Ulster Team Talk Thread IV... Go On My Henderson...

Poorside

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118340244#Comment_118340244

You realise this is an Ulster game?

Actually, nevermind, I realise you're saying Hendo is the only reason the lineout has improved this year.

Clegg

Only caveat on Ulster's performance, which has been decent, is that I'm not sure how seriously Northampton actually take the Champions Cup. They threw in the towel very early against us in our fixtures over recent years. Got a hammering from Racing last weekend too.

With Bath stinking the place out last weekend, it doesn't say much for the strength of the Aviva Premiership.

Clegg

Lol.

Then that happens.

lawrencesummers

The first Saints try sums up ulster for me, mixing the good with the terribly amateur.

Gilroy had just scored. Ulster took the kick off, timony carries back and attempts to offload out of the tackle and turns over possession. Penalty awarded, corner, maul, ulster replacement hooker gives away a penalty at the line. Saints SH runs left, cooney and someone else miss simple tackles and saints dot down. Its one thing to make an error, its another to follow that error up with 4 more in the same few phases.

Losing henderson and Mccloskey kept saints in with a sniff but there are some very unforced errors in Ulsters game that better teams will punish.

awec

Cooney was at fault for 2 of their tries tonight.

UAEguy2020

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118340251#Comment_118340251

Last I checked Ulster was in Ireland.

Strand1970

In belfast for the weekend and decided to catch this game. The stadium is fantastic, my first time there. Its a perfect size. The game was OK, Northampton were not great and still were within a score at the end. Really looking forward to connacht game next week.

launish116

Firstly a bonus point win must be applauded.

That aside that was a typical Ulster performance, highs and lows. Any other team would of punished Ulster.

Some more injuries of concern! Wasn’t overly happy with the ref letting Saints continuously enter rucks from the side.

bilston

Ulster started well but just couldn't shake Northampton. Credit to Northampton for that, but a lot of it was down to Ulster's making.

Anyway 9 points from 2 games, I'm.pretty sure we are into the last 16, but now let's go for a top 4 finish. Its well within our grasp.

Hume continues to shine, I thought Moore was pretty good when he came on, but until we get a few dynamic ball carriers in the pack McCloskey will always be an essential ingredient at 12.

Timoney is just hitting about two levels above where I thought he was capable of 18 months ago. He is outstanding and is rightly an injury or two away from the Irish 23 for the 6Ns.

Former Former Former

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118342017#Comment_118342017

+1 on Timoney, really impressive.

I love watching Hume play. Given the injury record of both Henshaw and Ringrose, he won't be waiting long for a shot in green

Paul Smeenus

Hendo and Stu missing for "a number of weeks". Thanks for the clarification, guys.

Still, at least it's not months.

https://www.the42.ie/ulster-v-connacht-2-5637479-Dec2021/

bilston

New contracts for James Hume, Matthew Rea and Tom O'Toole until June 2024.

Good news.

Cooney is the big one now. Yes Doak is the future, but ideally we'd still have Cooney around for at least another year and preferably two. He has shown his importance in recent matches and remains very much our first choice scrum half. I think Doak has only just turned 20 literally in the last few days. So even a two year contract for Cooney and Doak would still only be 22. So we definitely need to be doing all we can to keep him.

awec

I think if I was Cooney I'd be away to France for a pension.

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118357992#Comment_118357992

No one would hold it against him if he did.

launish116

I’m loving the young players coming through, we have a great backbone of local players brewing.

Big issue is we have limited older,late 20s players. Proper squad players. This is going to come to a head with players like Cooney, Moore, McGrath moving/retiring.

We’ve made progress in the academy, but still some way to go with our forwards.

Must love hardship

I thought Jack mcgrath was excellent in his 20 minute cameo last weekend. Carried strong and made his tackles. Hopefully he gets a good run of injury free games as he could be a very important player for Ulster. He's 2 years younger than Healy and a year younger than Kilkoyne.. could have a part to play in the 6 nations or 23 WC yet..

Paul Smeenus

I think the front row is an area of concern. Callum Reid is exciting; looks like he will be a serious operator. But Milasinovich seems to have played himself soundly off the radar and EOS looks to have gone backwards. If you'd told me two years ago that between he and Timoney, one would be becoming the forgotten man and the other would be impressing enough to be rightfully in and around the national team, I would have assumed the names were the other way around.

In fairness, Andy Warwick is playing as well as I've seen him perform. Good in the scrum, skills have come on enormously, and notably more abrasive. He'll never be a world-beater, but a bit of faith from Dan has been rewarded. Fair play to a lad making the best of his skills and talent.

Must love hardship

Few big signings today.. Jordi Murphy, Marty Moore and Billy Burns..

To be honest I thought Billy might be off home to the Premiership..

bilston

I see Michael Gove has applied some pressure on Ulster regarding their sponsorship deal with Kingspan.

I wonder where this story will end up.

On a happier note Ulster Connacht will be played in front of a full capacity on Boxing Day/St Stephens Day.

There will be another review on 30th December before we know whether Ulster Leinster will have a full capacity or not.

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118361632#Comment_118361632

Happy with all that. I don't think Burns was likely to move, maybe if he hasn't any more caps by 2024 then he might move to England then, but I'll not lie, I hope Ulster are sniffing around one of Munster's young cubs at 10.

Wikidy

It is a tough profession. 2 players with 2 year deals and Jordi Murphy with a 1 year deal. Must be difficult negotiating with a long term injury. But we don't know the ins and outs going on in the background. Fit and healthy a top quality operator and happy he is staying.

TRC10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118362510#Comment_118362510

Crowley and Doak would be a frankly obscene partnership to be fair. They'd have not not allow kids into Kingspan if that happened.

bilston

New contracts for Nathan Doak and Stuart McCloskey. 3 years for McCloskey until 2025 and 4 years for Doak until June 2026.

Must love hardship

4 year contract for Doak Is a nice bit of business.. for Ulster.

bilston

McIlroy signed up to 2025 as well.

Dubinusa

Good work! Doak would be my bet to be a bolter for the rwc

UAEguy2020

Doak I’m pretty confident will make the RWC, maybe considered a bold statement by some but he’s a James Ryan/ Jacob Stockdale level talent.

launish116

Moxham has been upgraded to a Development contract.

Declan Moore has come on loan to cover Hooker, from Munster. Must be bad news for Stewart injury wise.

Paul Smeenus

Game off - Covid in the squad.

Bitterly disappointing - was really geared up for it.

salmocab

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118370388#Comment_118370388

I’d say we’ll see a hell of a lot of postponements over the next couple of months.