Ulster 2014/2015, Part 3

First topic message reminder :

Continue to discuss Ulsters lack of back row options and season in general

Stuart is down..

Olding off injured.

The right thing to do really, no point wrecking him further, especially with the 6 nations round the corner.

Herring is a very underrated player, only 24 too. If Best starts to slow down he will be a great starter of the future.

JmD wrote:Herring is a very underrated player, only 24 too. If Best starts to slow down he will be a great starter of the future.

as he throws long

marty2086 wrote:

JmD wrote:Herring is a very underrated player, only 24 too. If Best starts to slow down he will be a great starter of the future.

as he throws long

Well I did say in the future...

Thats Toulon in the quarter-finals.

Our chances are slim ATM.

 We need some results to go our way and a  HUGE win over you guys next weekend (Doubt it though)

Looks like even the streamers have pulled the plug on this one. It's the humane thing to do. Similar to Facebook blocking beheading videos...

McComish to start for Ulster!

Listening to radio - it would seem we have scored another try. 22 points against Toulon in France is something for some of these guys to be proud of.

On a more serious note, I have been very impressed with the work rate of AOC. I can see a big future in the engine room for both himself and Hendy.

Wait... did we get a bonus point? LOL!

clivemcl wrote:Listening to radio - it would seem we have scored another try. 22 points against Toulon in France is something for some of these guys to be proud of.

Pity about the 60 conceded but more fight shown than in previous weeks

Now... How bad are injuries??

Do we risk the same with Best Diack and Bowe next week to keep the paying fans happy?

Connacht run in:
Scarlets, Dragons, Treviso, Cardiff, Munster, Ulster, Glasgow, Zebre, Ospreys

Ulsters run in:
Treviso, Edinburgh, Scarlets, Dragons, Cardiff, Connacht, Leinster, Munster, Glasgow

We've only won one more game than them this season so far. 6 points difference in the table.

Well it was obviously a huge loss but I got to give the guys credit as in they kept going and showed some fight, they just came up against an amazing team with lots of injuries then lost some more players too during the game. If you think about it until they lost Ludik and Jacko they were right in it
As far as injuries overall, Jackson looked bad when he went off so I would be almost sure he will not be available next week, Ludik it is harder to know it could have been bad or not too bad.
One man who played well was McComish which suprised me to be honest so fair play to him

I think it's a home game and the last before the Six Nations... we go for our strongest team and try and salvage some pride from the campaign.

I missed everything after Gorgodzes try. Any other injury worries? If Olding is out next week we might have three 9s on the bench.

What's happened to the Toulon/Ulster thread or did I imagine seeing it earlier?

I don't think there ever was one!

Credit where it due lots of fight shown and a Bonus Point.

Possibly McCormish best ever game in an Ulster shirt (played well at Munster last year)
I also think Allen had a very good game.
B Ross was not mullered in the scrum fair play
Most pleasing of all for me though was O'Connor he showed today he is the real deal - excellent game

Biggest worry Jackson injury - not heard anything yet

Notch wrote:I think it's a home game and the last before the Six Nations... we go for our strongest team and try and salvage some pride from the campaign.

I missed everything after Gorgodzes try. Any other injury worries? If Olding is out next week we might have three 9s on the bench.

I seen another forward pass in the phases of play for that one. Not that it affected the result, but when it starts to become a trend then it's a problem.

Very pleased with the effort shown by the team today. There were a few good performances, but, possibly because I was a bit surprised, McComish stood out for me, and on that showing I think he should start next week

Toulons first HC win was possibly the most undeserved ever. They had a weak pool, got a home semi draw and won the final against a better team due to the ref penalizing Clermont for playing all the rugby and robbing them of a deserved win.

Last years win was better. They were the best team in the tournament, but they played a horrible brand of rugby for a team with such expensively assembled talent from around the world.

This year they progressed again and are actually playing amazing rugby which can be great to watch. I'll never love a team that buys success and contributes basically zero to developing local players and helping the national team. But fair play to the coach and team for evolving into such a formidable team. If they take the trophy again this year the case for them being the European Cups best ever team will be a strong one.

From what I've seen so far, only Clermont or Northampton look good enough to knock them out, and maybe Saracens or Leinster as longer shots. The only thing that can stop Toulon is one of these sides gaining a home semi final against the holders.

geoff999rugby wrote:Biggest worry Jackson injury - not heard anything yet

Commentary said he was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated elbow.

Thought ulster showed a lot of guts today to be honest but Toulon when they feel like playing would give most international sides a hard time let alone one with the injuries ulster have shipped.

Great game from Ulster today they kept the score to par which was a relief - could have been a lot worse. The pack fronted up including the usual targets like McComish and Ross.

OTOH I still don't know why Pienaar and Jackson were playing, both should have been rested. risking them was stupid when Humphreys was fit and Ulster have plenty of fit scrumhalves.

Toulon are simply too strong in every position to lose this year, or maybe for the next ten!

Notch wrote:

geoff999rugby wrote:Biggest worry Jackson injury - not heard anything yet

Commentary said he was taken to hospital with a suspected dislocated elbow.

Heard that trying to find out if it is true or not

It looked true from the tv pictures

Just rewatched his try again. Was it the left or right elbow because he lands on his right one going over the line and looks it a little discomfort at that point too

He was fending Tillous-Borde with his left, who thumped him on the upper arm - that's what did it.

Hard to tell from the replay, but it does seem likely the fend was indeed the trauma. If dislocated, then it probably reduced immediately. Is very painful for a short time. But it takes time to recover. Hopefully, only a simple dislocation and Jackson can be back in action in about 4 weeks. Any level of complexity and this could go up.

We play Treviso in 4 weeks - fingers crossed

Ireland though are 1 injury from melt down at 10

Team next week maybe

Black, Best, Ross, O'Connor, de Merwe, Diack, Wilson, McCormish
Pienaer, Humphreys, Allen, Cave, Payne, Bowe, Gilroy

Bench: Warwick, Herring, Fitzpatrick, Stevenson, Ross, Marshall, Heaney, ANOther forward (I'd pick Andrew on the basis Best and Herring could be employed as backrower in a dire emergency)

If Olding, Ludik and Marshall are not fit we will have to go with a 6-2 split and the two backs will be scrum halves

Actually Geoff's post brings me to something about yesterday can someone tell the Sky Sports commentators his name doesn't have an R in it. It's McComish not McCormish, every single time they said his name yesterday it was wrong lol
On a more serious note Ireland do have ten issues Sextons out, Jack might not be out but wont be proper fit and so might as well be. Hanahran doesn't play enough, Keatley has been in and out of form and Madigan is so unpredictable. At this rate we may have to call on Steenson.

Humphreys would be ahead of Steenson...

Some news from the Leicester camp

 Cole could be playing and Manu I think is 50/50 ATM.

 No news on Scully, Thorn, Morris (Who is training but doubt will play) or Allen ATM.

 Could be looking ATM:

 1) Ayerza/Rizzo, 2) Youngs/Ghilrandi, 3) Mulipola/Balmain/Cole
 4) Parling, 5) Kitchener
 6) Croft/Gibson, 7) Salvi, 8) Crane/Barbieri
 9) Youngs, 10) Williams/Burns
12) Bai, 13) Goneva
11) Thompstone, 14) Benjamin, 15) Tait

16) Ghilrandi/Youngs. 17) Rizzo/Ayerza/Mulipola, 18) Cole/Balmain/Mulipola, 19) De Cheves/Thorn (?), 20) Gibson/Croft/Crane/Barbieri, 21) Harrison, 22) Burns/Williams, 23) Smith/Manu (?)

 Bold is likely. IMO

Would he though Aukster I mean Humph can't defend at all and Steenson has been one of the top 10's in the premiership this year

Steenson makes Humphreys look like Stephen Ferris in defence! An exception might be made for Sexton playing overseas but not when you get down to fourth or fifth choice, so Steenson has no chance - nor should he.

geoff999rugby wrote:Team next week maybe

Black, Best, Ross, O'Connor, de Merwe, Diack, Wilson, McCormish
Pienaer, Humphreys, Allen, Cave, Payne, Bowe, Gilroy

Bench: Warwick, Herring, Fitzpatrick, Stevenson, Ross, Marshall, Heaney, ANOther forward (I'd pick Andrew on the basis Best and Herring could be employed as backrower in a dire emergency)

If Olding, Ludik and Marshall are not fit we will have to go with a 6-2 split and the two backs will be scrum halves

To quote myself Ludik has a broken rib
Also Paddy has a dislocated elbow - so the team above looking increasingly likely

Humphreys would be picked at 10 before Steenson.
If either Madigan or Keatly get injured this weekend then he will probably make the bench.
That is why I think IRFU will insist Keatley doesn't play this weekend

Probably our best performance of the season - which says it all really in terms of how far the gap has widened between us and the cream of europe.

Fair play to all the players for giving it a go, especially so with all the injuries.

geoff999rugby wrote:Team next week maybe

Black, Best, Ross, O'Connor, de Merwe, Diack, Wilson, McCormish
Pienaer, Humphreys, Allen, Cave, Payne, Bowe, Gilroy

Bench: Warwick, Herring, Fitzpatrick, Stevenson, Ross, Marshall, Heaney, ANOther forward (I'd pick Andrew on the basis Best and Herring could be employed as backrower in a dire emergency)

If Olding, Ludik and Marshall are not fit we will have to go with a 6-2 split and the two backs will be scrum halves

Just possilby got even worse, Allen a doubt ,so thats Marshall on the wing with Heaney and Shanahan as our only 2 bench backline players:doh:

What's up with Nelson and Andrew? We must have someone can play wing rather than Marshall?

Herring was fantastic on Saturday btw.

Is Olding confirmed out? Maybe Luke Marshall will be back?

Clutching at straws. It was pretty obvious Paul Marshall had no idea how to defend on the wing, can't hold it against him, but we'd be screwed.

rodders wrote:What's up with Nelson and Andrew? We must have someone can play wing rather than Marshall?
.

They're fit- they're just not registered in the European Squad.

http://www.epcrugby.com/matchcentre/ulster_rugby.php?section=3

Notch wrote:

rodders wrote:What's up with Nelson and Andrew? We must have someone can play wing rather than Marshall?
.

They're fit- they're just not registered in the European Squad.

http://www.epcrugby.com/matchcentre/ulster_rugby.php?section=3

Ah fook.

Yeah Marshall, with respect will be exposed on the wing at this level unfortunately - he might be able to do a job for 20min but not from the start. I'd stick Diack or McComish there before him.

Notch wrote:Is Olding confirmed out? Maybe Luke Marshall will be back?

Clutching at straws. It was pretty obvious Paul Marshall had no idea how to defend on the wing, can't hold it against him, but we'd be screwed.

Olding, Marshall and Allen to be assessed during the week.
My team is worse case scenario assuming all 3 are out.
In truth I'd be surprised if all 3 missing but given our luck you never know

Cant put Diack or McCormish on the wing we need them in the backrow !

geoff998rugby wrote:

Notch wrote:Is Olding confirmed out? Maybe Luke Marshall will be back?

Clutching at straws. It was pretty obvious Paul Marshall had no idea how to defend on the wing, can't hold it against him, but we'd be screwed.

Olding, Marshall and Allen to be assessed during the week.
My team is worse case scenario assuming all 3 are out.
In truth I'd be surprised if all 3 missing but given our luck you never know

Cant put Diack or McCormish on the wing we need them in the backrow !

Stick Marshall at 7!

In all seriousness though, you would have to look at Herring in the backrow and Diack on the wing rather than one of our backup scrum-haves!

Although he is bigger and a better tackler he is unlikely to be any better positionally and would lack the pace out wide that wing requires that the likes of Marshall would have. Really 6 of one, half a dozen of another as if it is not a winger out there then Tigers if they are smart will pick on them all days anyway.

If Michael Allen does join those three on the sidelines and Luke Marshall doesn't recover I might think of going with;

9 Pienaar
10 Humphreys
11 Gilroy
12 Heaney
13 Cave
14 Bowe
15 Payne

or perhaps even;

9 Marshall
10 Humphreys
11 Gilroy
12 Cave
13 Payne
14 Bowe
15 Pienaar

We are clearly at our best with Pienaar at 9. However he does have the rugby intelligence to fit into other areas, perhaps more so than other options.

Notch wrote:
9 Marshall
10 Humphreys
11 Gilroy
12 Cave
13 Payne
14 Bowe
15 Pienaar

That's actually not all that horrendous looking! But any backline injuries mid-game and it will spiral into chaos, and this time at home! The 'real' fans with loads of expendable cash for their glory hunting brand new season tickets will not be impressed!