Leicester Vs Ulster - it's been a while but it's back but sadly without a crowd

1. Genge
2. Youngs
3. Cole
4. Wells
5. Green
6. Martin
7. Liebenburg
8. Weise
9. Wigglesworth (nice idea why he's in there)
10. Ford
11. Nadolo
12. Scott
13. Moroni
14. Porter
15. Steward

Clare, de Bruin, Heyes, Lavanini, Brink, Youngs, Henry, Murimurivalu.

Well Tigers wpuld struggle to name a bigger side than that. The lack of a natural openside worries me slightly against an Irish side.

(15-9) Jacob Stockdale, Robert Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Ethan McIlroy, Billy Burns, John Cooney;

(1-8) Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor, Iain Henderson (Capt.), Matty Rea, Jordi Murphy, Nick Timoney.

Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Tom O’Toole, Kieran Treadwell, Sean Reidy, Alby Mathewson, Michael Lowry, Will Addison.

That Ulster squad is exactly as I just texted my mate this morning so I'm over the moon to be correct just this once. I even got the bench right although I'd tinkered with the possibility of including Madigan instead of Lowry but that would have been exceptionally harsh on Lowry. It's a shame for Mads but needs must. Lowry brings that versatility and after all, he's Ulster's answer to Kolbe

Shamefully I don't know most of the Leicester team, I've lost far too much touch with the Premiership. Is that a full strength side ?

It's tough to call a full strength side under Borthwick because he likes to rotate and he likes to adjust the team based on tactics. Looking at that team we are very close to full strength but I think we look to be leaning towards playing a very direct and forward based game in the first half and then opening up.

Front row - I presume you know these guys as they have all featured for England and Youngs and Cole have been around forever.
Second row - star name Lavanini on the bench again is odd I think he must be carrying a niggle. Green and Wells are academy grads and serviceable squad players but aren't even close to being in the same class as Henderson. Green is the set piece guy and Wells the more mobile and horrible one.
Backrow - 19 year old and freshly capped Martin on the blindside, lock in the academy and age grade but has a huge engine is normally second choice 6. Liebenburg the first choice 6 is playing 7, he can also cover 8 and can cover lock so big bloke not a fetcher but again huge work rate, we'd normally play a 7. At 8 is Weise he's first choice, devastating ball in hand but is liable to collect a card in defence.
Half backs - old man Wigglesworth and Ford no intro needed.
Centres - Scott the Scotland international who is probably starting due to young IQ and EQ centre Dan Kelly getting knocked out last weekend. Moroni Argentina international at 13 is the defensive lynch pin.
Wings - mammoth Nadolo the Fijian winger fresh back from injury last weekend, I'm unsure how good his hammy is. Porter on the other wing is a utility back more in mould of Addison for you guys and isn't one of our go to wingers normally.
Fullback - Freddie Steward another 19 year old and is normally rock solid at the back with a cannon of a boot. You might mistake him for a forward as his dimensions are lock sized.

Clare - journeyman replacement hooker, third choice but Montoya is injured, academy grad
De Bruin - will be at Edinburgh next year can play either side
Heyes - 22 year old tighthead the successor to Coley, academy grad
Lavanini - massive Argentinian
Brink - big South African plays 6/7/8
Youngs
Henry - great step and flair but lacks game management
Murimurivalu - experienced Fijian who's come into the team and played well recently.

Cheers Sam.

I do indeed know that front row very well, there won't be a step backwards there.
Ford, Wiggles and Nodolo need no intro either but apart from Lavanini on the bench I couldn't quite put my finger on the other names. your insight is very much appreciated.

McFarland has gone for bulk as well, not as much bulk as Nodolo on the wings but who has more bulk than him in that position. He'll be quite the challenge for young Robert Baloucoune but as he rarely misses a tackle I think he's well up for it.

It could and should be a very interesting game indeed.

Your back three might lack comparable size but I am concerned by the pace of Stockdale and Baloucoune particularly if they get on the outside. I don't know much about McIllroy on the other wing is he similarly pacey?

I suspect the first half will be a real arm wrestle with a fair bit of kicking with the second half opening up a bit. I don't know a great deal about your bench but it doesn't look a conservative one and ours isn't one for a tactical finish. Well unless that finish is attacking rugby.

McIlroy is an exceptional young talent. He has bags of pace and is great in the air. I have the feeling he and Stockdale might swap things about a bit as he plays at full back as well.

Our bench is as strong as I can remember it, Andrew and O'Toole have been playing out of their skin and Treadwell and Reidy could easily have been starters, both are playing their best rugby at the moment. Matthewson brings the vast experience and talent any ex-All Black brings and Lowry and Addison are simply on another level. Addison is only back from a long injury but in his cameo looked just as silky as ever and Lowry is our young Cheslin Kolbe.

I didn’t feel just as blown away by McIlroy as others seem to be.a talent for sure, but I would have thought the strongest 15 would have had the back line rejigged to accommodate one of Addison or Lowry over McIlroy.

I guess Lowry is out half cover and Addison lacking match fitness but potentially a good impact from the bench.

I think I would have preferred Lowry at full back and Stockdale on the wing. But in Dan we trust!

The tactic of Wigglesworth kicking aimlessly and letting Ulster smash it back really needs to stop. No fetcher on the pitch for Tigers means we just can't slow it down.

As I said aimless kick and then no pressure on the ball. Ulster are loving this.

No idea how that was a Ulster penalty at the scrum but I think Weise is going for a card.

Nope second scrum in a row Moore's been allowed to ease to the floor under pressure.

Set piece is Tigers but in the loose it's all Ulster.

Despite what the commentators are blithering about Borthwick nearly always changes hooker and tighthead at half time or just after. Brink for Martin just gives us a breakdown presence.

Don't like to see that, hope Cooney's ok. Been sensational for Ulster. Everytime I see him play I wonder why he doesn't start for Ireland.

A stat given during the first half was that Ulster ruck speed was 2 seconds faster on average. Tigers really did need to do something.

Brendan wrote:A stat given during the first half was that Ulster ruck speed was 2 seconds faster on average.  Tigers really did need to do something.

Yeah I always thought we'd look to play more in the second half given the nature of the bench. I just don't think the plan was for Ulster to be so dominant in the first 40.

Ulster have completely fallen apart since Cooney went off

Austin Healy either biased or blind there not noticing the fact that ball came massively off a Leicester player before going into touch

Ulster get a penalty for dangerous play (pushing the man into a jumper so he lands awkwardly). Pretty lucky call but make the most of it with a great first phase move. Game on.

neilthom7 wrote:Austin Healy either biased or blind there not noticing the fact that ball came massively off a Leicester player before going into touch

He thought the Ulster player stepped into touch under the half tackle by Liebenburg.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

neilthom7 wrote:Austin Healy either biased or blind there not noticing the fact that ball came massively off a Leicester player before going into touch

He thought the Ulster player stepped into touch under the half tackle by Liebenburg.

I know I just thought they would have had screens for the commentators cos they showed that replay that showed he was infield at least twice before he said it

Good win Leicester, really turned it up in the second half and deserve the win, very much a team on the up, good luck in the final

Ulster have a lot of searching to do, they completely fell apart for about 25 minutes of that match and helped orchestrate their own downfall, the defence was frankly rubbish in the second half

Fair play Leicester thought you were going to be battered after 20 minutes, that second half was seriously gritty. Steward looks a talent (again). Ford showing his class and Genge showed some application.

Ulster lost possession in their last big push when ball was ripped from Matthewson. But his knees were clearly grounded when it was ripped. Costly miss by the officials. Ulster were throwing the sink at it and had momentum built in their last gasp push.

Ultimately, in first half Ulster missed chances and coughed up possession at a time where they could have fully capitalised and demoralised Leicester. But instead they gifted them enough glimmers of hope they were able to build on after half time.

Nothing in the Cooney incident. But it is a sickener when something like that so badly impacts your team. It shouldn’t. But it does.

Addison brought his usual spark, but that mistake with his kick after failing to catch first time is one of many examples of gifting opportunity to the opposition which you simply cannot do in knockout rugby if you hope to win.

Tigers fans have taken to saying in Borthwick we trust. Mainly because we don't understand his selections or tactics half the time but the improvement in results has been increasingly good. Normal logic is not to leave your 100 cap star scrum half to be an impact sub or to bring on a journeyman hooker and 22 year old tighthead for two internationals at half time every week for impact. Hey it works.

Hard luck Ulster, I thought you were going to pull away in that second half after what we saw in the first 40. The Cooney injury definitely seemed to limit you as he was often the spark and losing him as Tigers traded up taking off Wigglesworth for Youngs it just amplified the loss.

clivemcl wrote:Ulster lost possession in their last big push when ball was ripped from Matthewson. But his knees were clearly grounded when it was ripped. Costly miss by the officials. Ulster were throwing the sink at it and had momentum built in their last gasp push.

Ultimately, in first half Ulster missed chances and coughed up possession at a time where they could have fully capitalised and demoralised Leicester. But instead they gifted them enough glimmers of hope they were able to build on after half time.

Nothing in the Cooney incident. But it is a sickener when something like that so badly impacts your team. It shouldn’t. But it does.

Addison brought his usual spark, but that mistake with his kick after failing to catch first time is one of many examples of gifting opportunity to the opposition which you simply cannot do in knockout rugby if you hope to win.

To be fair the officials also missed Ulster smashing in from the side of the ruck on a few occasions, you win some and lose some.

I think the Cooney injury was a huge turning point for Ulster (it wasn't any sort of foul btw just unlucky) after that we constantly box kicked from Mathewson (badly) time and again even when in Tigers half, just handing them possession and giving them a chance to build on their growing dominance.

Unfortunately the drop off in quality from Cooney to mathewson is huge

I think Burns plays better with Cooney too.

Tigers having Ford was a big part to show the contrast between the two teams in the second half.

Good game.

neilthom7 wrote:I think the Cooney injury was a huge turning point for Ulster (it wasn't any sort of foul btw just unlucky) after that we constantly box kicked from Mathewson (badly) time and again even when in Tigers half, just handing them possession and giving them a chance to build on their growing dominance.

Unfortunately the drop off in quality from Cooney to mathewson is huge

I think the problem with the Mathewson box kicks was the height he got on them. Just allowed Tigers most reliable back to come flying up and take them. He clearly felt the pressure of Steward collecting them because he kept kicking shorter as opposed to just lowering the height. It was a strange shift for Ulster to kick quite so much after their power carrying game being so good in the first half.

Great win for the Tigers, disappointing its not the top story on the Beeb, flood lights going out and womens world rugby rankings is more worthy apparently!!!!

Wish they would have a blackout.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

neilthom7 wrote:I think the Cooney injury was a huge turning point for Ulster (it wasn't any sort of foul btw just unlucky) after that we constantly box kicked from Mathewson (badly) time and again even when in Tigers half, just handing them possession and giving them a chance to build on their growing dominance.

Unfortunately the drop off in quality from Cooney to mathewson is huge

I think the problem with the Mathewson box kicks was the height he got on them. Just allowed Tigers most reliable back to come flying up and take them. He clearly felt the pressure of Steward collecting them because he kept kicking shorter as opposed to just lowering the height. It was a strange shift for Ulster to kick quite so much after their power carrying game being so good in the first half.

Agreed, especially once Leicester started to get some momentum the best thing to do would have been hold on to it, put out some phases, let things settle down, let the sting go out of Leicester's play but they just kept kicking it right back to them and Leicester were able to build their momentum and play some very good rugby as a result.

TightHEAD wrote:Great win for the Tigers, disappointing its not the top story on the Beeb, flood lights going out and womens world rugby rankings is more worthy apparently!!!!

Wish they would have a blackout.

The ending might have been a farce but the two English tries were fantastic. It is also rugby which the BBC can show.

I am having to force my fingers to type this, but well done Tiggers a great win. One that we couldn't quite achieve

Great comeback from Tigers - didn't expect that after the 1st half ...

I stopped watching after the first half and couldn't believe the result. Leicester were being dominated.

Ulster's dominance was based on the same ruck interpretation that the Irish teams have been using for years. Basically going well beyond the ball and binding on to the carrier/sealing off. I thought 'if Tigers just challenge for the ball the ref has to penalise Ulster' because he's not going to give a penalty for sealing off if there's no Leicester player in the ruck. I don't know if that happened in the second-half but it's an obvious strength for Irish teams that you need to deal with if you're going to beat them.