Ulster squad additions

First topic message reminder :

All of the following will be contracted to Ulster next year - I don't know the nature of each contract though

Niall Annett
Jerry Cronin
Craig Gilroy
Paddy Jackson
Adam Macklin
Luke Marshall
James McKinney
Ian Porter

Will supply a fully list shortly - still no mention of Bryan Young. Also no mention of Gaston yet

Hopefully this will boost season ticket sales as well. Need to fill all the new seats lads!!

Are you getting a cut?

After 2 months can I talk about it now

Also it would appear that a certain Mr. Wannenberg is also likely to stay - negotiations are taking place.

I know a marquee signing would be nice but in terms of a cohesive together squad this can only be good news. A team that plays for each other and helps each other is worth a fortune

geoff998rugby wrote:After 2 months can I talk about it now

Also it would appear that a certain Mr. Wannenberg is also likely to stay - negotiations are taking place.

Flip this is like xmas! Pedre as well!

Who needs Kaino...we've got T-Bowe!

Clean underwear for Rodders please

geoff998rugby wrote:After 2 months can I talk about it now

Also it would appear that a certain Mr. Wannenberg is also likely to stay - negotiations are taking place.

I know a marquee signing would be nice but in terms of a cohesive together squad this can only be good news. A team that plays for each other and helps each other is worth a fortune

Geoff, you've talked about nothing else mate!

Geoff, literally 90% of your posts have been about who is or is not coming to Ulster!

I would love PW to stay.

Happy girl now.

Rava wrote:

Notch wrote:And Hooker!

Don't forget the Hooker

Lads, that's no way to refer to Tommy's doris: Mrs Bowe

I know guys but officially I wasn't supposed too.
Seemed a bit silly keeping quet when it was all over the papers.

It is incredible that I was told on the 12th January and most players in the squad thought it would be announced the same time as Roger Wilson. That was a long time ago

Rava wrote:Clean underwear for Rodders please

Rava I've been hitting ctl + F5 on the Ulster website since Xmas....!

great news, we are on the UP!!!!

I heard someone refer to him as T-Bow earlier. There is only one real T-Bowe!

Spoiler:

He might get on well with Andy Trimble though.....


If you're calling him T-Bowe though, you could start singing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJ3k0BKlYIY&feature=related

Good stuff. Now more than ever we need a backs coach to get the best from pienaar, trimble, bowe, Payne etc

Frigthening backline for next season lads. The key term being next season won't matter a jot in 25 days time..... Nice to see Ulster make such moves, is Danielli definitely out the gap now?

Do you want him Thomond?

Tommy, I don't really. We have enough wing talent. Laulala in at 13 will do for the centres, Hanrahan would be great for 12 next year but he might be a bit young. Downey wouldn't have been my choice but if Mafi stays then I would play him. Inside centre is one of our holes in the team next year.

Backline of: Murray,ROG,Zebo,Downey,Laulala,Howlett, Jones with Earls also available is mighty tasty.

As for Tim Tebow, his throw is worse than Rory Best's... He is a white Christian, who loves God and is the typical American posterboy. So no surprise he is famous.

I'm really happy for him. He's home, near his folks and pals. He'll thrive. Ulster are very very lucky.

But duw, it's painful. I'll be in bits at his last O's game.

Don't worry Cari...Belfast is the best value city break in Europe....

Danielli is rumoured to be off to Wasps

Good luck to Danielli... hes been a fantastic servant for us. He just hasn't been the same player in last couple of seasons and has become surplus to requirements but I wish him all the best. A real honoury Ulster man.

That would make sense for him. I hope he does well. He's in a similar situation to Bowe at the Ospreys- when we need him is when he's with Scotland anyway, and we need to develop younger Irish players.

Danielli was really great for Ulster for a while. He did a lot for the team filling the gap after Bowe left for the Ospreys. Things have come around full circle in both cases.

Also, Asbo, heard on another forum that Exeter Chiefs are in for Ian Whitten. He's a very underrated player and would be a cracking signing for the Chiefs.

If Luke Marshall and Chris Farrell continue to progress he'll soon be fighting hard to get any gametime (although he's getting enough time on the pitch now) so he might decide this is as good a time as any to try something different.

Would much prefer to keep him. He's a pretty physical centre who adds a lot of depth to the squad, works exceptionally hard and generally performs well. Can't think of too many bad games he's had in his career. But we have a lot of talented prospects at centre and Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave and Nevin Spence don't seem inclined to move aside for anyone either.

roddersm wrote:Good luck to Danielli... hes been a fantastic servant for us. He just hasn't been the same player in last couple of seasons and has become surplus to requirements but I wish him all the best. A real honoury Ulster man.

I'll second that Mr Chairman, and add that he's a proper gentleman as well

Notch wrote:Also, Asbo, heard on another forum that Exeter Chiefs are in for Ian Whitten. He's a very underrated player and would be a cracking signing for the Chiefs.

If Luke Marshall and Chris Farrell continue to progress he'll soon be fighting hard to get any gametime (although he's getting enough time on the pitch now) so he might decide this is as good a time as any to try something different.

Would much prefer to keep him. He's a pretty physical centre who adds a lot of depth to the squad, works exceptionally hard and generally performs well. Can't think of too many bad games he's had in his career. But we have a lot of talented prospects at centre and Paddy Wallace, Darren Cave and Nevin Spence don't seem inclined to move aside for anyone either.

+ 1 Notch. Whitten would be a great signing for anyone. I really want him to stay though, hes been brilliant this season but yeah he's going to find it hard to get gametime.

As above- heard Danielli is being strongly linked with Wasps - not a great signing for them, they seem to be in free fall.

Cant wait to see our backline next season;

15 - Payne
14 - Bowe
13 - Cave/Spence
12 - Wallace
11 - Trimble
10 - Pienaar
9 - Marshall

Or something to that effect.

Artful_Dodger wrote:As above- heard Danielli is being strongly linked with Wasps - not a great signing for them, they seem to be in free fall.

Cant wait to see our backline next season;

15 - Payne
14 - Bowe
13 - Cave/Spence
12 - Wallace
11 - Trimble
10 - Pienaar
9 - Marshall

Or something to that effect.

We have a pack to rival anyone in Europe. We are now putting together a set of backs that will compliment that. If we can keep everyone fit then we could be in for an exciting two or three years.

Some folks on here sound like this season is over...

hmmm guys... you's forgot about Humphreys......


....That back 3 of Trimble, Payne and Bowe is a mouthwatering prospect next season! ... from a rugby playing perspective of course......

Exactly putting together a starting XV as good as anyone in Europe but with a AIB standard 10.

The big elephant n the room

geoff998rugby wrote:Exactly putting together a starting XV as good as anyone in Europe but with a AIB standard 10.

The big elephant n the room

Sounds like we have a subject for another article Geoff

A tad harsh there Geoff, Yes he's AIb at times and thats unacceptable, but you can't label him as that standard end of, as if he's never shown any class. I think playing him when hes playing well and playing Marshall when he isnt, makes that backline still pretty solid. We just need the new coach to not be afraid to hook him off when he's having a mare.

Dont know if anybody would know this but do Ulster have a sports psychologist on the books? Might be the thing needed for Humphries because theres no doubting his ability its more his mentality thats lacking

Yes it is harsh but without question when you see a starting XV of Court, Best, Afoa, Tuohy, Muller, Ferris, Wannenberg, Henry, Pienaer, Humphreys, Trimble, Wallace, Cave, Bowe, Payne

With a bench of McAllister, Kyriacou, Macklin/Fitzpatrick, Stevenson, Wilson, Marshall, Spence, Gilroy/D'Arcy

it doesn't take a genius to spot the weak link

Coach update - cant remember if I mentioend before but Cheika was definitely one of the 3 interviewed.

Also it maybe that the defence coach could be Terblanche.
He has impressed Ulster so much that they could well be trying to persuade the new coach to accept him as part of the team

Worth reposting from theFRU:

And so, with Nigel Brady getting another year on his contract it appears that, ex Ireland U20′s Captain, Niall Annett will be travelling to the sunny climes of Bristol to further his education for the next couple of seasons. He may be joined on his travels by James McKinney as both are pushed aside, in the natural order of things, to make room for the latest up and coming stars.

With Patrick Jackson expected to go onto a full time contract next season it appears that Annett and McKinney are being moved on to allow Iain Henderson, Chris Farrell, Peter Nelson and Blaine McIlroy to avail of Development contracts – the final step before going pro.

the Annett deal looks like a short term loan the intent is for him to return - dont know about McKinney

That Annett thing is pretty dissapointing. I thought he was pretty highly rated. I was also under the impression McIlroy was being hung out to dry after his antics during the u20s 6n last year. Besides don't we have Pienaar, Marshall and Porter?

Is the Tommy Bowe deal done yet?

It is, yes. Confirmed.

Annett will benefit from a year or two with Bristol. He'll get more game time there than here.

As for SH seems to me that Porter is on the skids. if he plays as little next year as this he'll be dropped.
It is quite common to have 3 Professional 9's and a development one.

geoff998rugby wrote:Coach update - cant remember if I mentioend before but Cheika was definitely one of the 3 interviewed.

Also it maybe that the defence coach could be Terblanche.
He has impressed Ulster so much that they could well be trying to persuade the new coach to accept him as part of the team

Whats the story with Cheika & Stadte - is he not under contract to them until the end of next season? Are they going burst or something - they are doing reasonably well in the Top 14 considering the turmoil they've been through.

Dont know Sin e but I saw him at the ground, talking to Ryan Constable and having a good look round. He was a man who was considering a move imv. Since been told he made the final 3.

Concerned about Whitten going. He got a decent amount of gametime this season. He was needed.

Our problems clearly don't lie in the quality of our front-line players, but the fact that our squad is tissue-thin. and that seems to be getting worse in some areas.

Let's tale a for-instance. Next year's Six Nations. Let's say we're missing (for the training squad at least) Bowe, Trimble, Wallace and Cave. The only name there that isn't certain or probable is Cave, and he would have been there this 6N but for injury. That leaves us with a backline to assemble out of - Marshall, Spence, Gilroy, Cochrane, Gaston, Nelson, Farrell, Payne, D'Arcy.

Depending on who we're playing, we could be in for a torrid time. A couple of injuries and we're up a creek. Being able to play Whitten on the wing would greatly boost the experience of a backline like that.

So a set up of something like Gilroy, Marshall, Spence, Cochrane, Payne

D'Arcy and Farrell on the bench with Gaston and Nelson as cover

Lets injure, for this scenario, Spence and Marshall then we would play

Gilroy, Farrell, Payne, Cochrane, D'Arcy
Gaston and Nelson on the bench.

I honestly dont think that is that bad.

Who are the favourites for the coaching job?

Are looking at signing anymore players?

What I want to know is; will Wannenburg be with us next season?

Actually, I had forgotten Payne can play 13. That does ease things.

Still...

<continues to fret about entirely hypothetical situation>

1F'sgonnagetya! wrote:Who are the favourites for the coaching job?

Are looking at signing anymore players?

1. Cheika and Sexton but in truth Ulster are keeping this one very close to their chest

2. Yes but unclear if there are any new players as opposed to re signings

Rory_Gallagher wrote:What I want to know is; will Wannenburg be with us next season?

TBD

Don Alfonso wrote:Concerned about Whitten going. He got a decent amount of gametime this season. He was needed.

Totally agree Don....Justice for Whitten!