Ospreys v Ulster match thread

awec

Big game. If Ospreys win they are all but certain of a semi final spot, Ulster need a win to keep the hopes alive and it'll all come down to next week.

irishbucsfan

This is almost a knockout game for both sides. Should be good.

BBDBB

Rumour has it that there's a Lions tour coming up apparently

Bazzo

Piutau looks like he might be in the mood to play today.

irishbucsfan

Daft from Henderson

ScrubsfanChris

Trimble forgot the other team has wingers too.

Bazzo

Piutau looks hurt.

irishbucsfan

Beautiful blocking line from the ball boy there for that kick, took Trimble out of the game

errlloyd

Gilroy did okay, but Sean cronin would have burned biggar there.

Best's throwing is falling apart just in time for the Lions. Again.

Is Pienaar intentionally trying to slow things down, taking an age at the back of rucks.

irishbucsfan

Paddy Jackson is not Andrew Trimble's favourite person today

Is it just me or has Piatau put on a bit of weight since arriving to Ulster, definitely seems to have lost a yard of pace.

pickarooney

He's lost about 12kg of interest.

Jesus Best. Pienaar off, uh oh.

irishbucsfan

Neck rolls don't actually exist. They're just part of the Irish conspiracy to screw over Welsh rugby.

launish116

God we really are dire and look disinterested!

Ulster look better since Marshall has come on. More structure and pace to their play, causing Ospreys problems now. Good sign.

ScrubsfanChris

Marshall looks a lot more up for this then Pienaar was. Mighten be a bad thing.
Piutau looks like he'd rather be home watching thr game on telly.

pickarooney

Best doing a Strauss

ScrubsfanChris

Crowd chanting "cheat" at Lacey. Nice touch.

irishbucsfan

Not even close to forward there. The Irish conspiracy continues.

Brilliant from Marshall. Absolute class awareness. Having a stormer.

Buer

Dan Biggar: Lion.

Former Former

Fonotia butchered that. Had to let the pass go.

irishbucsfan

Buer wrote: »

Dan Biggar: Lion.

That's two abysmal passes from him today.

Buer

irishbucsfan wrote:

Not even close to forward there. The Irish conspiracy continues.

The knock on near the line? Thought Tipuric nudged it forward trying to gather it off the deck.

Buer

irishbucsfan wrote:

That's two abysmal passes from him today.

I've a bee in my bonnet with him being selected. In shocking form.

Former Former

What a score

Edit: brutal from Rory Best though

Buer

Buer wrote: »

I've a bee in my bonnet with him being selected. In shocking form.

To be fair, Henderson Best and Bigger are all having poor outings considering they are heading to NZ this summer. Maybe they are trying to mind themselves.

irishbucsfan

Oh that was quite good

Balls. Sensational try though.

Big task in the second half now.

Paul Marshall worked his socks off there to get back and cover. He's by a margin my Ulster MOTM for the first half.

irishbucsfan

Stuart Barnes is the John Lacey of commentary.

Ulster nearly hung on there which they really had no business doing. In fact if Paul Marshall hadn't randomly given the ball away for no reason at all they could have been even closer.

Doubt we'll see anything other than an Ospreys win now though unfortunately. Ulster are so much less than the sum of their parts.

mfceiling

Ulster team brief

"Are we going to employ a rush defence or drift"?

*voice from back* "passive"?

"Passive it is so"

errlloyd

What the hell is Marshall doing.

Buer

Deleted User wrote:

To be fair, Henderson Best and Bigger are all having poor outings considering they are heading to NZ this summer. Maybe they are trying to mind themselves.

Yes but Biggar has been sh*te for quite some time now.

irishbucsfan

I wish there was a red button that silenced Stuart Barnes

Former Former

Ulster look completely jaded.

Luke Marshall is completely out of puff, 43 minutes in.

irishbucsfan

Former Former wrote: »

Ulster look completely jaded.

Luke Marshall is completely out of puff, 43 minutes in.

Luke Marshall is not completely out of puff...

Paul Marshall doing everything right.

ScrubsfanChris

It's on BBC NI as well folks.

The Rape of Lucretia

Ulster watchers, where has it all gone wrong ?
A few years ago it looked like Ulster had sorted it organisational and development structures and brought them up to Leinster/Munster level after 10 years in the dolldrums, it seemed there was a real stream of young prospects coming through - not that all were expected to make it, but enough to guess that enough would make it to the top level, and there was a reasonable uptrend in their positioning in both Pro 12 and HC.

Yet it has seriously stalled if not gone backwards. Qué pasa ?

Former Former

Paul Marshall is actually the best player in white.

awec

Paul Marshall having his annual good game.

mfceiling

Former Former wrote: »

Paul Marshall is actually the best player in white.

*awec kicks laptop, phone, tv, sofa, dog*

awec

mfceiling wrote: »

*awec kicks laptop, phone, tv, sofa, dog*

It's a bad sign when he's the best player. Too many of them don't look arsed and we look poorly coached.

But in fairness to him he is capable of pulling a performance out of the bag now and again. The problem has always been for every good performance there are fifteen bad ones.

irishbucsfan

Sky talking as if Pienaar is gonezo

Former Former

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Sky talking as if Pienaar is gonezo

BBC said he was limping heavily at half time

Buer

McCloskey didn't trust himself to make the pass on that break.

awec

Bringing mccloskey off instead of Marshall, bizarre.

Swan Curry

and olding is down after one carry