Ulster Rugby 2017-2018 Part 2

by Cyril Sat 20 Oct 2018, 8:56 pm

First topic message reminder :

Part 2

by **rodders** Mon 28 Jan 2019, 11:59 am

marty2086 wrote:
rodders wrote:
I think it is just that with the GDPR rules now clubs can't say much when players are injured.

Brexit will soon sort that

Because there'll be no more Surgeons or physios .... Run

by marty2086 Mon 28 Jan 2019, 12:07 pm

rodders wrote:
marty2086 wrote:
rodders wrote:
I think it is just that with the GDPR rules now clubs can't say much when players are injured.

Brexit will soon sort that

Because there'll be no more Surgeons or physios ....

Or heads of S&C either it seems Whistle

by marty2086 Mon 28 Jan 2019, 1:27 pm

Chance to win tickets tomorrow night for Ireland England game this weekend, Garrick are giving some away on Thursday night too

by marty2086 Tue 29 Jan 2019, 10:01 am

https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/ulster-rugby/ulster-fight-off-interest-in-peel-as-assistants-sign-new-deals-37759475.html

by **rodders** Tue 29 Jan 2019, 10:07 am

marty2086 wrote:https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/ulster-rugby/ulster-fight-off-interest-in-peel-as-assistants-sign-new-deals-37759475.html

Pretty happy with this. Ulster for me are a work in progress but on an upward trajectory. I think we need a bit of stability with all the changes in the last few seasons.

Grant for Dundon is an interesting one, Edinburgh are looking very strong in the forwards so that could be a good addition.

Rory Best still looking in very good shape, I wonder if he may stay beyond the RWC after all?

by marty2086 Tue 29 Jan 2019, 10:47 am

You have to take into account that Rorys been managed the last while, he had the summer off and isn't playing much this season.

He has said a few times given what happened to his brother he wants to play as long as his body holds up, I think to get value for money we would need Rory to take on another role too

by **rodders** Tue 29 Jan 2019, 10:54 am

Rory is being well managed all right, and it does take him a while to get up to speed but his form over the past month or so has been close to his best.

I'm certain he'll bow out from Ireland after the RWC but right now he's comfortably Ulsters best hooker and that doesn't look like changing any time soon.

Would he do another season or 2 to try and win something with Ulster?

by geoff999rugby Tue 29 Jan 2019, 11:20 am

To be honest Rory has not been 'managed' that much this year.

Missed the start because of injury, missed two because of November internationals and two over Christmas

Has played in 10 of the last 14 games

Peel good luck to him, obviously impressed and the only one to survive since the start of last year

by marty2086 Tue 29 Jan 2019, 11:21 am

Edinburgh Rugby wrote:Following recent speculation regarding the future of Assistant Forwards Coach, Roddy Grant, Edinburgh Rugby can confirm that he will leave the club at the end of the season to take up a similar role with Guinness PRO14 side Ulster.

by Don Alfonso Tue 29 Jan 2019, 12:57 pm

https://www.ulsterrugby.com/2019/01/coaching-team-for-2019-20-season-confirmed/

Dundon's away. Everyone else retained.

by **BigGee** Tue 29 Jan 2019, 1:39 pm

marty2086 wrote:
Edinburgh Rugby wrote:Following recent speculation regarding the future of Assistant Forwards Coach, Roddy Grant, Edinburgh Rugby can confirm that he will leave the club at the end of the season to take up a similar role with Guinness PRO14 side Ulster.

Not even a thank you or a good luck for the future!

Get the impression they are not very happy about it!

by Don Alfonso Tue 29 Jan 2019, 1:46 pm

BigGee wrote:
marty2086 wrote:
Edinburgh Rugby wrote:Following recent speculation regarding the future of Assistant Forwards Coach, Roddy Grant, Edinburgh Rugby can confirm that he will leave the club at the end of the season to take up a similar role with Guinness PRO14 side Ulster.

Not even a thank you or a good luck for the future!

Get the impression they are not very happy about it!

He has done a cracking job with their forwards. Or contributed to it, certainly. They probably wanted him to continue being a part of that.

by Pete330v2 Tue 29 Jan 2019, 4:05 pm

Happy days, continuity and stability, something that was completely ignored by the previous regime.

by carpet baboon Thu 31 Jan 2019, 9:43 am

Sam carter confirmed. Looks like a decent signing

by geoff999rugby Thu 31 Jan 2019, 10:01 am

Yep get a LH in and retain Coetzee and it will be looking good

Faddes would be a bonus, if true

by Pot Hale Thu 31 Jan 2019, 11:45 am

Matt Faddes has played for NZ 7s so that makes him NIE I presume?

by The Great Aukster Thu 31 Jan 2019, 1:16 pm

carpet baboon wrote:Sam carter confirmed. Looks like a decent signing

Just the sort of experienced leader Ulster are crying out for. thumbsup

This looks to be another 'take-away the chill factor' signing. Would Carter have signed if he hadn't a good friend (Lealiifano) who told him Belfast was OK?
If so it supports the notion that the provinces should not be exclusively homegrown but have a smattering of imports to help spread the net wide.
The last time Ulster had an Aussie lock they put silver in the display cabinet - omen?

by marty2086 Thu 31 Jan 2019, 1:41 pm

Think this was important from Dan

Sam has an excellent work ethic and a strong set piece game, where he has led one of Super Rugby’s top lineouts over the past five years. He will add another level of experience and leadership to our forward pack and will significantly enhance competition for places within our squad

If we can shore up our lineout, it becomes a great platform for us especially the way the maul has been working this season

by geoff999rugby Thu 31 Jan 2019, 1:58 pm

Pot Hale wrote:Matt Faddes has played for NZ 7s so that makes him NIE I presume?

Depends upon the rules concerning non WC sevens when he played in 2012-13
No one has come up with a definitive answer to that either here of elsewhere - so we don't know

by Kingshu Thu 31 Jan 2019, 5:32 pm

Think the rule is the senior national representative sevens team of a union where the player is aged 20 or older or, if at an Olympics or Sevens World Cup, the player has reached the age of majority (18).

Since he was born in 1991 and played 7s in 2013 he was over 29 and tied in.

I get what Geoff is saying, that came in, in 2017, from what I can gather the age of 20 was added to it and just playing a game for the 7s against another international team tied you in before, think of Paul Warwick, who played 7s, and moved to Munster but couldnt qualify for Ireland even after becoming a citizen.

by geoff999rugby Thu 31 Jan 2019, 9:35 pm

Warwick is a good point.
If true he is NIE, then it would suggest any LH would have to be IQ
That also suggest to me that Nelson and maybe Cave are on borrowed time

by clivemcl Thu 31 Jan 2019, 11:07 pm

It may well be the rule. But it shouldn’t be. I mean really... sevens may as well be league. It’s got so little to do with real pro level 15s. So dumb IMO

by geoff999rugby Fri 01 Feb 2019, 7:56 am

Given that it is, probably, an IQ player and Leinster is possible

Bryne and Bent come to mind as maybes

by carpet baboon Wed 06 Feb 2019, 7:20 am

Marcel signs a 3 year extension

by clivemcl Wed 06 Feb 2019, 7:58 am

https://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/rugby/marcell-coetzee-three-year-contract-extension-at-ulster-for-powerhouse-backrow-1-8798757

by Don Alfonso Wed 06 Feb 2019, 8:26 am

Fantastic stuff. Now stay healthy, Marcel.

by clivemcl Wed 06 Feb 2019, 8:39 am

3 years. Can't tell if that's impressive on Ulster's part or Marcells? Obviously it's great if he stays injury free. But another year out from rugby and we could see ourselves again paying a high salary to a non-playing player or face yet another costly contract pay off.

Sorry to go negative on this! If we can get 3 more seasons of this season's Marcell, this will go down as a great piece of contract work by Bryn.

by **rodders** Wed 06 Feb 2019, 9:12 am

Fantastic news about Marcel, he's been one of the best players in the league this year. I'm sure he had other options so it's a real vote of confidence in the way the club is going.

by marty2086 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 9:21 am

He did say he wanted to repay Ulster for standing by him throughout the injuries, Im hoping that means that he didn't require a payrise to commit to Ulster

by **rodders** Wed 06 Feb 2019, 10:28 am

I think he's worth what we pay, assuming he's over his injury woes of course, international class back rows in their prime don't come cheap.

by marty2086 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 11:18 am

I agree rodders but injured ones proved expensive so what I'm hoping for is that he maybe feels a tinge of guilt about that and took a pay cut that frees up some money to be invested elsewhere

by Pot Hale Wed 06 Feb 2019, 12:34 pm

Interesting development in the IRFU allowing a NIE contract to be renewed for 3 years. Great for Ulster - as long as he stays injury-free although you’d wonder if there’s a clause in contract that says if he gets crocked long-term again then it’s curtailed.

If Faddes is NIE, that’s 3 NIE full time on the books which is unusual but probably what Ulster needs at this point.

by The Great Aukster Wed 06 Feb 2019, 1:10 pm

A 3 year deal for a backrow of Coetzee's age and with his injury record wouldn't have been offered by most clubs. Munster signed Botha on a one year deal.

by Pete330v2 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 3:00 pm

I think it's a brilliant bit of work to retain a player who's still slowly getting back to his very best. It's obviously a bit of a risk with his injury record but fingers crossed on that front. Speaking of Botha, he was such a risk we didn't even sign him yet he'd have been one hell of an asset.
Always with the negative waves Moriarty, only positive vibes please.

by neilthom7 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 9:13 pm

Anybody watch Billy Burns on Rugby Tonight? Anything interesting happen during it?

by marty2086 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 10:23 pm

neilthom7 wrote:Anybody watch Billy Burns on Rugby Tonight? Anything interesting happen during it?

All Ive seen of it so far

https://www.facebook.com/UlsterRugbySP/videos/428187487741926/

by marty2086 Wed 06 Feb 2019, 10:30 pm

Our new CEO has spoken too, can't help but be impressed by him

by **rodders** Thu 07 Feb 2019, 10:04 am

neilthom7 wrote:Anybody watch Billy Burns on Rugby Tonight? Anything interesting happen during it?

Yeah he beat his brother at kicking balls into a dustbin held by Ben Kay whilst wearing a blindfold, so we definitely got the better of the two.

by neilthom7 Thu 07 Feb 2019, 10:05 am

Seems to be better than Logan at least, not that it was a high bar to cross.

There was no way attendances were going to do anything except fall this season, last year was a poor season on the pitch, the club was in a mess in the backroom with Logan and such who a lot of fans hated and obviously the Jackson/Olding stuff caused a lot of friction.

It will take the club some time to tempt fans back, it likely wont be a marquee signing that does it but a few years of the club being run properly and decent performances on the pitch.

by Pete330v2 Fri 08 Feb 2019, 9:52 am

Ulster close to signing the 21 stone, 6'3 SA prop Gary Milasinovich who plays mostly at tighthead but can play loosey as well. He's a huge unit but has had some time out in recent years due to injury which must be one of Ulster's criteria.
He looks massive, then again so was Rodney.

by clivemcl Fri 08 Feb 2019, 10:01 am

Ulster’s track record with props has not exactly been good. Herbs is just ok. Nothing in this makes me even remotely hopeful. Happy to be proved wrong.

by Pot Hale Fri 08 Feb 2019, 5:23 pm

Pete330v2 wrote:Ulster close to signing the 21 stone, 6'3 SA prop Gary Milasinovich who plays mostly at tighthead but can play loosey as well. He's a huge unit but has had some time out in recent years due to injury which must be one of Ulster's criteria.
He looks massive, then again so was Rodney.

Here's some wiki info on him - plays for Worcester. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gareth_Milasinovich

He's had 4 seasons at the Warriors - 9 games in his first, only 3 in his second due to injury, then 28 games last season and 16 so far this season.

by clivemcl Fri 08 Feb 2019, 5:27 pm

Ah we'll be grand Pot! Sure aren't we getting Dave and Fergus off yous? That'll bolster our squad.

by Pot Hale Fri 08 Feb 2019, 5:29 pm

clivemcl wrote:Ah we'll be grand Pot! Sure aren't we getting Dave and Fergus off yous? That'll bolster our squad.

Well you're only getting them cos they're always injured....

Oh wait a minute... Smile

by clivemcl Fri 08 Feb 2019, 5:31 pm

Seems like a nice chap at least

by The Great Aukster Fri 08 Feb 2019, 5:59 pm

Apparently the match from the Kingspan is being streamed tonight - anyone going?

by The Great Aukster Sat 09 Feb 2019, 8:09 am

Well done to Armagh - the team with no academy players outdo Ballymena again.

by geoff999rugby Mon 11 Feb 2019, 7:08 pm

Been told Carter contract 2 years
Also Milasinovich not our new LH but replacement for Herbst
Still looks to me Faddes is dependant on us getting an IQ LH
Spoken to both Buckley and Dooley but neither seem keen, hence the names I mentioned before
Should add talks with Nagle and a permanent move progressing nicely

by clivemcl Mon 11 Feb 2019, 9:03 pm

Wonder if any of the Irish backrowers from LI are departing with Sean O'Brien heading there?

That's not a hint, just a 100% baseless rumour.

I reckon at this stage, the consensus on the signings would be ... underwhelming?

Carter would be good yea? I'm unfamiliar? Good enough to be a starter alongside Hendo? Above O'Connor/Treadwell?

Good to see the squad bolstered of course.

And I guess the trade off in not signing a big name is the re-signing of Marcel.

Let's hope Milasinovich and Faddes are more Herbst and Addison than Murphy and Dewey.

by neilthom7 Mon 11 Feb 2019, 9:07 pm

Carter is a very good player, an excellent lineout operator, think he has something like 16 or 17 Aussie caps. Will certainly be first choice alongside Hendo and should add to the team.

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