Ulster 2018-2019

[neill_m]

Signing of Henry Speight confirmed. Deal until 31st December.

[hugonaut]

Signing of Henry Speight confirmed. Deal until 31st December.

Henry Speight is a super player, but there are two big problems with this type of signing.

You can't win anything in the first half of the year, or even qualify for any knockouts in that period. Nobody goes into the last two group stages of the Heineken Cup having qualified for the knockouts. We won every match we played in the tournament last year and we weren't in that situation.

It's not like there's an early season competition that ends before Christmas that allows you to get some silverware on board and get a big confidence boost. Speight will be there for the wrong end of the season.

If you end badly, very few people remember how well things started. Our 2016-17 season was flat-out magnificent until March. We have rarely [if ever] played better rugby than we did, and we certainly never scored as many tries. But it ended with two bad losses – against Clermont and the Scarlets – and most people forgot how good we had been, and saw the season as a failure to one degree or another.

Secondly, because he's only there for 16 games, Ulster will probably want to play him in loads of games. So you build a backline that is used to having Henry Speight on the wing for half the season, and then you take him out of the equation when you get to the business end of the season, and you have Rob Lyttle or somebody come in and try and replace him having played very little rugby.

He's an exciting player and will likely ensure that some wavering punters come back to Ravenhill. Also, with the retirements of both Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble, Ulster obviously have a legitimate need for a winger. But I think a first half of the season deal is a particularly iffy idea.

[Dave Cahill]

Signing of Henry Speight confirmed. Deal until 31st December.

Henry Speight is a super player, but there are two big problems with this type of signing.

You can't win anything in the first half of the year, or even qualify for any knockouts in that period. Nobody goes into the last two group stages of the Heineken Cup having qualified for the knockouts. We won every match we played in the tournament last year and we weren't in that situation.

It's not like there's an early season competition that ends before Christmas that allows you to get some silverware on board and get a big confidence boost. Speight will be there for the wrong end of the season.

If you end badly, very few people remember how well things started. Our 2016-17 season was flat-out magnificent until March. We have rarely [if ever] played better rugby than we did, and we certainly never scored as many tries. But it ended with two bad losses – against Clermont and the Scarlets – and most people forgot how good we had been, and saw the season as a failure to one degree or another.

Secondly, because he's only there for 16 games, Ulster will probably want to play him in loads of games. So you build a backline that is used to having Henry Speight on the wing for half the season, and then you take him out of the equation when you get to the business end of the season, and you have Rob Lyttle or somebody come in and try and replace him having played very little rugby.

He's an exciting player and will likely ensure that some wavering punters come back to Ravenhill. Also, with the retirements of both Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble, Ulster obviously have a legitimate need for a winger. But I think a first half of the season deal is a particularly iffy idea.

+1 to all of that.

And he'll be gone before the new head coach arrives

[Jackie Brown]

God bless the FIRFU, I suppose we should be grateful for any scraps they throw us.

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[johng]

Start producing a few Ireland players and maybe they'll be nicer

[Dave Cahill]

Start producing a few Ireland players and maybe they'll be nicer

You mean like McCloskey, Marshall, Olding, Jackson, Spence, Gilroy, Farrell, Arnold, Henry, Henderson and Stockdale? Or older guys like Best, Cave, Bowe, Ferris or Trimble? Or exiles like Herring, Treadwell, Tuohy, Payne, Diack or Reidy? Or under 20s like McPhillips, Lowry, Curtis, O'Toole, Stewart?

When does the niceness start?

[johng]

Double post

[johng]

How many of those are in Ireland's AI squad would you guess?
Henderson and Stockdale are the only ones that have come through in the last 10 years.
They were well represented at u20 level this year so maybe things are changing. Hope so.

The niceness started when they had afoa Pienaar Muller etc.

[Dave Cahill]

How many of those are in Ireland's AI squad would you guess?
Henderson and Stockdale are the only ones that have come through in the last 10 years.
They were well represented at u20 level this year so maybe things are changing. Hope so.

The niceness started when they had afoa Pienaar Muller etc.

Thats a selection matter, not a production one. They are producing players.

They had Afoa, Pienaar, Muller et al for the same reason as we had Nacewa, vd Linde, Elsom et al. Revenue protection due to the Unions historical mismanagment of its capital programme.

[johng]

I know we have advantages of population etc. But we did actually produce for Leinster and Ireland after we had those players.

[Dave Cahill]

I know we have advantages of population etc. But we did actually produce for Leinster and Ireland after we had those players.

And so did Ulster - more Ulster than Leinster players started the first test in South Africa in our first ever away victory over them, for example.

But again, thats just selection - though you can't select players that aren't there.

Despite the (for whatever reason) omnishambles that has engulfed Ulster in the last 6 or 7 years, producing players isn't one of those problems.

[Jackie Brown]

http://www.the42.ie/ulster-rugby-academ ... 2-Aug2018/

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[hugonaut]

http://www.the42.ie/ulster-rugby-academ ... 2-Aug2018/

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Great article from Sean Farrell. Campbell made a big difference to the performance of the Ulster Ravens. My recollection is that they made it to the B&I knock-outs in two of his three seasons in charge, after a long period of being knocked out in the group stages. Willie Anderson is a legend of the game in Ireland - few people have contributed more and at so many levels. He's always involved with teams, whether it's at under the radar schools rugby, a club side or a professional outfit.

I think it's good practice to try and balance a big personality with a more analytical approach, so it seems like a set-up that can work.

[Ruckedtobits]

Anybody know whether Ulster considered signing Jack O'Connell from Bristol, before he went to Ealing in May?

[Columbo]

+1 to all of that.

And he'll be gone before the new head coach arrives

I would be inclined to agree, however this is a defensive move to shore the squad up, given our current injury profile. We have gone from a position of being heavily stocked in outside backs to being pretty threadbare - with Marshall, Stockdale and Ludik (and Busby) out for the next few months, we're down to McCloskey & Cave in the centre, Gilroy, Lyttle & Addison back three, and then you're into Nelson, Owens and the academy for cover. As short-term cover goes, he'll do...

(word is McFarland will be in soon enough, so will have plenty of time to get to know Henry..)

[blockhead]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.3595140

More good news for Ulster.

[rooster]

https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/ ... -1.3595140

More good news for Ulster.

Happened a couple of weeks ago and with IRFU rest he wouldn't be starting much sooner anyway

[rooster]

http://www.the42.ie/ulster-rugby-academ ... 2-Aug2018/

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Great article from Sean Farrell. Campbell made a big difference to the performance of the Ulster Ravens. My recollection is that they made it to the B&I knock-outs in two of his three seasons in charge, after a long period of being knocked out in the group stages. Willie Anderson is a legend of the game in Ireland - few people have contributed more and at so many levels. He's always involved with teams, whether it's at under the radar schools rugby, a club side or a professional outfit.

I think it's good practice to try and balance a big personality with a more analytical approach, so it seems like a set-up that can work.

By all accounts it is working pretty well, Anderson has instilled a great team ethic in the squad

[cormac]

Dan McFarland to start with Ulster tomorrow

[Logorrhea]

Start producing a few Ireland players and maybe they'll be nicer

You mean like McCloskey, Marshall, Olding, Jackson, Spence, Gilroy, Farrell, Arnold, Henry, Henderson and Stockdale? Or older guys like Best, Cave, Bowe, Ferris or Trimble? Or exiles like Herring, Treadwell, Tuohy, Payne, Diack or Reidy? Or under 20s like McPhillips, Lowry, Curtis, O'Toole, Stewart?

When does the niceness start?

That list is pretty sad reading really.