The Ulster Thread

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Decent start to the league campaign for Ulster.

The halfbacks look like they could be a good combination.

If they can keep healthy, the backrow options of Marcell Coetzee, Jean Deysel, Chris Henry and Sean Reidy should stand Ulster in good stead.

Lineout was very poor. Rory Best and Iain Henderson will improve the tight five considerably.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

If they can keep healthy, the backrow options of Marcell Coetzee, Jean Deysel, Chris Henry and Sean Reidy should stand Ulster in good stead.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/41615626

Coetzee can't stay healthy. Out for 9 months. He's had awful luck with injuries since signing for Northern Province.

 

[munstermuffin]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/41615626

Coetzee can't stay healthy. Out for 9 months. He's had awful luck with injuries since signing for Northern Province.

Hopefully they bring in a replacement

 

[unrated]

http://www.bbc.com/sport/rugby-union/41615626

Coetzee can't stay healthy. Out for 9 months. He's had awful luck with injuries since signing for Northern Province.

That's quite sad. These ACL injuries can ruin many players careers. Rugby clubs should send their players to specialists used by the big spanish clubs such as Barcelona and Real madrid to fix the knee problems. I know many EPL clubs send their players to spanish specialists for surgery that reduces the time they spend away from the game. Marcell is a player that needs to quickly get over his injuries though not his fault but for the sake of his career he also has little time to play himself into the Springbok plans for the next world cup.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Two months into the new season, same old problems for Ulster. Behind the scrum they can be outstanding, they lack a pack to get them the ball though.

In my opinion, they require a new starting loosehead, starting tighthead, starting second row and starting openside at a minimum. Depth is sorely lacking at 9 and 10 beyond the starters too.

 

[collace]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42069720

Christian Lealiifano has all but confirmed that he will be heading back to the Brumbies in January. What then? Pete Nelson is fairly dependable but no more than that. By all accounts McPhilips has potential but surely we need some extra cover.

 

[Jakedood]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/42069720

Christian Lealiifano has all but confirmed that he will be heading back to the Brumbies in January. What then? Pete Nelson is fairly dependable but no more than that. By all accounts McPhilips has potential but surely we need some extra cover.

Brett Herron is fairly bog standard too... Nelson has gone well for us, if it was a year later I'd wonder if they'd chuck Michael Lowry in but its too early for him now

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Ulster should beg for a loan of Bill Johnston. Get him some deec minutes because he's 4th choice in Munster and would probably be pushing first choice, definitely 2nd ahead of Herron in Belfast.

 

[Groundhog]

Ulster should beg for a loan of Bill Johnston. Get him some deec minutes because he's 4th choice in Munster and would probably be pushing first choice, definitely 2nd ahead of Herron in Belfast.

For someone who talks out their arse so much, that's not the worst suggestion. Johnston has the pedigree, but has been out from top level rugby for a while, but he's played a decent amount of UBL I think. He'll get some minutes for the time being for us, but it would be no harm for Ulster to see how he goes and try lure him north for a bit after Christmas if they're going the way of a stopgap. Unlikely we'll let him go beyond that if he's coming good though as we've been very patient with his injury profile and as an organisation clearly have a lot of belief in him.

 

[Amiga500]

Ulster should beg for a loan of Bill Johnston. Get him some deec minutes because he's 4th choice in Munster and would probably be pushing first choice, definitely 2nd ahead of Herron in Belfast.

I'd have been asking you goys for Joey Carbery if Leinster are gonna stick with J10 starting and Byrne as backup.

Unfortunately though, he's now injured. Whats the expected recovery date?

 

[munstermuffin]

I'd have been asking you goys for Joey Carbery if Leinster are gonna stick with J10 starting and Byrne as backup.

Unfortunately though, he's now injured. Whats the expected recovery date?

He's due back by end of January it was said.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Quade Cooper isn't in Brad Thorn's plans with the Reds this year. Could be an option for Ulster when Christian Lealiifano goes back to the Brumbies in January.

 

[Groundhog]

Quade Cooper isn't in Brad Thorn's plans with the Reds this year. Could be an option for Ulster when Christian Lealiifano goes back to the Brumbies in January.

Would be fairly funny to watch him attempting his x factor stuff in this league only to realise he's ankle deep in muck and about to get smashed for his troubles. Whatever does happen Ulster's current options are crap when Lealiifano goes. They need to make a fast signing.

 

[Jakedood]

Ulster's defense an absolute mess last night. There was zero.physicality on show, we lost ground in nearly every point of contact on defense. I can understand stu McCloskey going high, he's so good at the choke tackle, but no one else managed to effect one and everyone was going far too high.
On top of that our ruck presence was almost non existent. That performance was shambolic but the defense especially was just so poor, i expected it to be much further along than this when irelands defensive coach came north to look after us.
Im at a loss really

One thing my dad said when watching together last night was to see if we could tempt Henson over

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Did Ulster dodge a bullet with the news that Stephen Donald failed his medical? I don't wish ill or injury on him but Donald would have been a sticking plaster over a gaping wound. He'd leave in the summer and Ulster would be no better off. Now they may have to go with Johnny McPhillips who could be their future. He's certainly looked a lot better in his Ulster cameos than he did at u20 level for Ireland.

The squad is a mess. An awful lot of players need to be weeded out because they add nothing.

 

[profitius]

but the defense especially was just so poor, i expected it to be much further along than this when irelands defensive coach came north to look after us.
Im at a loss really

I don't think Ireland's defence was great under Kiss. It was a passive drift defence. I remember Ireland's small backline getting a battering as they allowed the likes of Jamie Roberts to gain momentum before contact.

 

[Amiga500]

The squad is a mess. An awful lot of players need to be weeded out because they add nothing.

I also think Kiss has to go. Forget about what he does or doesn't do as DOR - his defensive philosophy clearly isn't working. Worst tries against ever last season - yet on course to far surpass that this season!

The best teams use defense as a form of attack. Smother the opposition at 10 and 12, force them into mistakes, generate turn over ball and from that, punish them.

What do we do? Drift. Let them get space, time, momentum and confidence. Its no coincidence our few reasonable performances have come when linespeed has been cranked up.

 

[snoopy snoopy dog dog]

Hard to argue with that, especially when Jono Gibbes is a ready made replacement already on the coaching staff. Perhaps the players need to listen to a new voice.

There are questions to be answered though. Who's in charge of recruitment because that's been poor of late? Will a change in coach make all that much difference when the injured/unavailable list is so big and they remaining talent level is so weak?

 

[Amiga500]

Whiff tweeting that Kiss has supposedly been handed his jotters after the interpros.

Major reorganising underway in the summer apparently.

 

[munstermuffin]

Whiff tweeting that Kiss has supposedly been handed his jotters after the interpros.

Major reorganising underway in the summer apparently.

Rumours Peel on way to England too.