Ulster v Ospreys (Ravenhill) 3:05pm BBC2NI

Peregrine

A one year Carbery deal doesn't suit Ulster or Leinster. Ideally, Ulster would have gotten someone more experienced in a 1-2 year deal or Carbery on a 2-3 year deal.

Having said that, the idea that Ulster can go into next season with one senior outhalf (has McPhillips re-signed yet?) with a handful of starts and two lads with a grand total of zero professional games between them is ludicrous. If McPhillips gets injured, you're up **** creek with two broken arms, a leak and no paddle. Ulster needs someone. If nobody is available and the only solution is Carbery going north and competing with McPhillips then I wouldn't be averse to the idea.

Anyway, delighted for Ulster to the win today. Particularly with the number of missing players. It was a nervous couple of weeks there now.

Burkie1203

awec wrote: »

And?

He got a gong last week without spending a second on the field for example. I'm not really sure what the relevance is with regards to his medal count.

Is he a better player than McPhillips? Who knows really. Not really sure why he'd expect Ulster to be "sold" to him, he's a young, inexperienced 10 with everything still to prove. Does he think he's Johnny Sexton or something?

If Ulster is a hard sell for fans it's even harder for players then surely?. RWC next year too. Maybe we don't know stuff behind the scenes and this is IRFU trying to provide a player, even for one season to solve a short term part of a much bigger longer term problem which also broadens the national team options.

awec

Peregrine wrote: »

A one year Carbery deal doesn't suit Ulster or Leinster. Ideally, Ulster would have gotten someone more experienced in a 1-2 year deal or Carbery on a 2-3 year deal.

Having said that, the idea that Ulster can go into next season with one senior outhalf (has McPhillips re-signed yet?) with a handful of starts and two lads with a grand total of zero professional games between them is ludicrous. If McPhillips gets injured, you're up **** creek with two broken arms, a leak and no paddle. Ulster needs someone. If nobody is available and the only solution is Carbery going north and competing with McPhillips then I wouldn't be averse to the idea.

Anyway, delighted for Ulster to the win today. Particularly with the number of missing players. It was a nervous couple of weeks there now.

Is it a solution?

Carbery has probably played 10 less than McPhillips.

I'd rather sign Ross Byrne than Joey Carbery, but then I think Ross Byrne would be a more difficult signing to make seeing as he actually plays 10 regularly for Leinster.

bilston

It's probably worth pointing out that Ulster finished the season unbeaten in their last 5 games...

Edinburgh (a)
Ospreys (h)
Glasgow (h)
Munster (a)
Ospreys (h)

Not bad considering everything that has been going on.

Peregrine

awec wrote: »

Is it a solution?

Carbery has probably played 10 less than McPhillips.

I'd rather sign Ross Byrne than Joey Carbery, but then I think Ross Byrne would be a more difficult signing to make seeing as he actually plays 10 regularly for Leinster.

Yes, it's a solution.

Maybe he has (if he has, it's not by more than a few mins). But Carbery is still another out-half. One who isn't just fresh out of school. It's a solution to the problem of only having one player who has played professional rugby at outside half. I don't see how you could dispute that. Curtis and Lowry may turn out to be excellent but it's madness to not have another senior outhalf and hope for the best.

It's not the best solution. It's probably one of very few solutions available though. The timing of the situation means there are very few good players available abroad and very few seem to be interested anyway. If the only solutions available are moving Carbery or signing another unproven outhalf from abroad then signing Carbery is probably better for Ireland.

irishbucsfan

awec wrote: »

Is it a solution?

Carbery has probably played 10 less than McPhillips.

I'd rather sign Ross Byrne than Joey Carbery, but then I think Ross Byrne would be a more difficult signing to make seeing as he actually plays 10 regularly for Leinster.

I think you’re right.

I think Carbery to Munster and Keatley to Ulster is the best use of resources for Irish rugby.

awec

Peregrine wrote: »

Yes, it's a solution.

Maybe he has (if he has, it's not by more than a few mins). But Carbery is still another out-half. One who isn't just fresh out of school. It's a solution to the problem of only having one player who has played professional rugby at outside half. I don't see how you could dispute that. Curtis and Lowry may turn out to be excellent but it's madness to not have another senior outhalf and hope for the best.

It's not the best solution. It's probably one of very few solutions available though. The timing of the situation means there are very few good players available abroad and very few seem to be interested anyway. If the only solutions available are moving Carbery or signing another unproven outhalf from abroad then signing Carbery is probably better for Ireland.

It's not only not the best solution, it's actually a bad solution for Ulster.

Great for Leinster and Ireland though.

prawnsambo

awec wrote: »

It's not only not the best solution, it's actually a bad solution for Ulster.

Great for Leinster and Ireland though.

It's not great for Leinster. If it were, you wouldn't hear a peep from the coaches about it. And we've heard Fogarty and Lancaster saying they hope both of them stay.

Peregrine

awec wrote: »

It's not only not the best solution, it's actually a bad solution for Ulster.

Great for Leinster and Ireland though.

Could you propose a better solution so? One that doesn't involve kidnapping a more experienced outhalf and forcing them to play for Ulster. Or do you think it's fine to go into next season with just one player who has pro experience at 10 (fewer than ten starts)?

stephen_n

bilston wrote: »

It's probably worth pointing out that Ulster finished the season unbeaten in their last 5 games...

Edinburgh (a)
Ospreys (h)
Glasgow (h)
Munster (a)
Ospreys (h)

Not bad considering everything that has been going on.

You’d wonder if that was Gibbes influence coming through, or just the players getting their heads out of their ass a bit. At least it’s something positive to build on. Hopefully something can be sorted out about McFarland and he gets to move this summer.

awec

Peregrine wrote: »

Could you propose a better solution so? One that doesn't involve kidnapping a more experienced outhalf and forcing them to play for Ulster. Or do you think it's fine to go into next season with just one player who has pro experience at 10 (fewer than ten starts)?

Personally I'd rather stick with what we have than this proposed Carbery for one season bollocks. Just cannot get behind that at all, it's such a half-arsed attempt a solution that does nothing but kick the can down the road.

thomond2006

awec wrote: »

Personally I'd rather stick with what we have than this proposed Carbery for one season bollocks. Just cannot get behind that at all, it's such a half-arsed attempt a solution that does nothing but kick the can down the road.

Well you've been signing rubbish at 10 for years. About time Ulster were told what to do.

Paul Smeenus

Seriously? From a Munster fan?

awec

thomond2006 wrote: »

Well you've been signing rubbish at 10 for years. About time Ulster were told what to do.

Lol.

Why do you think we've signed rubbish at 10?

And are people just wiping Paddy Jackson from their memory or what?

Burkie1203

https://twitter.com/Jordimurphy/status/998229871863259137?s=19

prawnsambo

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Seriously? From a Munster fan?

Surely they'd be the best judges. :pac:

awec

Burkie1203 wrote: »

https://twitter.com/Jordimurphy/status/998229871863259137?s=19

A relieved man I'd say.

ScissorPaperRock

awec wrote: »

. Not really sure why he'd expect Ulster to be "sold" to him, he's a young, inexperienced 10 with everything still to prove. Does he think he's Johnny Sexton or something?

Maybe because he benefits from an excellent, stable coaching set-up, or a strong, positive organisational culture, maybe because he has a settled life in Dublin... there are lots of reasons why it might be difficult to leave Leinster.

And any club that wants to attract a player would try sell that player their vision and the opportunities they foresee for that player.

At the same time, he hasn't said anything about this recently, so why the vitriol?

thomond2006

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Seriously? From a Munster fan?

Brett Herron? Sam Windsor?

Paul Smeenus

Fair point. And I forgot, JJ Hanrahan was nominated for Player of the Year at the U20 RWC. Big future ahead of him.

Peregrine

awec wrote: »

Personally I'd rather stick with what we have than this proposed Carbery for one season bollocks. Just cannot get behind that at all, it's such a half-arsed attempt a solution that does nothing but kick the can down the road.

Do you not think that starting a season with just one senior outhalf is madness? That's if McPhillips signs!

A potential outcome is Curtis and Lowry coming through. With Carbery gone for international windows and able to FB (where Ulster are becoming light), there will be plenty of bench spots up for grabs at minimum for academy outhalfs even if both McPhillips and Carbery are fit for the whole season.

I wouldn't call that kicking the can down the road.

You could not have Carbery, hope that McPhillips doesn't get injured, have an academy lad on the bench every week and start them every now and again but that's beyond risky. Ulster's season could be over before it starts and we'll back here in a playoff thread this time next year. I don't want that.

Paul Smeenus

thomond2006 wrote: »

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Seriously? From a Munster fan?

Brett Herron? Sam Windsor?

As back-ups to Olding, who was back-up to Paddy Jackson, both of whom who we produced.

You guys brought in Keatley and Bleyendaal, and then brought Hanrahan back.

thomond2006

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

As back-ups to Olding, who was back-up to Paddy Jackson, both of whom who we produced.

You guys brought in Keatley and Bleyendaal, and then brought Hanrahan back.

Aye. Fair.

thomond2006

In any case Ulster need a competent option at 10.

ionadnapokot

Only saw a bit of the second half but Chris Henry had more involvements than I had seen from him in a good while. Did he have a good game?
I know his gas has completely gone but he Looked fired up.

Paul Smeenus

thomond2006 wrote: »

In any case Ulster need a competent option at 10.

Agreed. I genuinely would have liked someone in their twilight years who could pass on a bit of knowledge, but who wouldn't be playing many Pro14 games. But not to be.

stl.ire

thomond2006 wrote: »

In any case Ulster need a competent option at 10.

There’s no doubt someone is needed, don’t think anyone’s disputing that!
If it’s Carbery then McPhillips has shown enough that it deserves to be a competition at 10 with no guarantees for Carbery.
When the summer international squads are announced we might see some SH faces come available if they don’t make their sides and are viewed as unlikely to make the World Cup (Lealiifano if reports are correct for instance).

Former Former

thomond2006 wrote: »

In any case Ulster need a competent option at 10.

A competent, Irish qualified option.

vienne86

Great result! Delighted Ulster have got some good news after a horrible couple of months.

Paul Smeenus

https://www.facebook.com/ulsterrugby/videos/1754620177950407/

John Cooney is an absolute hero.

vienne86

Stheno wrote: »

is John Cooney a former Leinster player?

He got a Heineken Cup winners medal when he came on as a sub in the Leinster v Ulster final in Twickenham in 2912.

bilston

vienne86 wrote: »

Stheno wrote: »

is John Cooney a former Leinster player?

He got a Heineken Cup winners medal when he came on as a sub in the Leinster v Ulster final in Twickenham in 2912.

Oh yeah...the game where Leinster won their 438th star!

Tigerandahalf

Delighted to hear that Phillips went well again.
When he played with the Ire u20s he looked to have a great boot on him. He could really strike the ball out of hand. I'm not sure if he is the guy who was close to pro soccer level in England. If so you can see why he would have a good kick developed.

With Ulster now in the CC they should probably go for an overseas 10 who can dovetail with McPhillips next season. Going for Carberry is risky as he could be away on Ireland duty and end up playing little rugby.

I don't think Carberry is good enough for 10 yet, although being beside J Cooney could be an aid as he takes the goalkicks. Carberry for me still lacks the control at 10 that you need. For me Byrne is a better option at the moment at Leinster and Ulster might as well back Phillips since he has done so well thus far.

O'Toole seemed to play well which says a lot about the conveyor belt from the u20s. None of the other 6 nations sides are having such quick breakthroughs. With O'Toole now a viable TH along with Moore, Herbst, Ah You and Kane you'd wonder if Ah You will be switched back to LH as they are unbalanced in those positions.

Ulster need to secure a top quality LH as they are very light there with just Warwick and V der Merve, neither who have been pro14 level.
It should be their no.1 priority.

Former Former

A loose head would be great and should be OK since Ireland are well stocked.

Signing a foreign out half might have been possible if Ulster had lost today but Champions Cup rugby means Carbery arriving is more likely. They can't sign a foreigner and they have to sign someone so...

Back three is another problem position. Really low on numbers there.

joseywhales

If Ulster have McPhillips and carbery, they would surely end up just playing carbery at 15, since they also are stuggling there.

pickarooney

awec wrote: »

Personally I'd rather stick with what we have than this proposed Carbery for one season bollocks. Just cannot get behind that at all, it's such a half-arsed attempt a solution that does nothing but kick the can down the road.

It's kicking the can down the road if Ulster spend another 12 months faffing about instead of securing/developing a quality 10 and a solid back up for the following season. That, or hoping he'll change his mind.

pickarooney

Tigerandahalf wrote: »

Delighted to hear that Phillips went well again.
When he played with the Ire u20s he looked to have a great boot on him. He could really strike the ball out of hand. I'm not sure if he is the guy who was close to pro soccer level in England. If so you can see why he would have a good kick developed.

With Ulster now in the CC they should probably go for an overseas 10 who can dovetail with McPhillips next season. Going for Carberry is risky as he could be away on Ireland duty and end up playing little rugby.

I don't think Carberry is good enough for 10 yet, although being beside J Cooney could be an aid as he takes the goalkicks. Carberry for me still lacks the control at 10 that you need. For me Byrne is a better option at the moment at Leinster and Ulster might as well back Phillips since he has done so well thus far.

O'Toole seemed to play well which says a lot about the conveyor belt from the u20s. None of the other 6 nations sides are having such quick breakthroughs. With O'Toole now a viable TH along with Moore, Herbst, Ah You and Kane you'd wonder if Ah You will be switched back to LH as they are unbalanced in those positions.

Ulster need to secure a top quality LH as they are very light there with just Warwick and V der Merve, neither who have been pro14 level.
It should be their no.1 priority.

At the risk of a trickle becoming a flow, Dooley is a fine LH with very little game time in perspective.

molloyjh

pickarooney wrote: »

At the risk of a trickle becoming a flow, Dooley is a fine LH with very little game time in perspective.

He's also just signed a new deal with Leinster.

pickarooney

I suppose if you wait until late May to go looking your chances of strengthening your squad are limited. Maybe Ulster have a load of signings to announce, dependent on the win last night,, oraybe they have real faith in their academy, but it just looks like they're doing nothing to avoid a crisis.

launish116

pickarooney wrote: »

I suppose if you wait until late May to go looking your chances of strengthening your squad are limited. Maybe Ulster have a load of signings to announce, dependent on the win last night,, oraybe they have real faith in their academy, but it just looks like they're doing nothing to avoid a crisis.

PR department be all over it! We trust our academy and don’t require further support!