Ulster 2015/2016 Part 2

Continue your discussion of all things Ulster here.

Ulster playing a lot of territory in Italy, putting the boot to ball.

Rough conditions alright in Treviso. Good BP win for Connacht earlier

Terrible game so far, but Ulster have managed to go up a gear and pick up a couple of good tries. 20-6 ahead.

I'm imagining Olding with Pienaar and Jackson inside him, not Marshall and Humph! Would be nice wouldn't it?!

Feel a bit sorry for the Italian teams when they obviously don't understand the call from the ref.

Great to see Olding back here and still confident in his ability!

Ulster get the bonus point wrapped up- big improvement in the second half.

Olding is pure class.
Rory Scholes looking very good too.

Really nice to see some new blood on at the end.

Please can we send Humphries to the glue factory

toml wrote:Olding is pure class.
Rory Scholes looking very good too.

Really nice to see some new blood on at the end.

Please can we send Humphries to the glue factory

Rumour on boards.ie that Cathal Marsh may be incoming for ye, not sure how ye would feel about that!

I'd stick with Nelson.

Sean O'Hagan is away too though. I guess it's possible whoever we bring in may not even be our backup... but just squad depth. For Leinster to let Marsh go, it must mean they they one of their three academy can step up and be a good backup to Sexton. That's a big ask! I've a feeling they must be making an out-half signing of their own.

Olding at 10.... Well... if it happens, Pienaar or somebody else will have to take the kicks based on that performance!

I'd say the pecking order would be:
1) Jackson
2) Nelson
3) Olding
4) New Leinster Signing.

Marshes wrote:
Rumour on boards.ie that Cathal Marsh may be incoming for ye, not sure how ye would feel about that!

Happy enough.

clivemcl wrote:Sean O'Hagan is away too though. I guess it's possible whoever we bring in may not even be our backup... but just squad depth. For Leinster to let Marsh go, it must mean they they one of their three academy can step up and be a good backup to Sexton. That's a big ask! I've a feeling they must be making an out-half signing of their own.

Olding at 10.... Well... if it happens, Pienaar or somebody else will have to take the kicks based on that performance!

I'd say the pecking order would be:
1) Jackson
2) Nelson
3) Olding
4) New Leinster Signing.

Haha I don't think we have to base it on that performance... he's been out for 10 months

Marshes wrote:

Rumour on boards.ie that Cathal Marsh may be incoming for ye, not sure how ye would feel about that!

Yeah I'm not going to complain. I reckon Leinster will promote Ross Byrne to back up

So I missed the game ( damn work) how did olding go? And did Dow have to.e to show much?

clivemcl wrote:Sean O'Hagan is away too though. I guess it's possible whoever we bring in may not even be our backup... but just squad depth. For Leinster to let Marsh go, it must mean they they one of their three academy can step up and be a good backup to Sexton. That's a big ask! I've a feeling they must be making an out-half signing of their own.

Olding at 10.... Well... if it happens, Pienaar or somebody else will have to take the kicks based on that performance!

I'd say the pecking order would be:
1) Jackson
2) New Leinster Signing/Nelson/Olding
.

Fix for you. Who backs up Jackson will be based upon form and requirements of the players in other positions

Humph offski this year, Windsor this year or next depending on his contract

Geoff!!! Freeze! Dont move a muscle. Spill all!


(Please!)

carpet baboon wrote:So I missed the game ( damn work) how did olding go? And did Dow have to.e to show much?

Olding went very well at 12 - bit over anxious and ran when he should have past sometimes but showed his class and importantly came through un scathed - put in some big tackle as well.
Dow came on and impressed, very encouraged by that performance.
First half was awful and Herring, AOC and de Merwe were the only thing between us and an embarrassing defeat.
Picked up in the second half - Wilson and Reidy improved a lot and to be fair when they came on Browne and BRoss did well - fighting for their contracts next year perhaps ?
Cave was class, Scholes continues to improve.
Humphreys was a disgrace and showed, again, why he will be kicked out this summer

clivemcl wrote:Geoff!!! Freeze! Dont move a muscle. Spill all!


(Please!)

I cant but as I said Bryn keeps a much tighter ship.
Names are being mentioned and if, and it is a big if, the backrow options are 1 of the 2 names I have seen mentioned I would be excited.
Less Kiss says he is excited - but it remains hearsay not definitive.
Frustrating but in a way I am pleased Ulster are no longer a sieve with respect to transfer information - far more professional.

Ah well no worries! Good to see you all the same. We like you for more than just your transfer info!

iHumph was (and I take no joy in saying this) an embarrassment yesterday. He is bound to know it himself too. But you can't blame a guy for accepting a pay cheque when people are fool enough to offer it.

We've tried and failed with out halves so many times. Please somebody tell me there's an 18/19 year old decent prospect!

McPhillips is the best Academy prospect since Paddy - fingers crossed

clivemcl wrote:iHumph was (and I take no joy in saying this) an embarrassment yesterday. He is bound to know it himself too. But you can't blame a guy for accepting a pay cheque when people are fool enough to offer it.

We've tried and failed with out halves so many times. Please somebody tell me there's an 18/19 year old decent prospect!

You can see by the way he stays so far away from the gainline and shovels the ball on immediately that he has zero confidence in his physicality. What happened to O'Hagan? I remember hearing he had potential a couple of years ago

It was so disheartening watching Trevisi forwards looking around for iHumph to run at. It wasn't hard to spot him either, in his gleaming white kit.

geoff999rugby wrote:

clivemcl wrote:Geoff!!! Freeze! Dont move a muscle. Spill all!


(Please!)

I cant but as I said Bryn keeps a much tighter ship.
Names are being mentioned and if, and it is a big if, the backrow options are 1 of the 2 names I have seen mentioned I would be excited.
Less Kiss says he is excited - but it remains hearsay not definitive.
Frustrating but in a way I am pleased Ulster are no longer a sieve with respect to transfer information - far more professional.

Les doesnt seem like a man who overhypes things and if you're excited about it geoff then I think the rest of us aren't going to be now

O'Hagan seemed to be a bit mentally fragile.

Got told to do things a certain way and took it to heart and sulked.

Crying shame because an undoubted talent. Now down on the south coast playing non-professional rugby.
If he matures as an individual he could make it

On balance his mind set gave Ulster no choice but to let him go

geoff999rugby wrote:O'Hagan seemed to be a bit mentally fragile.

Got told to do things a certain way and took it to heart and sulked.

Crying shame because an undoubted talent. Now down on the south coast playing non-professional rugby.
If he matures as an individual he could make it

On balance his mind set gave Ulster no choice but to let him go

Thats dissappointing. Yeah I had a look apparently he is at Worthing in the English 4th tier. Turns out Kieron Dawson is their head coach

What happened to him?

http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/65071/corinthians-escape-with-last-gasp-win-over-buccaneers

I'll always remember Kieron Dawson taking and missing that last conversion against the Dragons eight years ago. Emblematic of how damn relieved Ulster were to get a big win at home in the middle of the season from hell, and also just how unprofessional we were compared to other teams!

Dawson was a good open side though. Always liked him.

One of only 2 of the posters who know what they are talking about on the other board has said

Diack,Williams, Ruan back,
McCall on bench, still no Henry and Franco rested. Might well see Andrew start with J Murphy on the bench!!!

What is interesting is it implies Best, Herring, McCloskey, Payne and Trimble could all be in Ireland 23.
If Herring makes the bench no more than he deserved - Hooker is one position where we have the top 2 players in Ireland on current form.
AOC will be a big player if so with Browne or a youngster alongside him in the row.

Regardless of what happens with Herring, John Andrew deserves a start. Played quite well in his brief appearances and with two international players ahead of him, it would be easy for him to get discouraged and stagnate if he isn't given the occasional chance to shine.

If Franco is rested the key man is Diack as much as O'Connor. Diack is one of the best lineout forwards in the country and will probably be calling the set piece.

The real question is- McCloskey, SBW, Horan or Olding - who is the best 12 in World EVER?

Agreed Notch I have no doubt Andrew is good enough - he has impressed.
Also he knows Rory will retire c2018 or so and I believe he is ok with that.

Agreed Diack becomes key in our lineout - as he has been all season.
My observation on AOC was based on the assumption he will be calling the lineouts, you may well be right though,
Diack is the older head.

"What is interesting is it implies Best, Herring, McCloskey, Payne and Trimble could all be in Ireland 23."

Well talk about ramping up the excitement factor. If they are going to be in the matchday squad I don't think I can wait until sunday.

Quick caveat it is usual for Ireland to retain a spare forward and a spare back -i.e. 25 players so 2 of them may not even make the 23


Having said that it is very unusual for the spare forward to be a hooker.
Mind you with his brief outings as a backrow Herring doesn't look out of place there.

Thinking off the top of my head - maybe Herrings versatility in that department makes him more attractive than the Leinster boys as the bench hooker - just a thought

Ah You was impressive of the bench at the weekend. I think he could prove a very good signing. Surprised by the lukewarm response to his signing.

rodders wrote:Ah You was impressive of the bench at the weekend. I think he could prove a very good signing. Surprised by the lukewarm response to his signing.

rodders I think some see any signing as a starter and are missing the fact that Ulster for so long have lacked depth and that's what the signing is about

rodders wrote:Ah You was impressive of the bench at the weekend. I think he could prove a very good signing. Surprised by the lukewarm response to his signing.

Seems to me a bit like Nick Williams in that he's a high risk, high reward signing. A very natural rugby player, naturally big and powerful, but will need to keep working hard on other elements of his game.

I agree he could be a really good signing but in truth I haven't seen as much of him as I should have. I blame the TV companies for not showing a lot of Connacht games! I saw his try at the weekend at thats exactly what Ulster are missing in the tight five. We have very good technical forwards, very good in the maul, scrum and line out but when Henderson is out there's a lack of guys who can just power through contact.

rodders wrote:Ah You was impressive of the bench at the weekend. I think he could prove a very good signing. Surprised by the lukewarm response to his signing.

I've been very impressed with Ah You. He's not the best scrummager around but maybe the coaching at Ulster can sort that out. He is however a beast of a ball carrier and very mobile not to mention a solid wall in defence. I think he'll fit in very well.

geoff999 wrote:What is interesting is it implies Best, Herring, McCloskey, Payne and Trimble could all be in Ireland 23.

..and as Payne is the most versatile of the trio (of backs) and the most likely starter of the 3, we can also surmise that they will all feature in the starting 15, as Trimble and Mccloskey do not offer as much versatility from the bench.

It's nice to lose the run of ourselves for a while in the build up, reality will kick us in the teeth soon enough!

The crucial question - and one I could see losing us some of the upcoming games we should otherwise expect to win - is "who's at 10"?

I like that he offers something different to Herbst in terms of his ball carrying and handling skills. It gives us good options in terms of selection and varying things against different opposition.

Herbst has had his injury problems too so Ah You is a better back up option than Lutton from what I've seen.

Once we get George Smith on board we'll be flying

rapidsnowman wrote:

geoff999 wrote:What is interesting is it implies Best, Herring, McCloskey, Payne and Trimble could all be in Ireland 23.

..and as Payne is the most versatile of the trio (of backs) and the most likely starter of the 3, we can also surmise that they will all feature in the starting 15, as Trimble and Mccloskey do not offer as much versatility from the bench.

It's nice to lose the run of ourselves for a while in the build up, reality will kick us in the teeth soon enough!

Well it looks like McCloskey has been standing in for Henshaw in training. One would surmise that as Henshaw proved his fitness against Scarlets that Schmidt will go with Henshaw/Payne in midfield again.

The question is will McCloskey be the 23rd or 24th man? I think Schmidt plans to cap him but will he do it against Wales I'm not sure - he tends to have guys in camp a few times before picking them.

There'll be a ruckus on the Irish threads on here if its Henshaw and Payne but slowly changing the composition of the midfield across the tournament isn't the worst idea in the world.

I wouldn't be so gutted at McCloskey losing out, his time will come, more frustrated that Kearney seems undroppable at full-back.
He was possibly the best in the world a few years ago but now he doesn't offer any more in any department than Payne and arguably less in some. I know Payne hasn't played there at test level, but you have to start somewhere. It isn't like we would be throwing in a young guy for his first cap.

Anyway, what will be, will be.

Well I think McCloskey offers a lot more than Henshaw at 12, a lot more. Would love to see Henshaw at 15 but won't happen I don't think.

I don't think MCloskey will Start - I also think that is a mistake

I couldn't agree more Geoff. McCloskey is the talk of Irish rugby and the amount of praise being piled upon him from all over the world is well founded. I know they say that Joe goes for those that know his systems the best so if that's the case then concentrate on teaching Stuart McCloskey. He's the very answer we need to combat the physical Welsh giants.

Apparently Ma Nonu swapped his Sonny Bill pajamas for Stu McCloskey ones.

I don't think McCloskey will start and I think its the right choice at this stage, I just don't think a center pairing with a total of 15 caps between them have enough experience for a game as important as Wales.

I do think McCloskey and Henshaw is the future but the summer tour and Autumn inter nations are the games they will start to form the partnership and come the 6 nations next year they will star and have nearly twice the number of caps between them.

On the other hand Payne would be a better choice at full back and with Trimble, Murray, Sexton they would have plenty of experience around them.

I think its maybe 50/50 if they start together, do we go with an experienced team against Wales, or pick the players in form in there best positions and hope their form makes up for their inexperience?

I'd go for the form players.
It's not as if Payne and Henshaw have a long history together. I do think McCloskey's form and natural talent would more than make up for the lack of international experience. Payne is a solid, reliable 13 but for me he can be a world class 15, something we'll miss out on if Joe keeps flogging the dead Kearney horse. Play our best players and units where they will be the most effective and get rid of some of the old dead wood at the same time. If they are good enough then play them, strike while the iron's hot and all that