QF: Northampton Saints vs Ulster

[Seaton]

It still puzzles me how a team playing in the second division like 4 years ago is now one of the better English teams and has about a third of the English national team in it.

Just shows how pish the Premiership is

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Bloody good game! Very delicately balanced, Ulster backs look better and Botha is doing a job on Tiny in the scrum.

Think Best has the better of Hartley too (though Best looks p**sed off after the scrums whereas Hartley, who's usually that, is calm as anything)
Good job Court is consistently giving away penalties, otherwise Saints could be in big trouble scrum time


Also:
How good is Ian Humphreys?!

 

[DorceOutSide]

Also:
How good is Ian Humphreys?![/QUOTE] he's a great player and better kicker than sexton should be given a chance to play 10 for ireland in the wc warm up matches

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Really engaging game so far.

My half-baked preliminary conclusions of this weekend so far: The inability of English halfbacks(albeit mainly fly halfs to play a tactical or controlling kicking game, especially in pressure games/situations. And for the Irish teams, the reverse seems true.

 

[DorceOutSide]

lawes has a similar temperment to cian healy judging from this game

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Really engaging game so far.

My half-baked preliminary conclusions of this weekend so far: The inability of English halfbacks(albeit mainly fly halfs to play a tactical or controlling kicking game, especially in pressure games/situations. And for the Irish teams, the reverse seems true.

 

[Feicarsinn]

Adam D'arcy you muppet.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

haha you're right about those guys Olyy...but Barkley obviously diidnt play, didnt see the sale game, and Im not sure Wilko doesnt seem to play the territorial game so much with Toulon.

All the same, id love Hodgson top get another chance if he can iron out soem defensive flaws and properly transfer his form to itnernational level

 

[DorceOutSide]

you sir are a muppet !!!!!!!!

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Flarglegarble - Hodgson ironed out the defensive flaws years ago
Think he's got the third most tackles in the Sale team this season, and the lowest missed tackles



Anyway - Saints more than a converted try ahead now - Ulster need to switch on, their scrum is getting munched now, and lineout not great either





Edit:
Hartley put his arm in Wannenburgs mouth then complained that he bit him :lol:

 

[dangandan]

ulster's forwards have no more steam left. they can't retain the ball anymore.

EDIT: ulster backs have been very good but for the last 20 minutes their forwards have been anonymous at nearly every ruck. no way can you win like that.

 

[franklin]

was a good game until the ulster pack stayed in the dressing room at half time,only one winner after the break,despite mylers kicking out of hand being pants all afternoon.

 

[Peat]

Also:
How good is Ian Humphreys?!

iHumph is a god.

Alas, he is a capricious, fickle god, who sees fit to serve up sublime and shite in the same mixture. If he could cut out the odd pieces of shite, then he'd be amazing. He'd be the new Carlos Spencer, the man wearing Ireland's 10 tattooed on his back leaving Sexton and ROG to fight over the bench.

He seems roughly as capable of cutting out the shite as a hedgehog is of calculus.

Fair play Northampton, better team won. Equal parts disappointed and proud.

 

[munstermuffin]

Must say I was impressed by Ulster. Northampton were better team and deserved the win but Ulster couldve won it if they took chances but they put up a sublime battle.
Lawes was immense today too and really will add something special to England again.

 

[coonor]

Must say I was impressed by Ulster. Northampton were better team and deserved the win but Ulster couldve won it if they took chances but they put up a sublime battle.
Lawes was immense today too and really will add something special to England again.

I agree. Ulster contributed to a great match and they really challenged the Saints. I actually thing Humphreys out played Myler and had a good game. At time Ulster looked more dangerous then Northampton but the quality and power began to show as the match went on. Ulster will go home disappointed in the short term but they should be proud of what they have achieved in the long term.

Lawes was brilliant today he was so physical and even skillful in the contact and breakdown area.

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He didn't look to tire at all through the match - fitness is through the roof
Would put in a big hit but be straight back up to hit the next guy, and seemed to hit every break down on the pitch

 

[munstermuffin]

Lawes fitness was even more spectacular when you consider he is still slightly regaining fitness.
Hope Ian Humphreys can get his head together too because if he can get some CONSISTENCY then Ireland would have 3 fly-halves who can all make positive impacts for Ireland and also the competitiveness will improve all players

 

[Peat]

iHumph shat all over Myler, who was turd, and anyone who thinks otherwise is deluded. I was talking to Bullitt before the game, he said he was beginning to get bored of Myler... I reckon he's even more bored now!

However, as much as I'd love to see the great entertainer that is iHumph playing international rugby... you'd need balls of steel to take that risk. Wait for the Ginger Messiah lads.

Also, Courtney Lawes is an amazing horrific beast and I now really wish he'd been fit in the 6N as I think we might well have had a Slam. Northampton looked fitter in general. Well, there's an easy way to solve that!

I say easy. Obviously, I wouldn't be doing it, so fairly easy for me.

Equal parts disappointed and impressed by Northampton. The majority of their points came from two poor kick chases and from beasting our set-piece. The way they exploited their chances was very impressive, but I think they need more in their armoury to progress into a true European colossus.

 

[munstermuffin]

Only downside to Lawes is he is English and when he gets in to that national set up they'll find some way to destroy him

 

[TRF_Olyy]

Will the England set up destroy him....or will he destroy the England set up?