Connacht v Ulster - The Big One

bilston

League leaders versus the league champions. This is the biggie folks

Ulster are unbeaten but were fairly unconvincing on Saturday in the win over an admittedly more than decent Ospreys side.

Connacht finally got back to winning ways with a BP win over Edinburgh on Friday.

Possible Ulster team, best case scenario admittedly regarding one or two injuries

15 Jared Payne
14 Tommy Bowe
13 Darren Cave
12 Luke Marshall
11 Charles Piutau
10 Paddy Jackson
9 Ruan Pienaar
1 Callum Black
2 Rory Best
3 Rodney Ah You
4 Alan O'Connor
5 Franco Van Der Merwe
6 Iain Henderson
7 Sean Reidy
8 Roger Wilson

Herring, McCall, Kane, Tuohy, Diack, Marshall, Ludik, Trimble

Harsh on Ludik...

What can we expect from Connacht?

connemara man

15. O Halloran
14.Adeolokun
13.Aki
12.Robb
11.Healy
10.Carty
9.Marmion

1.Buckley
2.McCartney
3.Bealham
4.Browne/Cannon
5.Dillane/Roux
6.McKeown
7.Heenan
8.Muldoon


Second row will be odd. But definitely something like the above. I'm not sure how badly Healy is injured but I'd say a returning Poolman will play if he's unavailable. Everyone else kinda picks themselves

BrokenMan

connemara man wrote: »

15. O Halloran
14.Adeolokun
13.Aki
12.Robb
11.Healy
10.Carty
9.Marmion

1.Buckley
2.McCartney
3.Bealham
4.Browne/Cannon
5.Dillane/Roux
6.McKeown
7.Heenan
8.Muldoon


Second row will be odd. But definitely something like the above. I'm not sure how badly Healy is injured but I'd say a returning Poolman will play if he's unavailable. Everyone else kinda picks themselves

Healy has a broken hand apparently and Buckley was on crutches after the last game so cant see him available either.

wp_rathead

Pretty much Connemara Man's team but:
Poolman 11
Bealham 1
Carey 3

I'd keep secondrow partnership of Roux and Dillane

Question marks over McKeon and Marmion injuries aswell unfort

connemara man

I kinda hope Buckley is ok. Ah fair enough re Healy, Poolman on the wing so

KBurke85

Buckley, McCartney and Healy all ruled out. Knee, hamstring and fractured hand respectively

Neil3030

When is this Boshoff lad supposed to be starting?

wp_rathead

Tom is out- fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

Neil3030 wrote: »

When is this Boshoff lad supposed to be starting?

After the Currie Cup, Lions are in the Semi finals

Sinbad_NI

bilston wrote:

Harsh on Ludik...

Ludik more than any deserves a place in the 15, maybe in place of Bowe, not sure TB is ready to start yet.

bilston

Sinbad_NI wrote: »

bilston wrote:

Harsh on Ludik...

Ludik more than any deserves a place in the 15, maybe in place of Bowe, not sure TB is ready to start yet.

Louis definitely deserves a spot in the team but if Tommy is to start (amd I think they willwant him to start) someone has to drop out and it won't be Payne or Piutau...unless you want Jared to play 13 of course!

It probably depends on whether Luke is available. Personally I'd put Ludik to 13 if Marshall can't play.

MJohnston

Any updates on Marshall yet anyway? Haven't seen an injury update from Ulster in ages.

Sinbad_NI

bilston wrote:

...unless you want Jared to play 13 of course!

Don't associate me with such madness please LOL.
JP at FB and CP on wing looks like the best shout.

bilston wrote:

It probably depends on whether Luke is available. Personally I'd put Ludik to 13 if Marshall can't play.

Yeah that seems like a decent shout.
Ludik has responded well to the competition for places so far this season.

RichieRich89

Has Ludik ever played 12? It seems to me that Cave is more valuable to the team at 13

Sinbad_NI

Can he play 9 is the question? :-)

flogthebog

Ludik was motm for me last weekend. Gilroy and Bowe looked understandably rusty. Piutau didn't get any useful ball. Payne and cave played well at centre. Huge pressure from ospreys and both held firm. Interesting conundrum for ulster.

bilston

flogthebog wrote: »

Ludik was motm for me last weekend. Gilroy and Bowe looked understandably rusty. Piutau didn't get any useful ball. Payne and cave played well at centre. Huge pressure from ospreys and both held firm. Interesting conundrum for ulster.

Did Bowe look rusty? I thought he looked pretty sharp for the 20 mins he played.

Gilroy definitely looked rusty though. I thought he had a pretty poor game to be honest. The entire Ulster midfield, Jackson included, did anything but hold firm against the Ospreys in the first 20 minutes! I don't like Cave and Payne as a partnership. Individually you couldn't fault either except for the first quarter defensively, but to me you aren't getting the best out of them as a 12/13 combo. DC is much better at 13 than 12.

flogthebog

bilston wrote: »

Did Bowe look rusty? I thought he looked pretty sharp for the 20 mins he played.

Gilroy definitely looked rusty though. I thought he had a pretty poor game to be honest. The entire Ulster midfield, Jackson included, did anything but hold firm against the Ospreys in the first 20 minutes! I don't like Cave and Payne as a partnership. Individually you couldn't fault either except for the first quarter defensively, but to me you aren't getting the best out of them as a 12/13 combo. DC is much better at 13 than 12.

While Gilroy made a mess of a shocking pass from piutau, Bowe couldn't even pass a ball that could be considered a decent pass. Tommy has work to do before he could be considered for ulster first team.

Sinbad_NI

flogthebog wrote:

While Gilroy made a mess of a shocking pass from piutau, Bowe couldn't even pass a ball that could be considered a decent pass. Tommy has work to do before he could be considered for ulster first team.

Agree. Age old argument of form vs experience.
I'd go for form every day of the week.

Paul Smeenus

Agree on Cave/Payne not working as a combination - I think the issue is that they bring the same strengths (in varying degrees) - experience, an excellent read of the game, smarts. That's invaluable but it works much better when offset by something different the strength and offloading of McCloskey, the feet and agility of Olding, the distribution and kicking of Marshall.


I don t know that Ludik would bring any very different, but he s been in excellent form and would allow Payne to drop back to fullback, Gilroy wasn't great against the Ospreys, but he was very good and looked seriously hungry, earlier in the season.

Robbo

Ever wonder what the lads from Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" video are up to these days?

Seems BBC NI recruited them to do some promo work for this match...

MJohnston

Robbo wrote: »

Ever wonder what the lads from Dire Straits' "Money For Nothing" video are up to these days?

Seems BBC NI recruited them to do some promo work for this match...

Jaysus, like there isn't lots of actual footage they could use? BBC NI/UTV love to waste their budgets on cheap looking versions of what real TV stations can do.

bilston

No Trimble, Marshall or Olding this week but all three expected to be fit for Bordeaux.

This thread is remarkably polite and amicable in comparison to the cesspit that is the Munster Leinster thread. Some people are just determined to drag that thread into the gutter, glad nothing like that is going on over here.

...

I see Rodney Ah-You is doing a lot better this year?

wp_rathead

Haha Afraid I'm not biting Venjur, I for one am fecking delighted for Rodney, seeing him play as well as he did vs Glasgow was brilliant 1 looking forward to giving him a big welcome Friday night

awec

This is a classy thread. :cool:

Two classy teams with fans who conduct themselves with dignity.

awec

awec wrote: »

This is a classy thread. :cool:

Two classy teams with fans who conduct themselves with dignity.

The Connacht team thread are saying that only Pitau would make a full strength Connacht back 3.

disclaimer: they may or may not be saying that

Robbo

awec wrote: »

This is a classy thread. :cool:

Two classy teams with fans who conduct themselves with dignity.

Top hats and monocles out lads.

awec

Robbo wrote: »

Top hats and monocles out lads.

Adeolokun is tremendous. I hope it's a jolly good game, may the best team win.

Robbo

Robbo wrote: »

Top hats and monocles out lads.

Paul Smeenus

Bravo, chaps. Well done all round, played in the true spirit of the game.

That's what I'll be screeching at my TV come Friday evening. Taking care not to spill my cheeky glass of Colombard.

mfceiling

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Venjur how the feck did you get that photo of me?