tonight, any handy place to park for the game? Also, I presume with it being the official opening the craic/banter will all be at the ground but any good pre-match pubs to soak up the atmosphere? First time to Ravenhill for a game.

Suggestions welcome.

The Haskell site isn't as good as the one run by Dr. Claws Cat

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Curiosity check guys. Driving up to the game tonight, any handy place to park for the game?  Also, I presume with it being the official opening the craic/banter will all be at the ground but any good pre-match pubs to soak up the atmosphere? First time to Ravenhill for a game.

Suggestions welcome.

You might try Malone Rugby Club, but Ravenhill has a lot of bars now and they are staging 'entertainment' at the ground for 6.30. There is a park and ride service that operates from Pirrie Park.

http://www.ulsterrugby.com/Tickets/Directions.aspx

My advice is to aim to arrive at the ground tonight at about 6.30- with all the prematch entertainment and stuff the atmosphere at the ground should be top class.

Notch wrote:

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Curiosity check guys. Driving up to the game tonight, any handy place to park for the game?  Also, I presume with it being the official opening the craic/banter will all be at the ground but any good pre-match pubs to soak up the atmosphere? First time to Ravenhill for a game.

Suggestions welcome.

You might try Malone Rugby Club, but Ravenhill has a lot of bars now and they are staging 'entertainment' at the ground for 6.30. There is a park and ride service that operates from Pirrie Park.

http://www.ulsterrugby.com/Tickets/Directions.aspx

My advice is to aim to arrive at the ground tonight at about 6.30- with all the prematch entertainment and stuff the atmosphere at the ground should be top class.

Cheers Notch.

That james o'connor website really is...

is...

is...

'scuse me

  

Notch wrote:

ME-109 wrote:Better not let Sin É see it...he'll go mental remain in his default state  

No charge   

Naughty

I’m feicin gutted I won’t get to see this match, have a work thing on and the GF’s parents are up from Wesht Cark for the weekend, have to leg it to the work thing and then shoot back to them at about 9.

It’s going to be a belter.

Blow em all off and get on a train up to Belshaft, Mick   

He'll not get a ticket!

Tonight is Ulsters 14th consecutive sold out home game this season. Massive credit to the marketing bods and ticket office at Ulster. Some of the games have been reduced capacity due to the ongoing renovation, but our lowest attendance of the season was 10,693 versus Treviso with reduced capacity on the side of the ground the new grandstand was being constructed on.

I'm not sure how many are slated tonight. 17000 or 18000. It was 17000 tickets available for the quarter-final but I don't think that we were allowed to sell the ground to full capacity, not sure.

So emotional.

Fitzgerald pulls out injured yet again!!!   

He just cant catch a break

Leinster all over the Ulster scrum. could be a very long night for the ulster front row.

Court Spear tackled Toner?

Thats at least a yellow me thinks

To be honest a yellow might be leniant.

Red it is.

Ulster really not getting their way with refereeing decisions over the past few weeks.

I think that might be the right decision though.

Awful for Court his last ever action in an Ulster shirt.

Well I've honoured my word that Id watch the opening ceremony. Unfortunately they never showed any external views of the stadium. The inside looks OK and more than a bike shed that I described it as on another thread.

So sorry about that.

I'd say that it looks utilitarian and not what I feared - an insult to the built environment.

Anyway I'm off to watch a game more pressing to my Jeff sensitivities...

Good luck Ulster!   
I hope you win.

p.s. Oops. That is surely, definitely a RC.

No option really.

Another yellow? Yikes Ulster.

Oh no just a peno

Not much in that at all, on replay

Yeah. More of a push than a punch.

Just as I'm about to leave, there really ought to have been a second Red.

For who?

Jebus we better not pull a sarries on this.

That was a high tackle but jacksons going to put the ball down. Dont think he does.

The Ulsterman.

This game is turning into the kind of game I like.

Unfortunately it's Ulster all in the wrong with defenders killing the play under their own posts and Pienaar tackling in open play from a prone position.

And of course, as I write, I hear on my PC that they've scored?

Did he touch that down? Definite yellow. Jackson did really well.

Pienaar was doing well tackling from the stand!

O Jeeez. That was an RC and a PT and a ban.

Oh FFS

Tell me this isnt another red!!!

Ruddock did jump sort of though

This match is feckin mental.

MrsP wrote:Pienaar was doing well tackling from the stand!

Waddeva mmef, the halfie.

Such a braindead rule that,ref is right to give the yellow but the rule is such a joke.

Refereeing gone mad.

The ref has been fine.

I don't see what else he could have done.

If there are reports of a spectator spontaneously combusting, then it's Notch..

MrsP wrote:The ref has been fine.

I don't see what else he could have done.

Yep ref is fine it's the laws of the game that are the problem.

Perelease let this game go on as it is.
I ain't gonna watch Bath v Saints anytime soon.

What's the score there btw?

What's the flippin score..ffs you are all blathering on and I'm not able to watch

9-8 to Leinster now.

Its back to 14 aside for the next few minutes til Ruddocks back

8 9 to the ladies mad game! Ulster crowd baying for blood

ME-109 wrote:What's the flippin score..ffs you are all blathering on and I'm not able to watch

Showing an interest in the Rabo whilst an equally important Jeff game is on, 109.

Great turnover from Henderson there.