Ulster Team Talk Thread III: Les Miserables SEE MOD WARNING POST #1924 + #2755

troyzer

thomond2006 wrote: »

Talking about Ulster being rewarded for not developing players misses half the point. What about the player? Is McGrath supposed to stay on the Leinster bench? Would we prefer to see him in a Toulon or Saracens jersey instead of an Ulster one?

In what scenario was he going to break his contract to join Toulon?

Finish his contract with Leinster and then join Ulster?

Squidgy Black

troyzer wrote: »

In what scenario was he going to break his contract to join Toulon?

Finish his contract with Leinster and then join Ulster?

I've no idea where you're getting him breaking his contract from, he's out of contract at the end of this season.

troyzer

Squidgy Black wrote: »

I've no idea where you're getting him breaking his contract from, he's out of contract at the end of this season.

Is he? My mistake, I thought he was 2020 for some reason.

Locke_Lamora

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/harlequins-and-england-set-to-lose-fight-for-budding-star-to-ireland

Ulster signing this lad to the academy who is apparently quite well rated. Played for Ireland u19’s already. Plays 13 and wing.

Looks reasonably fast, found this at 1:05
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s47IQGS9MyM

The Lost Sheep

Locke_Lamora wrote: »

https://www.rugbypass.com/news/harlequins-and-england-set-to-lose-fight-for-budding-star-to-ireland

Ulster signing this lad to the academy who is apparently quite well rated. Played for Ireland u19’s already. Plays 13 and wing.

Looks reasonably fast, found this at 1:05
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=s47IQGS9MyM

And is only an under 18 having played in interpros in UL last August

launish116

You'd think with Hume, Stewart, Curtis coming through we'd be set?

launish116

Team up

O'Sullivan
Best
Moore
Treadwell
Henderson
Timoney
Murphy
Coetzee
Cooney
Burns
Stockdale
McCloskey
Cave
Balacoune
Lowry

Herring, Warwirk, Herbst, O'Connor, Reidy, Marshall, Kernohan

awec

good team. Good enough to do the business. Leinster bench is not up to it's usual standard.

bilston

Great to see Luke back in the squad. Hope he isn't required too early though.

bilston

That said I'll wait to kick off before truly believeing Hendy is playing

launish116

bilston wrote: »

That said I'll wait to kick off before truly believeing Hendy is playing

As good a chance as ever! Hope Henderson pulls through and isnt risking it!

Thought Rea would of had a chance here!

Locke_Lamora

launish116 wrote: »

You'd think with Hume, Stewart, Curtis coming through we'd be set?

Curtis is a 10/12. But Moore and Hume by all accounts seem to be highly regarded 13’s. I’d say we have a couple of decent players that are eyeing an academy place in that position as well.

If the lad prefers wing then he’s still up against some good young talent - Baloucoune, Stockdale, Lyttle, and a few more that might make the academy. Suppose he’s taken a look at his competition and decided to back himself.

awec

McGrath, Faddes and Hyde all signed, sealed and delivered, just waiting to be announced.

launish116

awec wrote: »

McGrath, Faddes and Hyde all signed, sealed and delivered, just waiting to be announced.

Still need another backrow!

stephen_n

launish116 wrote: »

Still need another backrow!

Maybe Munster might donate someone this time, before you become Leinster B

Locke_Lamora

awec wrote: »

McGrath, Faddes and Hyde all signed, sealed and delivered, just waiting to be announced.

I was wondering why Faddes hasn't been featuring for the Highlanders. They'll do wonders for our squad next year - we won't have to overwork O'Sullivan, and I reckon he'll be a great off the bench player. Cave and Ludik will be winding down and Faddes will be a huge step up.

Has Hume played 12 for us before? It would be good if him or Curtis could get up to speed there so we won't have to flog McCloskey.

bilston

Locke_Lamora wrote: »

I was wondering why Faddes hasn't been featuring for the Highlanders. They'll do wonders for our squad next year - we won't have to overwork O'Sullivan, and I reckon he'll be a great off the bench player. Cave and Ludik will be winding down and Faddes will be a huge step up.

Has Hume played 12 for us before? It would be good if him or Curtis could get up to speed there so we won't have to flog McCloskey.

Did Hume play 12 in Treviso earlier in the season? He's got the skills for it, and actually I think it might be better for him, because it's debatable whether he has enough explosiveness to get to the top at 13. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong on that though!

Locke_Lamora

bilston wrote: »

Did Hume play 12 in Treviso earlier in the season? He's got the skills for it, and actually I think it might be better for him, because it's debatable whether he has enough explosiveness to get to the top at 13. I'd be delighted to be proved wrong on that though!

I'd agree with that, but I think he'll stay in the 13 shirt until another player proves himself there. In the preseason friendly, Moore started at 13 and Hume came off the bench at 12, which is what I could see being a common partnership in a couple of years.

thomond2006

awec wrote: »

McGrath, Faddes and Hyde all signed, sealed and delivered, just waiting to be announced.

Who is Hyde?

awec

thomond2006 wrote: »

Who is Hyde?

Hayden Hyde, a centre from Harlequins academy.

awec

The future is bright.

launish116

awec wrote: »

The future is bright.

Baloucoune is just getting better and better, a good off season and he will be scary next season.

We really do have the back bone of a young team growing!

leakyboots

Very impressed by Ulster today, gutted for ye as ye were the better team overall I thought. If ye can hold on to your young players over the next few seasons ye're going to go places, serious talent coming through

bilston

Gutted, but very proud of the squad, the coaching team and the supporters. It was a titanic game and we finished narrowly on the wrong side. In a weird a heavy defeat is easier to take, but I'd far rather be close.

The pack were outstanding, Henderson and Coetzee were magnificent, I thought Treadwell put in his best ever Ulster performance, McCloskey was good and apart from on obvious moment Stockdale was a class apart.

It's frustrating because I believe we should have won.

But credit to Leinster, they showed great knockout rugby experience in the last 5 or 6 minutes.

For us we have three huge league games left, I think Glasgow will be tough as we will be picking ourselves up after today, but if we play like that we will not just make the knockouts, we will be genuine contenders to win the Pro 14.

The progress Dan and the coaches have made in less than a year is amazing and the best bit is we've only started.

Tough defeat, but I haven't been this positive about Ulster for more than 5 years.

Brewster

Considering the upheaval in the squad over the last two years, I won’t mention the unmentionable saga, that was a magnificent effort from the team. With some experienced quality signings to come, the future looks a lot better. The coaches got the very last ounce of effort from the team today. A strong Ireland team needs a strong Ulster, so pleased to see progress you have made.

Dubinusa

I thought Ulster deserved to win. They harried Leinster and hit them hard.
They are certainly improving. The squad is developing nicely.
I thought the back row were great. All 3 really put in a performance.
Burns also was good. McCloskey is unreal. He's right behind Aki and Henshaw and he is closing the gap, imo.
Cave was awesome. E.O.S will be capped soon for Ireland. I think he's the replacement for Healy down the road.
Balacoune is going to be some player.
If Ulster get McGrath, they will be a very deep pack.
Treadwell is playing great. Henderson is the best lock in Ireland imo. A.O.C is a great squad player and then there's the Aussie.
The coaching team are really going well.

Utah_Saint

Thought Marshall done well considering he's been out since May 2018. Loved his backhanded offload. Big stu really should be in the conversation for the wc. He offers something different to the other centres. Always makes yards. Put healy and o'loughlan on their backsides.

Pray that leavy is OK. That is a huge worry. Considering we missed him big time during 6n.

Buer

Utah_Saint wrote: »

Pray that leavy is OK. That is a huge worry. Considering we missed him big time during 6n.

I expect him to be out for the RWC after this injury.

Paul Smeenus

If we can now zero in on the Pro14, and play with eighty percent of that intensity, we're in a good way. What that game has done is shift my hopes from wanting to make it to the play-offs to thinking we can get to the final. If we come second, do we play the top team in the other conference?

bilston

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

If we can now zero in on the Pro14, and play with eighty percent of that intensity, we're in a good way. What that game has done is shift my hopes from wanting to make it to the play-offs to thinking we can get to the final. If we come second, do we play the top team in the other conference?

No, we play the 3rd place team in Conference A at home, and then if we win that we'd play the top team in Conference A away.

So as things stand we would play Connacht in a Quarter Final at Kingspan, win that and we'd play Glasgow away.