Ulster 2018-2019

[LeRouxIsPHat]

Ulster have confirmed they will host international side Uruguay in a friendly at Kingspan Stadium on Friday November 9 (kick-off 7:30pm).

What a scoop!
If they win maybe they could write a Play about it.

That's great, there should be more of that kind of thing IMO.

[neill_m]

Ulster have confirmed they will host international side Uruguay in a friendly at Kingspan Stadium on Friday November 9 (kick-off 7:30pm).

What a scoop!
If they win maybe they could write a Play about it.

That's great, there should be more of that kind of thing IMO.

I agree. 10 years since Ulster hosted Portugal. They also played Connacht on their mini tour.

[The Doc]

Cathal Marsh leaving Leinster. Could he be headed North?

What stage of his career is he at, heard of him but that's it, McPhilips is rumoured to be leaving here.

Really? I would have thought they would hang on to any prospective 10 at the moment.

Marsh is good - I thought he should at least have gone to Ulster on loan during the season - but he knackered his toe I think. I'd say he'd be the type that, given a bit of a run, has the potential to turn into a pretty decent 10. Was ahead of Ross Byrne at one stage. Still young. Others on here may have a more detailed view

[rooster]

Cathal Marsh leaving Leinster. Could he be headed North?

What stage of his career is he at, heard of him but that's it, McPhilips is rumoured to be leaving here.

Really? I would have thought they would hang on to any prospective 10 at the moment.

Marsh is good - I thought he should at least have gone to Ulster on loan during the season - but he knackered his toe I think. I'd say he'd be the type that, given a bit of a run, has the potential to turn into a pretty decent 10. Was ahead of Ross Byrne at one stage. Still young. Others on here may have a more detailed view

The talk of him going was at the time that the players were all under the illusion that Jackson was returning, whether he has anywhere else signed is a bit of an unknown to any of us.

[Lar]

If the IRFU suggesting that JC or RB might go North next season takes the talk on message boards like this away from Jackson and Olding then they have done us all some service.

[Dave Cahill]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... um=twitter

Ulster director of rugby Bryn Cunningham confirmed at the weekend that the IRFU are talking to Leinster about the prospect of Joey Carbery or Ross Byrne moving north, but said that Ulster Rugby has so far played no part in the discussions.

Since the departure of Ruan Pienaar and the revocation of the contract of Paddy Jackson, Ulster have been short of an outhalf while Leinster have three: Johnny Sexton, Byrne and Carbery, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred backup to Sexton.

However, Carbery plays mostly at fullback for Leinster, and reports appeared last week that the IRFU wanted him to move to Ulster and spend more time playing at 10.

“At the moment the IRFU are working in that area with Leinster around that 10 scenario,” explained Cunningham after Ulster’s 24-24 draw with Munster. “We are not really involved in that. There are two sides to anybody moving within the Irish system. There’s what’s right for the player and him wanting to go and get more game time.

“On things like that, it’s a little bit outside our control. We will just sit back and see what the outcome of that is.”

Discretion
Cunningham’s view appears to be contrary to what Leinster said last week about any move being at the discretion of the player, and he added that the decision to move or not can be taken from the player.

“In something like that it’s very much just a decision that’s taken from the player whenever the IRFU has got involved in it,” he explained. “They have looked at it and decided that there are guys there [who] are probably the top three of the four 10s in Irish rugby. They have said it might be more beneficial if one of them was playing elsewhere.

“It’s not really for us to go and initiate that conversation. We have to respect that the players may be in a different place. And they decided that they want to stay where they are.

“For us it’s more about if a player shows a genuine interest and the player is very keen and the player then wants to speak to the province. That’s whenever we would come to the fore and try and convince him that Ulster is a good place to come.”

[rooster]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... um=twitter

Ulster director of rugby Bryn Cunningham confirmed at the weekend that the IRFU are talking to Leinster about the prospect of Joey Carbery or Ross Byrne moving north, but said that Ulster Rugby has so far played no part in the discussions.

Since the departure of Ruan Pienaar and the revocation of the contract of Paddy Jackson, Ulster have been short of an outhalf while Leinster have three: Johnny Sexton, Byrne and Carbery, Ireland coach Joe Schmidt’s preferred backup to Sexton.

However, Carbery plays mostly at fullback for Leinster, and reports appeared last week that the IRFU wanted him to move to Ulster and spend more time playing at 10.

“At the moment the IRFU are working in that area with Leinster around that 10 scenario,” explained Cunningham after Ulster’s 24-24 draw with Munster. “We are not really involved in that. There are two sides to anybody moving within the Irish system. There’s what’s right for the player and him wanting to go and get more game time.

“On things like that, it’s a little bit outside our control. We will just sit back and see what the outcome of that is.”

Discretion
Cunningham’s view appears to be contrary to what Leinster said last week about any move being at the discretion of the player, and he added that the decision to move or not can be taken from the player.

“In something like that it’s very much just a decision that’s taken from the player whenever the IRFU has got involved in it,” he explained. “They have looked at it and decided that there are guys there [who] are probably the top three of the four 10s in Irish rugby. They have said it might be more beneficial if one of them was playing elsewhere.

“It’s not really for us to go and initiate that conversation. We have to respect that the players may be in a different place. And they decided that they want to stay where they are.

“For us it’s more about if a player shows a genuine interest and the player is very keen and the player then wants to speak to the province. That’s whenever we would come to the fore and try and convince him that Ulster is a good place to come.”

It is logical in that there is no point in forcing someone to move but little hints like you really need to move for a while before we start picking you are verging on blackmail but could be applied.
Dangerous ground to tread though in my opinion as there has to be a large degree of the end decision taken by the player himself and a desire to move, an unhappy player is no use to anyone

[blockhead]

from the BELTEL

One intriguing name to emerge over the weekend was Dan McFarland.
The Englishman, currently in charge of Scotland's forwards, has a long association with rugby on these shores having played and coached at Connacht for well over a decade and also been a part of staffs for the under-20s, Wolfhounds and Emerging Ireland.

[rooster]

from the BELTEL

One intriguing name to emerge over the weekend was Dan McFarland.
The Englishman, currently in charge of Scotland's forwards, has a long association with rugby on these shores having played and coached at Connacht for well over a decade and also been a part of staffs for the under-20s, Wolfhounds and Emerging Ireland.

Indo had it earlier, they pass it back and forwards waiting for someone to bite, and if all else fails they get clicks on their website

[blockhead]

SCOTLAND HEAD COACH Gregor Townsend says future Ulster head coach Dan McFarland will remain in his current role until 21 January 2019.

Another fine mess.
They'll probably want Bomber on loan too I suppose.

[Fireworks]

SCOTLAND HEAD COACH Gregor Townsend says future Ulster head coach Dan McFarland will remain in his current role until 21 January 2019.

Another fine mess.
They'll probably want Bomber on loan too I suppose.

Incompetence is the word that comes to mind. Half their season gone before he is in the door. All of this should have been cleared up before a deal was signed or announced. Even if they sort it out and get him sooner it still leave a cloud over the competence of the management.

If they do not get him until January 2019 then you can probably write off next season. If this was a public company with shareholders I would imagine some heads rolling at the AGM.

[Dave Cahill]

The person responsible for professional coach development and succession planning should definitely have some questions to answer.

[Lar]

I think the leaking of McFarland's appointment was the biggest issue here. By all accounts relations between the SRU and the IRFU are at a low since the votes for RWC2023.
But the SRU's position then was that it was all about the money and its the same with McFarland.
It makes no sense for the SRU, Townsend or any incoming coach to replace McFarland in the Scottish set-up, that the replacement would not be in situ until two weeks before the Six Nations 2019, particularly in a World Cup year. But the SRU won't admit that because they want the biggest possible pay off for McFarland breaking his contract early.

[kermischocolate]

But the SRU won't admit that because they want the biggest possible pay off for McFarland breaking his contract early.

Why shouldn't they? They clearly don't want him to go.

[Lar]

But the SRU won't admit that because they want the biggest possible pay off for McFarland breaking his contract early.

Why shouldn't they? They clearly don't want him to go.

Maybe not but he has decided to go. And they clearly cannot prevent him doing so after 21 January 2019 it seems. In those circumstances are they not better off getting a replacement in at the very least about a month before the Autumn Internationals (say October 1) especially seeing as the first match of the RWC will be less than a year later. They are also better off getting McFarland away from the national side asap given that his next employers will be the IRFU and the crunch match in our Group at the RWC is potentially Ireland v Scotland. What reasons could they have for wanting him to stay another eight months and then going with only the Six Nations and the World Cup warm up games for any new coach to be involved in?

[Dave Cahill]

Maybe not but he has decided to go. And they clearly cannot prevent him doing so after 21 January 2019 it seems. In those circumstances are they not better off getting a replacement in at the very least about a month before the Autumn Internationals (say October 1) especially seeing as the first match of the RWC will be less than a year later. They are also better off getting McFarland away from the national side asap given that his next employers will be the IRFU and the crunch match in our Group at the RWC is potentially Ireland v Scotland. What reasons could they have for wanting him to stay another eight months and then going with only the Six Nations and the World Cup warm up games for any new coach to be involved in?

Theres nothing stopping them getting a new coach in now and sending McFarland to coach the Skaw u11 girls until his contract is up.

The IRFU tried to play chicken with the SRU and lost. If they're very lucky the Scots will let the IRFU give them a big big bag of cash in return for his early release.

The ironic thing is that with all the bags of used oncers the IRFU are handing over these days, it would have been cheaper to tell Bank of Ireland to f%~k off.

[paddyor]

.....

The ironic thing is that with all the bags of used oncers the IRFU are handing over these days, it would have been cheaper to tell Bank of Ireland to f%~k off.

I was wondering about this.

[Lar]

Maybe not but he has decided to go. And they clearly cannot prevent him doing so after 21 January 2019 it seems. In those circumstances are they not better off getting a replacement in at the very least about a month before the Autumn Internationals (say October 1) especially seeing as the first match of the RWC will be less than a year later. They are also better off getting McFarland away from the national side asap given that his next employers will be the IRFU and the crunch match in our Group at the RWC is potentially Ireland v Scotland. What reasons could they have for wanting him to stay another eight months and then going with only the Six Nations and the World Cup warm up games for any new coach to be involved in?

Theres nothing stopping them getting a new coach in now and sending McFarland to coach the Skaw u11 girls until his contract is up.

True but that will cost the SRU money.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I'd be shocked if the IRFU don't pay up after all the issues Ulster have had, but it really is ridiculous that this wasn't sorted before deciding that McFarland was their man.

I'm sure Carbery has been made plenty of promises, but the idea that he'd move in these circumstances is nuts.

[lotmc]

I'd be shocked if the IRFU don't pay up after all the issues Ulster have had, but it really is ridiculous that this wasn't sorted before deciding that McFarland was their man.

I'm sure Carbery has been made plenty of promises, but the idea that he'd move in these circumstances is nuts.

Maybe the IRFU are being a bit Machiavellian, and realise that the disruption to Scottish Rugby by having McFarland inside the Scottish camp for the full term of his notice period wouldn't be a bad thing for Ireland (but not Ulster). Scotland are in Ireland's group in next year's world cup. And the added bonus being that the IRFU owe them one for the RWC 2023 affair.

If it wasnt so damaging to Ulster Rugby, I can see why the IRFU would be only too happy to cause Scottish angst. But the needs of Ulster Rugby are a priority at this stage. Still, I can see some tough negotiations taking place. Could drag on a while.