URC 2022/23 - Round 6

[Groundhog]

Yeah I don't like it either from a pride POV, but it's nothing new realistically.

Side is apparently something like

Loughman, Barron, Knox
Kleyn, Ahern
O’Donoghue, Coombes, Hodnett/Quinn
Murray, Carbery
Scannell, Goggin
Coombes, Crowley, Daly

Buckley, Kilcoyne, French, OSullivan, OMahony, Patterson, Campbell, Quinn/Hurley

I generally always give us a chance, but that centre partnership alone will get torn to shreds. Second row and backrow are pretty strong, but there's no O'Mahony or Beirne.

 

[collace]

I'm hearing that the Sharks - Ulster game has been postponed due to a vomitting bug which has circulated through the Ulster camp. Not confirmed yet.

 

[saulan]

I'm hearing that the Sharks - Ulster game has been postponed due to a vomitting bug which has circulated through the Ulster camp. Not confirmed yet.

Seems confirmed now. Ulster not able to field props. No cancellation as of yet and aim is to try reschedule to later in the season. A pity, was looking forward to seeing how the Sharks team with all their Springboks got on

 

[saulan]

Oh wow, it's the same thing with Glasgow vs Lions. Glasgow team wiped out with illness.

 

[rN_X]

Seems confirmed now. Ulster not able to field props. No cancellation as of yet and aim is to try reschedule to later in the season. A pity, was looking forward to seeing how the Sharks team with all their Springboks got on

Ulster saw the Sharks team and started sh!ting themself.

All jokes aside how they all get well soon.

 

[big ginger 8]

Leinster
15. Ciarán Frawley
14. Jimmy O’Brien
13. Garry Ringrose
12. Robbie Henshaw
11. Jamie Osborne
10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
9. Luke McGrath
1. Cian Healy
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Jason Jenkins
5. James Ryan
6. Max Deegan
7. Scott Penny
8. Caelan Doris

Replacements:

16. John McKee
17. Andrew Porter
18. Michael Ala’alatoa
19. Ross Molony
20. Jack Conan
21. Nick McCarthy
22. Ross Byrne
23. Rob Russell

Munster

15. Jack Crowley
14. Shane Daly
13. Dan Goggin
12. Rory Scannell
11. Liam Coombes
10. Joey Carbery
9. Conor Murray
1. Jeremy Loughman
2. Diarmuid Barron
3. Keynan Knox
4. Jean Kleyn
5. Tom Ahern
6. Jack O’Donoghue (captain)
7. John Hodnett
8. Gavin Coombes

Replacements:

16. Scott Buckley
17. Dave Kilcoyne
18. James French
19. Jack O'Sullivan
20. Ruadhan Quinn
21. Paddy Patterson
22. Ben Healy
23. Patrick Campbell

Wouldn't call it an especially weakened Munster team compared to Leinster's selection.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

How the heck do two viisithg squads in different cities get the same bug? Fortunate for Glasgow as it seems Franco Smith might not have made it to the game and his absence will have impacted on their preparations.

A weakened Edinburgh side against Zebre due to players being released for an international outside the test window (will anyone field a full strength team?). I hope they get pumped in Parma for this lack of disrespect.

Edinburgh (v Zebre at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Saturday 1pm UK time): H Immelman; W Goosen, M Currie, C Dean, E Boffelli; J van der Walt, C Shiel; B Venter, A McBurney, L de Bruin, J Hodgson, S Skinner, N Haining, L Crosbie (captain), V Mata.

Substitutes: P Harrison, N Auterac, A Williams, P Phillips, B Muncaster, H Pyrgos, C Savala, D Hoyland.

Zebre: L Pani; P Bruno, T Boni, D Mazza, J Trulla; T Eden, A Fusco; J Pitinari, M Manfredi, I Neculai, D Sisi (captain), L Krumov, L Andreani, M Pelser, T Fox-Matamua.

Substitutes: L Bigi, L Rizzoli, M Hasa, A Zambonin, G Venditti, C Cook, G Prisciantelli, R Kriel.

 

[DragonCraig45]

Mmm. I know what I think.....

 

[Groundhog]

Also worth mentioning we have a pretty ridiculous injury list already.

RG Snyman (knee), Jack Daly (knee), Alex Kendellen (head), Paddy Kelly (head), Keith Earls (thigh), Andrew Conway (knee), Simon Zebo (calf), Fineen Wycherley (shoulder), Mike Haley (groin), Antoine Frisch (calf).

Then Casey, Edogbo, Salanoa, Beirne, Archer and Nash all picked up knocks last week.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Fastest try in Celtic League history by Connacht?

 

[unrated]

I harbour no bad feelings against Ulster, if they are sick then what can you do or expect?

The Glasgow team also got sick, I hope the dietitian's on both teams take extra care now after whatever both teams did. I wonder actually in what professional environment this can get so out of hand.
I sincerely hope that they did not do something stupid.

But it is what it is, it's not great to lose out on a game that was looking like it could have a strong effect on the rest of the season, for both team's prospects really.

This could have been a game that swung these two teams' respective teams' log positions. On the Flipside, it could have enforced the position of Ulster against a first-choice Shark side at home. Either way, the result would have been powerful in the context of the season.


In all likelihood, this game is now only going to happen near the end of the season, things could be much different and the Sharks may not have their Springboks for that game. I suppose that should be no excuse but it does feel like a missed opportunity from a personal POV.

There will be a substantial financial loss from the Sharks, as their planned festival during and after the game now completely falls flat as no one will want to attend after the rugby game.

Musicians have been paid for, for a concert on the main stage after the game, along with the multitude of other events that was planned for this game, along with what would have been a game they invested the most marketing spend of the season on because it formed part of the festival concept that the union has targeted as a way to get fans to the ground.

To build the brand locally, last season's equivalent was against Leinster I think that if it was not the largest home crowd of all the URC teams last year then it would have been the best attended game of the season outside the final. This game could have been another season record.

Shark's official sources have indicated that it's very expensive and they cant do it too often maybe once or twice a season. So without a ball being kicked, the team has suffered a loss. Force majeure.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Scarlets have done well to level things until now 11-11.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

Scarlets really squandered that one-man advantage.

 

[Tooting Carmen]

So that was a terrible implosion by the Scarlets.

 

[dullonien]

Scarlets dicipline was shocking in that second half especially. Lucky not to have a yellow card for repeat infringements earlier. Kalamafoni really stood out for a number of really lazy penalties. Couple that was a malfunctioning lineout (how Elias is still in the Welsh squad is beyond me, he can only throw to the front) and they wete playing off scraps after half time.

It was a decent first 40 from them too (first 30sec and last few mins aside) into the wind which is all the more frustrating.

Just summs up the Scarlets so far this season just handing the opposition territory, possession and points all game. Peel needs to get a handle on things becsuse things are quickly spiralling out of control out West with no sign of improvements.

 

[DragonCraig45]

The earlier game burst into life in the 2nd half. Really didn't see that coming.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Very unfortunate, the Ulstermen and Glaswegians being down. Can't be helped I suppose but how does it happen? I mean there are South Africans in the squad if nothing else. Not like the B&I Lions where there isn't anyone to say that petting a lion is not a good idea.

If the games can't be rescheduled which of course would be preferable what are the tournament rules or is it a negotiation between the teams ITO log points?

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

A second very disappointing result in a row for Benetton. I wonder if they got to 4th in the league and forgot that they are a limited side that need to be mentally focussed at all times and have to physically sacrifice themselves every minute. It wasn't as bad as last week so hopefully they can turn this around.

 

[Groundhog]

Ciaran Frawley does curls on the Smith Machine

 

[saulan]

26 0 and a red card. Zebre really have lost their steam from the start of the season.