Ulster 2018-2019

[Ruckedtobits]

Rodney is currently serving a four-week ban for striking an Osprey's player in Ulster's Celtic Cup game. He's due to resume on 4th Nov. For the record Rodney is 128kg - more than 20 stone!

[rooster]

Rodney is currently serving a four-week ban for striking an Osprey's player in Ulster's Celtic Cup game. He's due to resume on 4th Nov. For the record Rodney is 128kg - more than 20 stone!

4 weeks intense burger eating will get him up another 20kg

[Dexter]

Cooney not in the squad for game against Racing. Shanahan starting and Stewart on the bench. Was he injured?

Edit: yes, saw in 42.ie that he is injured

[neill_m]

Racing 92

15. Simon Zebo, 14. Teddy Thomas, 13. Olivier Klemenczak, 12. Henry Chavancy (c), 11. Juan Imhoff, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Xavier Chauveau, 1. Guram Gogichashvili, 2. Camille Chat, 3. Cedate Gomes Sa, 4. Dominic Bird, 5. Leone Nakarawa, 6. Wenceslas Lauret, 7. Bernard Le Roux, 8. Antonie Claassen.

16. Teddy Baubigny, 17. Vasil Kakovin, 18. Census Johnston, 19. Fabien Sanconnie, 20. Jordan Joseph, 21. Teddy Iribaren, 22. Ben Volavola, 23 Léonard Paris

Ulster

(15-9): M Lowry; C Gilroy, W Addison, S McCloskey, J Stockdale; B Burns, D Shanahan;

(1-8): A Warwick, R Best (captain), M Moore, I Henderson, K Treadwell, M Coetzee, J Murphy, N Timoney;

(16-23): A McBurney, E O’Sullivan, R Kane, A O’Connor, S Reidy, J Stewart, J McPhillips, A Kernohan.

Could be a long day for Ulster. Realistically a LBP/4 Try BP is probably the best they can hope for.

[Peg Leg]

Cooney not in the squad for game against Racing. Shanahan starting and Stewart on the bench. Was he injured?

Edit: yes, saw in 42.ie that he is injured

The best kind of post

[Xanthippe]

Cooney not in the squad for game against Racing. Shanahan starting and Stewart on the bench. Was he injured?

Edit: yes, saw in 42.ie that he is injured

Interesting - he travelled with the team

[rooster]

Cooney not in the squad for game against Racing. Shanahan starting and Stewart on the bench. Was he injured?

Edit: yes, saw in 42.ie that he is injured

Interesting - he travelled with the team

Not uncommon for an injured senior team member to go to these sort of matches and help out with training and mental preparation for the young lads, he could be the water carrier.

[Ruckedtobits]

Although definitely not the result anybody close to Ulster rugby would have wanted, IMO, there was enough in that second-half from a lot of young and inexperienced players to suggest that Ulster can be on the right path by Christmas and winning regularly in the New Year.

The experienced crew, Best, Moore, Hendo, O'Connor, Back-row, centres & wingers all made contributions going forward and resisted multi-phased attacks for good periods from a talented Racing outfit.

Defensively, when they conceded a line-break, too often it led to a try. But as they become more familiar with each other, they will rectify some of this.

McCloskey and Addison looked a good combination and the young full-back can break gain line regularly and only needs to recognise the passing opportunities earlier.

A bad result, not helped in anyway by Zebo's finger-pointing celebration towards the youngest of the Ulster back three. However, lots of good individual moments which give confidence for the future.

[artaneboy]

Zebo continues to demonstrate that Joe Schmidt is an uncommon judge of a player. No class at all in victory- and as loose as f#*k in defence.


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[Jackie Brown]

Zebo still sh!t and believing his own hype. Looking forward to his trip to Ravenhill, unless he chickens out.

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[LeRouxIsPHat]

Agree with RTB that there's encouraging signs for Ulster. To me it looks like they're being held back by the lack of a big squad and are still coming to terms with the ideas of a new coach. In the first couple of games there was some good carrying and offloading in groups of two or three but they kept getting isolated, yesterday they focused more on hard runners off 9 or 10, and have obviously been going from deep and trying to keep the tempo up, which unfortunately they could't do in defence despite starting brilliantly in that area. It looks to me like there's a focus put on one of those areas from week to week but it's putting them altogether that will make them a really good side. It's very hard to keep the tempo/linespeed up when you've barely got 15 players who are good enough never mind 23. It's been a tough month of games. don't think it's any surprise that they ended up being well beaten yesterday, but if they can focus on the Scarlets games then they definitely have it in them to win both of them and have a fighting chance going into January.

Not quite as convinced about Addison as others. I think he's quite predictable and with more video available I'd say inside defenders will light him up when he steps back inside in search or space, or show him the outside and line him up knowing that he'll take it. He blew a couple of tries yesterday by trying to show off really, there was no need to try the hitch kick which delayed a pass to the left wing, and should have executed a simple two on one down the right but delayed it and tried to make the pass out the back when there was no need. He's talented and certainly does have good feet and skills, but don't think there'd be many calls to cap him if he was a 22 year old who'd just come out of an academy.

[wixfjord]

Zebo is a dick. I think Schmidt will be watching that and quietly thinking 'I was right'.
(He'll also probably be looking at his defensive performance and thinking the same, but that's another story.)

All well and good profusely apologising for doing something, but he still did it.

Wonder is there a hint of jealousy at Lowry?

[Dave Cahill]

Zebo is a dick. I think Schmidt will be watching that and quietly thinking 'I was right'.
(He'll also probably be looking at his waistline and thinking the same, but that's another story.)

Minor edit

[rooster]

Zebo is a dick. I think Schmidt will be watching that and quietly thinking 'I was right'.
(He'll also probably be looking at his defensive performance and thinking the same, but that's another story.)

All well and good profusely apologising for doing something, but he still did it.

Wonder is there a hint of jealousy at Lowry?

Should spice things up a bit on their return to Ravenhill, a bit of finger pointing will be order of the day.

[Dave Cahill]

Jean Deysel has retired

[LeinsterLeader]

Jean Deysel has retired

Do Munster still get a medical Joker for this

[neill_m]

Ulster Rugby team to play Dragons, Guinness PRO14 Round 7, Friday 26th October, Kingspan Stadium, 7.55pm:

(15-9): M Lowry; R Baloucoune, W Addison, S McCloskey, H Speight; J McPhillips, D Shanahan;
(1-8): E O’Sullivan, R Best (captain), M Moore, I Henderson, K Treadwell, S Reidy, J Murphy, M Coetzee;

Replacements (16-23): R Herring, A Warwick, T O’Toole, A O’Connor, G Jones, J Stewart, A Kernohan, C Gilroy.

Of the Irish contingent - only Stockdale (rested) and Cooney (recovering from injury) not playing.

DRAGONS: J Williams; D Howells, A Warren, J Sage, W Talbot-Davies; J Tovey, R Williams; B Harris, R Hibbard (c), L Fairbrother; M Screech, L Evans; H Taylor, N Cudd, H Keddie.

Subs: R Lawrence, A Jarvis, R Bevington, J Davies, T Basham, T Knoyle, J Dixon, Z Kirchner.

[johng]

Jaysus Ulster are badly stuck if they are relying on Eddie O'Sullivan for loose head. It's been many years since he played.... And he was a winger then.

[Dundalk 1]

Jaysus Ulster are badly stuck if they are relying on Eddie O'Sullivan for loose head. It's been many years since he played.... And he was a winger then.

He is locked and loaded now having been taken to the woodshed a few times

[johng]

Well I hope he is going full metal jacket because you can't unring a bell even if your hair is on fire.