Ulster 2016/2017

by marty2086 Mon 13 Feb 2017, 9:43 am

First topic message reminder :

And it's been confirmed

Ulster Rugby has today announced that Jono Gibbes will join the Province as Head Coach ahead of the 2017/18 season, having signed a two-year contract.

The former New Zealand player is currently Forwards Coach at French giants ASM Clermont Auvergne and he previously held a similar position at Leinster Rugby.

Gibbes joined Leinster in 2008, helping the squad to win three Heineken Cup titles during a six-year spell in Dublin. The first of those successes came under the stewardship of Michael Cheika in 2009, before he assisted Joe Schmidt in the 2011 and 2012 triumphs.

He moved to France in 2014 and was part of a coaching set-up that guided Clermont to the Top 14 and Champions Cup finals in his debut season.

In addition to his expertise in forward play, the 40-year-old has also gained valuable experience in coaching other aspects of the game, such as attack, during his stints at Leinster and Clermont.

Gibbes said that there were many contributing factors in his move back to Ireland:

"The respect that I have for Les (Kiss), as a coach and as a person, was one of my main reasons for making this decision. He really sold his vision of where he wants to take Ulster over the next few years.

"Ulster is a team that I know well, having come up against them on a number of occasions. The Clermont-Ulster games this season gave me an insight into the strengths of the squad and it's exciting to think that I'll be part of that environment from next season.

"With 6 years at Leinster and 3 years at Clermont in the Top 14, I've been afforded many different experiences, working with some very talented coaches and players. I hope to apply what I've learned to the role at Ulster and my family and I are looking forward to integrating into a strong community in Belfast."

Welcoming the news, Director of Rugby Les Kiss, added:

"Jono's CV speaks for itself and I know that he's looking forward to joining Ulster and working with the team. Jono has vast experience on both the playing and coaching fronts, having worked in many different environments such as Super Rugby, PRO12, the French Top 14 and European competitions.

"Since his retirement from playing, Jono has had an integral role in the coaching teams of two of European rugby's most successful sides. He was a key part of the Leinster set-up that won three Heineken Cups in four years and he has continued to be hugely successful during his time in France.

"Jono's expertise as a Forwards Coach is obvious, however his wealth of knowledge in other areas of the game will be really important for us."

"A review of the coaching structure is ongoing ahead of next season and the appointment of Jono as Head Coach is the first part of that process. A further announcement will be made in the coming weeks, which will focus on getting the right balance in our coaching team."

by Pete330v2 Fri 24 Feb 2017, 2:17 pm

Treadwell has replaced Browne apparently

by clivemcl Fri 24 Feb 2017, 2:31 pm

This season has shown the importance of a strong deep squad, but we are set to see a pretty much injury free backs division very shortly- what a headache that will be!!!! Yikes

Would certainly be a shame to see players like Stockdale, Nelson, Bowe and maybe even Ludik dropped, but what can you do!

Do we then rotate? Or try to build continuity for a string of games?

by marty2086 Fri 24 Feb 2017, 2:37 pm

clivemcl wrote:This season has shown the importance of a strong deep squad, but we are set to see a pretty much injury free backs division very shortly- what a headache that will be!!!!

Would certainly be a shame to see players like Stockdale, Nelson, Bowe and maybe even Ludik dropped, but what can you do!

Do we then rotate? Or try to build continuity for a string of games?

Im a supporter of rotating and using players to do a job against certain teams because history tells us that come the time for the big games we usually have someone missing and the backup comes in undercooked and every game for the rest of this season is big

by geoff999rugby Fri 24 Feb 2017, 3:45 pm

First choice backs pick themselves

Pienaer, Jackson, Trimble, Olding/Marshall, Payne, Piatau, Ludik

by geoff999rugby Fri 24 Feb 2017, 3:46 pm

Back up not too bad

(Ok not a good backup 9), Nelson, Gilroy, McCloskey, Cave, Stockdale, Lyttle - none too shabby

by clivemcl Fri 24 Feb 2017, 4:07 pm

geoff999rugby wrote:Back up not too bad

(Ok not a good backup 9), Nelson, Gilroy, McCloskey, Cave, Stockdale, Lyttle - none too shabby

Of course you've got 'marshall/olding' in first team, so I would put Olding as 15 in 'the backups' over Lyttle. That is VERY not shabby!

by marty2086 Fri 24 Feb 2017, 4:12 pm

And no place for Bowe anywhere

by geoff999rugby Fri 24 Feb 2017, 5:32 pm

marty2086 wrote:And no place for Bowe anywhere

Which sadly is fair.

Based on this season he is, at best, our 5th choice winger.

by geoff999rugby Fri 24 Feb 2017, 5:33 pm

clivemcl wrote:
geoff999rugby wrote:Back up not too bad

(Ok not a good backup 9), Nelson, Gilroy, McCloskey, Cave, Stockdale, Lyttle - none too shabby

Of course you've got 'marshall/olding' in first team, so I would put Olding as 15 in 'the backups' over Lyttle. That is VERY not shabby!

I would agree - if you pick Olding over Marshall though MCloskey would join Bowe in the 3rd XV !!

by Guest Sat 25 Feb 2017, 8:34 pm

Coetzee out of tomorrows game, due to illness. Wilson on the bench.

by geoff999rugby Sun 26 Feb 2017, 10:35 am

SAw that - seriously Wilson what a joke, his body has gone.

Leave the academy boys you WILL NEVER BE GIVEN A CHANCE steam

by Maine man Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:11 pm

This would have been a perfect opportunity to play Rea. Never learn.

by Pete330v2 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:18 pm

Well as it stands Ulster are utter sh17e. Zebre the better looking side. This despite them losing 11 players to international duty

by marty2086 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:19 pm

This is pretty woeful, is it just me or does Pienaar just look fed up?

And Piutau getting side stepped by a prop?

by clivemcl Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:21 pm

Is this on TV?

by marty2086 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:22 pm

clivemcl wrote:Is this on TV?

On Sky Sports 3

by neilthom7 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:38 pm

Nice strength by Olding for that try

by neilthom7 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 1:45 pm

The lines that Stockdale runs are super impressive

by Pete330v2 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 2:22 pm

Clueless gash from Ulster but 5 points is 5 points. So much that needs fixed. Luke Marshall has been holding too many tackle bags.

by marty2086 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 2:39 pm

The one positive for Luke is he'll never play that poorly again in his life

by Pete330v2 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 2:59 pm

Very true. That goes goes for many others. Awful display

by geoff999rugby Sun 26 Feb 2017, 10:40 pm

Really exposed our lack of depth in the pack

Lets be honest the likes of Warwick, Lutton, Diack, Black, Wilson, Ross simply aren't goo enough.

Class forward acts at Ulster are Best, Treadwell, Henderson, Coetzee, Reidy and next year Botha.
Henry is a funny one - alongside a kick arse backrow he can effect turn overs.
Alongside poorer player he looks very ordinary - not as good as Reidy.
Warwick is going backwards faster than an Italian tank - he was beyond awful.
Also worried about the sub par performances we are getting from Herbst and Herring - their going backwards as well
When you don't have at least 4 of the class acts playing and some of the make-weight listed above are we totally under powered.

My one hope is Gibbes will get more out of some than they are producing now.

Think we will be told to play Gilroy and Payne next week - so Marshall and Bowe will be dropped and rightly so.
Ludik and Cave wont make it.

by geoff999rugby Sun 26 Feb 2017, 10:40 pm

Pete330v2 wrote:Very true. That goes goes for many others. Awful display

There were plenty of player on that pitch who will play as badly again because they ain't good enough - I guarantee it

by Redman Sun 26 Feb 2017, 10:45 pm

That game sums up why we'll beat Clermont at home but lose to Edinburgh away.

We just can't motivate ourselves and instil a winning mentality. It's the reason the young players almost always excel when they play, but experienced players consistently under-perform. Some of them feel they have nothing to play for.

Compare this to last week when people knew they needed to put on a show. Individually players will perform when there's something in it for them (and there are exceptions) but overall we're just not a professional outfit week in, week out.

For those of you who didn't watch the game, you might be thinking we're being harsh. We're not. It was utterly, utterly dreadful.

I can't think of another team we would have beaten today if we'd played like that again.

by marty2086 Sun 26 Feb 2017, 10:58 pm

Thats the problem though they do have places to play for, I picked out Luke Marshall earlier because it was so unlike him but he has so much competition for places at Ulster and Ireland and a great performance today wouldn't have put him in ahead of Ringrose but it may see him fall further down the pecking order and even at Ulster it could set him back

geoff mentioned Herring who not that long ago was on par with Best in a lot of areas now its got to the point where you look at John Andrew and think he could well be our 2nd choice hooker, not all because of his own progress

by geoff999rugby Mon 27 Feb 2017, 2:20 pm

Just watched Bristol v Bath

Dan Tuohy hasn't played like that for us in a loooong time

Says a lot

by Pete330v2 Mon 27 Feb 2017, 2:38 pm

geoff999rugby wrote:Just watched Bristol v Bath

Dan Tuohy hasn't played like that for us in a loooong time

Says a lot

More importantly how did Bristol's backline attack play look ?? Smile

by marty2086 Mon 27 Feb 2017, 2:52 pm

Pete330v2 wrote:
geoff999rugby wrote:Just watched Bristol v Bath

Dan Tuohy hasn't played like that for us in a loooong time

Says a lot

More importantly how did Bristol's backline attack play look ??

Haven't seen it but saw they had Henson back and playing 10, said a while back if they can get someone at 10 controlling things they'd do well because their backs looked dangerous when they got moving

by carpet baboon Mon 27 Feb 2017, 4:19 pm

I watched most of it and they looked pretty good. First 20 mins henson stood far too deep, but as the game went on he got flatter and the backline ran some good lines.
Individual dicision making let them down a few times but you could see some good work

by SecretFly Mon 27 Feb 2017, 4:30 pm

What age is Henson now? He's still playing?

by carpet baboon Mon 27 Feb 2017, 4:33 pm

34. And when he's not injured he is

by geoff999rugby Mon 27 Feb 2017, 5:25 pm

Bristol have an impressive set of back

Hurrell and Piatau in the centre
Woodward and Varndell in the back three
With Henson at 10 they are capable of being seriously dangerous

Interesting Ulster connections it looks like Solomons has become head coach in all but name - he was calling the shots.
The actual head coach looked like a bunny in the headlights by comparison

by geoff999rugby Tue 28 Feb 2017, 4:57 pm

Coetzee and Trimble will be starting on Friday

by toml Tue 28 Feb 2017, 8:20 pm

Trimble will hopefully start showing some form...

Stockdale can't stop scoring
Gilroy looked very dangerous scoring 3 against Italy
We have Charles Piatau

He will have to stay at his best.

Did anyone see Rory Scholes first try for Edinburgh against Cardiff, pretty impressive.

by Guest Tue 28 Feb 2017, 8:38 pm

I'm baffled by how Edinburgh have treated Scholes. Don't know if Edinburgh's coaching staff are blind to talent, like Clarke, or if there's something wrong with Scholes, but it's difficult to believe he wouldn't have added real value to that side much sooner. Hopefully the new coach proves positive for him.

by Redman Wed 01 Mar 2017, 10:18 am

Blair Kinghorn is their next big hope at 15. Being a local boy and a future Scottish international Scholes won't displace him. Am perplexed as to how he can't get a game at wing though.

by marty2086 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 10:33 am

Redman wrote:Blair Kinghorn is their next big hope at 15. Being a local boy and a future Scottish international Scholes won't displace him. Am perplexed as to how he can't get a game at wing though.

Scholes wants to be a 15 though and would be a potential Scottish international if given an opportunity, if he doesn't get game time he probably won't stick around and Scotland could lose him

by geoff999rugby Wed 01 Mar 2017, 11:50 am

Scholes has very much made a rod for his own back.

Insisted he wanted to a 15 - Ulster weren't interested - we had Piatau, Ludik, Payne and Nelson in front of him.
Piatau will be gone but Stockdale has emerged since. Why would Ulster keep him as 5th choice 15 ?

Edinburgh have found a better 15.

Maybe Ulster and Edinburgh are telling him something

On Nelson long term he will be a 15 - keeping the reserve spot at 10 safe until McPhillips and Curtis are ready.

by marty2086 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 12:25 pm

Can't McPhillips play 15 too? Plus you have guys like Gilroy, Lyttle and Olding who can drop back into 15 and you have Busby now having made his debut who can cover 15

So there's an abundance of young guys who can play 15

by geoff999rugby Wed 01 Mar 2017, 1:07 pm

We certainly have.

My guess is it will be Ludik backed up by Stockdale and Nelson in the next 3/4 year.
Payne will stay at 13 and Olding, McPhillips will be used elsewhere.

by Pete330v2 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 2:22 pm

If ever I was fit to be tied it's now.
I am feckin fuming over this.

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2017/0301/856394-isa-nacewa/

One rule for them etc etc etc

by marty2086 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 2:28 pm

Problem is though Pete Leinster are producing back 3 players with Nacewa there, Ulster weren't/aren't producing 9s

by geoff999rugby Wed 01 Mar 2017, 2:40 pm

marty2086 wrote:Problem is though Pete Leinster are producing back 3 players with Nacewa there, Ulster weren't/aren't producing 9s

Is that looking at it the wrong way round - many of them have had to leave because of insufficient game time - Kelleher and Conway for example.
They have failed to secure a place in the Leinster team because of Nacewa.

Ulster have had no one remotely good enough coming through their academy for years - Marshall being the number 2 in that time is proof of that.
Pienaer has blocked no one - Nacewa has blocked players at Leinster

Double standards censored

by clivemcl Wed 01 Mar 2017, 2:44 pm

Marty, you make it sound like their view is we were NOT trying to produce 9s because we didn't need one. This is a nonsense. For a very simple reason. Pienaar isn't immortal - he only has a few years left at best anyway. Does anyone really think Ulster were waiting until he retired and then (and only then) would say 'I guess we have to produce 9s now!'.

Ridiculous. We have no 9s because we have no 9s. Leinster produce back three players, because good back 3 players exist.

This is quite clearly a hypocracy. The ONLY argument that makes sense from Nucifora POV is that foreigners affect development by 'stealing' gametime. There's no way you can argue this is not also the case with Nacewa.

EDIT: Beat me to it Geoff! ;-)

by Pete330v2 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 2:52 pm

marty2086 wrote:Problem is though Pete Leinster are producing back 3 players with Nacewa there, Ulster weren't/aren't producing 9s

Ulster's problems in produced 9's would have been there regardless of who was wearing the shirt and they will remain long after Ruan's gone.
The fact is this is a textbook example of blatant hypocrisy of the highest order.

by marty2086 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 3:04 pm

Pete330v2 wrote:
marty2086 wrote:Problem is though Pete Leinster are producing back 3 players with Nacewa there, Ulster weren't/aren't producing 9s

Ulster's problems in produced 9's would have been there regardless of who was wearing the shirt and they will remain long after Ruan's gone.
The fact is this is a textbook example of blatant hypocrisy of the highest order.

While I don't like the decision I disagree that its hypocritical in regards to Pienaar, the IRFU are basically saying lets see how you do finding some IQ 9's without him around and its worked to an extent with Cooney coming in. They don't need to be doing this with Leinster

by marty2086 Wed 01 Mar 2017, 3:06 pm

Though some good news to cheer up the miserable b@$t@rd$ on here, Paddys sign a new 2 year deal

by clivemcl Wed 01 Mar 2017, 3:14 pm

marty2086 wrote:Though some good news to cheer up the miserable b@$t@rd$ on here, Paddys sign a new 2 year deal

More so a massive relief than celebratory! Phew!

by Guest Wed 01 Mar 2017, 3:56 pm

Great news that Jackson will remain with us. I did think he would, but there was always that little fear that he would be tempted away with a big money offer. Not that his new contract will have been cheap.

Nacewa .... double standards, no doubt.

by **profitius** Wed 01 Mar 2017, 4:18 pm

clivemcl wrote:Marty, you make it sound like their view is we were NOT trying to produce 9s because we didn't need one. This is a nonsense. For a very simple reason. Pienaar isn't immortal - he only has a few years left at best anyway. Does anyone really think Ulster were waiting until he retired and then (and only then) would say 'I guess we have to produce 9s now!'.

Ridiculous. We have no 9s because we have no 9s. Leinster produce back three players, because good back 3 players exist.

This is quite clearly a hypocracy. The ONLY argument that makes sense from Nucifora POV is that foreigners affect development by 'stealing' gametime. There's no way you can argue this is not also the case with Nacewa.

EDIT: Beat me to it Geoff! ;-)

I don't agree and I can give you a good example. Remember the prop crisis in Irish rugby around 6 years ago? It was coming for ages but it took a humiliation against England (Tom Court had to play tighthead) for the IRFU to actually do something about it. They were doing nothing for a decade because John Hayes was always there to lock out the scrum. Since they started to concentrate on bringing through props we now have no shortage of props.

Teams have to be knocked out of their comfort zone from time to time so they can make improvements.

Good news on PJ. thumbsup

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