Scarlets v Ulster

OldRio

Just a heads up.
The match is on RTE2 and BBC2NI and S4C this afternoon at 3.45pm
First against second.
Might be a cracker.

.ak

Should be the match of the season so far. SUFTUM!

bilston

.ak wrote: »

Should be the match of the season so far. SUFTUM!

Shame it isn't two full strength sides going at each other.

Fitzgibbon in the middle..

Lets go Ulster!

CIARAN_BOYLE

A win for Ulster would mean that they have a massive league lead

thomond2006

Scarlets:
15 Dan Newton, 14 Kristian Phillips, 13 Gareth Maule, 12 Gareth Owen, 11 Andy Fenby, 10 Aled Thomas, 9 Gareth Davies,
8 Kieran Murphy, 7 Johnathan Edwards (c), 6 George Earle, 5 Richard Kelly, 4 Johan Snyman, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Emyr Phillips, 1 Phil John.

Replacements 16 Kirby Myhill, 17 Shaun Hopkins, 18 Deacon Manu, 19 Tomas Vallejos, 20 Craig Price, 21 Aled Davies, 22 Adam Warren, 23 Nick Reynolds.

Ulster:
15 Peter Nelson, 14 Andrew Trimble, 13 Darren Cave, 12 Luke Marshall, 11 Craig Gilroy, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Paul Marshall,
8 Roger Wilson , 7 Robbie Diack, 6 Iain Henderson, 5 Nigel McComb, 4 Johann Muller (c), 3 John Afoa, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Callum Black.

Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Tom Court, 18 Ricky Lutton, 19 Dan Tuohy, 20 Mike McComish, 21 Michael Heaney, 22 Niall O'Connor, 23 Tommy Bowe.

http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,9989_8294860,00.html

awec

Just turned it on, 0-3 to us.

C'MON ULSTER!

The Ulster jersey is just lovely this year.

Trimble did well there!

padser

Ulster are kicking a lot. I have not seen them much so far this season - have they been mostly playing a "we don't want the ball" type game?

awec

3-3

awec

Not even close to going forward ffs.

Israel_Dagg

Boring so far.

awec

Total beast of a scrum!

CatFromHue

Glass Prison 1214

Who is the scrum coach at Ulster? This season and last their scrums have been consistantly dominant regardless of who is in the pack.

awec

Andrew Trimble try 3-8.

OldRio

10 v 3

Scrum going well.

thomond2006

Nice read by Trimble

awec

We really are great in the scrum.

3-13 too

CIARAN_BOYLE

Glass Prison 1214 wrote: »

Who is the scrum coach at Ulster? This season and last their scrums have been consistantly dominant regardless of who is in the pack.

I'm not sure they have one.

Botha was the scrum coach when he was at Uster and Afoa took over when he arrived last year.

Anscombe is a forwards specialist so maybe he does the scrum coaching too

OldRio

Scrum and lineout going very well.

Podge_irl

****ing Wales ruining a top of the table clash.

thomond2006

Scarlets attack completely blunt with their internationals.

awec

Gilroy and Muller off, Bowe and Tuohy on.

CIARAN_BOYLE

Muller off Tuohy on

Bowe on Gilroy off

awec

Oh it's 3-16

Edit: 6-16

awec

Tom Court and Rory Best on.

Edit: it's 9-19.

CIARAN_BOYLE

awec wrote: »

Tom Court and Rory Best on.

Edit: it's 12-16.

More to the point 19-9

McComb off McComish on

Henderson into the second row??

9-19 at present

Nelson's left boot is pretty impressive. Great hands there to keep it alive. McCormish just slightly ahead of Wilson.

awec

Crap. Touhy to the bin.

Tuohy in the bin...

Jaysis, harsh card!

Kick missed too

awec

Scarlets miss the pen!

CIARAN_BOYLE

Tuohy in the bin. Scarlets missed a penalty still 9-19

rrpc

Very poor attendance at that game. Parc y Scarlets has about 15k capacity and looks less than half full.

awec

This Scarlets crowd are getting on my tits.

PJ with an absolutely textbook corner flag find there!

Hype710

Tuohy seems to have been taking lessons from Rhys Ruddock on on carrying into contact.

awec

Scarlets get penalty.

12 - 19 final score.

The 100% record continues!

poor enough game.

10 from 10 though!

CIARAN_BOYLE

late kick from Scarlets to get a LBP but Ulster pick up the win

Hagz

10/10, impressive. Only team you haven't taken down yet is Leinster

ssaye

Hagz wrote: »

10/10, impressive. Only team you haven't taken down yet is Leinster

Extremely impressive by Ulster but Leinster really are their bogey team. Its something like 1/2 wins in the last 10 years.

Should be a great game.

bilston

ssaye wrote: »

Extremely impressive by Ulster but Leinster really are their bogey team. Its something like 1/2 wins in the last 10 years.

Should be a great game.

Two huge games for both provinces first with home and away games with Northampton and Clermont respectively...BUT...I really cannot wait for this derby match.

Friday 21st December, the atmosphere will be great, it's been sold out for weeks already, Belfast will be bouncing, the Christmas Holidays will start that night and arguably two of the best sides in European rugby doing battle.

End of the world stuff...;)

CatFromHue

I'm just worried about what teams will be on the pitch of the Ulster v Leinster game before I get my hopes up.

Both teams play the preceding Saturday in Europe and there is usually an Irish camp around that time of year.

overshoot

perhaps this again?;)
ULSTER: (15-9): P Nelson; C Cochrane, M Allen, C Farrell, S Daniellitrimble?; J McKinneyNOC, P Marshall; (1-8): C Black, N Brady (capt), A Macklin, T Barker Muller, L Stevenson, N McComb, A Birch, R Diack;
Replacements: N Annett, J Cronin, T Court, J Simpson, C Joyce, I Porter, S Olding, C Gaston

(give or take the bench some injuries and williams/wilson in the back row. i didnt want to edit it anymore)

bilston

CatFromHue wrote: »

I'm just worried about what teams will be on the pitch of the Ulster v Leinster game before I get my hopes up.

Both teams play the preceding Saturday in Europe and there is usually an Irish camp around that time of year.

I wonder if the IRFU are going to have to re-think this now. For the last few years they've always made sure that Leinster and Munster have been at full strength for their derby matches with each other but with the rise of Ulster surely they're going to want to have full strength Ulster, Leinster and Munster sides playing each other.

The Ulster Munster game back in September at Ravenhill was a terrific game and even then both sides were probably at 50% strength.

For the record I think Ulster will go strong for Leinster at home on the 21st and then send a weakened team down to Munster on the 29th Dec but I think a weakened Ulster team this season is a different beast to a weakened Ulster team last season in part thanks to the exposure the likes of Nelson, Cochrane and Allen got last Boxing Day/St Stephens Day at the RDS.

Beery Eyed

bilston wrote: »

I wonder if the IRFU are going to have to re-think this now. For the last few years they've always made sure that Leinster and Munster have been at full strength for their derby matches with each other but with the rise of Ulster surely they're going to want to have full strength Ulster, Leinster and Munster sides playing each other.

The Ulster Munster game back in September at Ravenhill was a terrific game and even then both sides were probably at 50% strength.

For the record I think Ulster will go strong for Leinster at home on the 21st and then send a weakened team down to Munster on the 29th Dec but I think a weakened Ulster team this season is a different beast to a weakened Ulster team last season in part thanks to the exposure the likes of Nelson, Cochrane and Allen got last Boxing Day/St Stephens Day at the RDS.

Well that's the flip side of it, isn't it. Obviously we all want to see the big name players facing off against each other in a derby game like this. In terms of entertainment & being a showcase for Irish rugby that's ideal. But at the same time, when the front line guys are away & the younger lads get a chance in a big game it's a huge step forward in terms of their development.

I was at the Leinster vs. Ulster game last year and, while it was disappointing to see the Ulster team when it was announced, it was ultimately a success for Ulster in terms of developing squad options. Most people (certainly outside of Ulster) wouldn't have heard of the majority of the backline at that time, but as you say Allen, Nelson, Cochrane & Farrell (Until his injury) have all become viable squad options this year, while McKinney & Gaston moved to England to seek more game time.

Even if the front line Internationals are away in an Ireland camp this time around, it would still be a game I'd be looking forward to due to the amount of talent in both academies at the moment.