[2013/14 HEC] Pool 5, Round 1

[Draggs]

Pool Five

Ravenhill, Belfast (11/10/2013, 20:00 Local Time)

Stadio Comunale di Monigo, Treviso (12/10/2013, 14:35 Local Time)
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[Packman]

A deceivingly tough pool. Never underestimate either Montpellier or Treviso at home, both could derail ulster or leicester and either sink them at the pool stage or leave them qualifying in 7th or 8th place which means a trip to a giant's backyard. Friday's Ulster v Leicester match is going to be awesome! And maybe a bit of redemption for the tigers becasue our last trip was down right traumatic.

I can't believe the rugby players will sit still and let PRL stop these sort of fixures from happening. This is what rugby is all about.

 

[Big Ewis]

holy ***** that's a tough pool...love MP this year, really hope they give a consistent effort, they've got a lot going on on that squad..
and if Pélissié does well on the biggest stage here of the European Cup, French authorities will just have to take notice.

 

[Peat]

Nothing deceptive about it. Just an out and out ugly pool and probably the hardest after Pool 1.

 

[psychic duck]

Nothing deceptive about it. Just an out and out ugly pool and probably the hardest after Pool 1.

I rate the Clermont/Quins/Racing/Scarlets pool as tougher than this one. Treviso simply don't travel and Montpellier are a side liable to give up after losing a couple.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Montpellier in their 3rd year of H Cup, a tough pool, but are playing well this season still lots of injuries but are slowly getting players back , Hamilton and Gorgodze and Niarashvili could well be included in this weekends squad against Trevise. Figallo out for 5 to 6 months after back injury in 4 nations.

 

[Packman]

Gorgodze rocks.

 

[gaston le gaff]

Gorgodze rocks.

It was his first full training session this week after injury, he has not played yet this season, but should be on the bench on Sat and ready to terrorise Ulster the following week in Montpellier
.

 

[Peat]

I rate the Clermont/Quins/Racing/Scarlets pool as tougher than this one. Treviso simply don't travel and Montpellier are a side liable to give up after losing a couple.

Maybe if Quins hadn't gone to crap and Scarlets had a tight five. Visiting Treviso won't be a barrel of laughs and neither will Montpellier be until they've given up - Racing Metro gave up last year too. I would swap pools with Clermont in a heartbeat.

 

[gaston le gaff]

could be another all French Final, with several French teams qualifying after the pool game!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Big Ewis]

could be another all French Final, with several French teams qualifying after the pool game!!!!!!!!!!

feeling confident about the MP boys for this upcoming HC, gaston ?

 

[psychic duck]

Maybe if Quins hadn't gone to crap and Scarlets had a tight five. Visiting Treviso won't be a barrel of laughs and neither will Montpellier be until they've given up - Racing Metro gave up last year too. I would swap pools with Clermont in a heartbeat.

On second looking at the pools I agree. Racing will have probably given up by the end (similar to Montpellier), Leicester are better than Quins, Scarlets will give two middlingly tough matches but probable wins, Treviso will give one 5 pointer and one tough away trip. I forgot Ulster were now top seeds in the pool ahead of Leicester.

From Ulster's point of view, it's unfortunate to come across the Montpellier away match early in the 2nd round.

 

[gaston le gaff]

On second looking at the pools I agree. Racing will have probably given up by the end (similar to Montpellier), Leicester are better than Quins, Scarlets will give two middlingly tough matches but probable wins, Treviso will give one 5 pointer and one tough away trip. I forgot Ulster were now top seeds in the pool ahead of Leicester.

From Ulster's point of view, it's unfortunate to come across the Montpellier away match early in the 2nd round.

Thought Montpellier were giving up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now its tough on Ulster make your mind up Duck!!!!!

 

[psychic duck]

Thought Montpellier were giving up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! now its tough on Ulster make your mind up Duck!!!!!

They'll probably give up once they've lost a couple and will be weaker in away games. Playing the home game early means there's a higher chance that they'll field a full team for the game and make it a very hard to match to get 4 points.

Ulster aren't as fortunate as last season where they got poor Castres away effort early on to gain points whilst Northampton got the early good away effort and lost points, then by the end in round 6 when Ulster played Castres away they were on full Top 14 focus mode. This time it's the opposite.

 

[Galbraith]

Ulster: 15 Jared Payne, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Tommy Bowe, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 P Marshall, 8 Nick Williams, 7 Chris Henry, 6 Roger Wilson, 5 Dan Tuohy, J Muller (c), 3 Declan Fitzpatrick, 2 Rory Best, Tom Court.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Callum Black, 18 Ricky Lutton, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Robbie Diack, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 Stuart Olding, 23 Michael Allen.

Leicester Tigers: 15 Niall Morris, 14 Miles Benjamin, 13 Vereniki Goneva, 12 Dan Bowden, 11 Adam Thompstone, 10 Toby Flood (c), 9 Ben Youngs, 8 Jordan Crane, 7 Julian Salvi, 6 Ed Slater, 5 Geoff Parling, 4 Louis Deacon, 3 Dan Cole, 2 Tom Youngs, 1 Logovi'i Mulipola.
Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Boris Stankovich, 18 Fraser Balmain, 19 Graham Kitchener, 20 Thomas Waldrom, 21 David Mele, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Terrence Hepetema.

 

[ratsapprentice]

Nice to see Benjamin fit again.
Not seen Hepetema play at all yet.

 

[Galbraith]

Is Benjamin playing because they think he is fit enough (I know he played in an a league game but is that enough to play in a big game like this), or is it because they are so damaged by injury that they have no choice?

Either way I really rated him for Wuss so hopefully he can get back to form

 

[gaston le gaff]

They'll probably give up once they've lost a couple and will be weaker in away games. Playing the home game early means there's a higher chance that they'll field a full team for the game and make it a very hard to match to get 4 points.

Ulster aren't as fortunate as last season where they got poor Castres away effort early on to gain points whilst Northampton got the early good away effort and lost points, then by the end in round 6 when Ulster played Castres away they were on full Top 14 focus mode. This time it's the opposite.

So what do you suggest if Montpellier win their first 2 games, ( by the way everybody has played a home game by the 2nd pool game) give up on the 3rd or 4th or will they continue and qualify for the 1/4 finals like last season. We can only field a team from the players available and there are plenty of injuries at the moment, but there will be 2 / 3 players returning for Treviso, Gorgodze has yet to play this season and Hamilton and Nariashvili started training this week after injury so could be on the bench.

 

[Packman]

Ulster V Leicester:

A recent warcry from my lounge has been "Give the ball to Goneva!!!" Let's hope Mr Flood hears me. Vereniki is lethal at 13.

 

[Amiga500]

Trimble is lethal at 11, Bowe is lethal at 14 and Payne is magic at 15.

If Leicester are to win the match, they simply must deny our back 3 quality ball. Darren Cave is an excellent defensive 13, so I'm not too concerned (perhaps misplaced) about Goneva.


I have concerns around our scrum (no Afoa tonight), but aside from that, feel we are at least a match for Leicester in all other areas of the pitch and better in the back 3.

If the scrums are roughly equal, then who wins the breakdown fight between Henry and Salvi (and Best and Youngs loitering with intent...) will be the next critical battleground.


Oh and we have one absolutely helluva good bench to bring on. I'd go so far as to say Leicester need to be leading, perhaps by 2 scores, by the hour mark to have a chance of winning.