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

jimdemp

Great news for Lowry

Paul Smeenus

Ulster team to play ASM Clermont Auvergne, Heineken Champions Cup Round 4, Saturday 22 January at Kingspan Stadium, kick-off 5.30pm, live on BT Sport:

(15-9) Mike Lowry, Robert Baloucoune, James Hume, Angus Curtis, Ethan McIlroy, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak;

(1-8) Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Marty Moore, Alan O’Connor (Capt.), Kieran Treadwell, Marcus Rea, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen.

Replacements: John Andrew, Jack McGrath, Tom O’Toole, Sam Carter, Greg Jones, David Shanahan, Ben Moxham, Craig Gilroy.

None of our big hitters back.

EOS deserves the start.

Lowry must be covering 10.

Angus Curtis is the concern. I like him, but a step down from both McCloskey and Moore. No mention of any injury to Moore in the press release.

awec

Surprised at 12, Moore must surely be injured.

bilston

Aye big game needed from Curtis.

Not sure how I feel about tomorrow. I think given Clermont have to win that could be a factor.

ionadnapóca

Any update on Henderson?

Paul Smeenus

None.

Bradley Roberts is actually on the bench rather than Andrew - apparently there was some kind of clerical error.

Excited for the game, and don't think we're going to take anything for granted, but worried about up front, and that's not a great bench overall.

Paul Smeenus

Also - dates of our rescheduled inter-pros:

Connacht 4th Feb

Leinster 12th March

launish116

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118512053#Comment_118512053

Wonder what has happened with Andrew this season?

Big ask for Curtis!

jimdemp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118512102#Comment_118512102

Will mccloskey be back?

molloyjh

So given Toulouse having to forfeit, beating Clermont will probably mean facing Toulouse in the last 16. Losing to Clermont means it’ll most likely be Connacht. That’s a bit of a kick.

Wikidy

Looking at lack of a 10 on the bench, the Clermont defence coach won't have to worry about any goal line tap and goes.

Does Ulster now have a settled back row and why does O'Toole get selected over Marty Moore for Ireland? Granted both very good, but MM always selected ahead for Ulster.

Paul Smeenus

O'Toole adds real oomph off the bench. Critical against tiring legs. I'd argue Marty Moore has been good enough to merit inclusion in a couple of extended Ireland squads - he's genuinely been great for us. But given his age, he's hardly tomorrow's man.

I'd say that's our first choice back row at the moment. At the start of the season, I'd have brought Reidy or Murphy straight back in when they were fit - albeit Timoney passed them both out last season - but ReaJea has done enough that the jersey has to be wrested back from him.

Jim, McCloskey was talking about being back for this game, so I'd say he's not too far off.

ionadnapóca

some nice Insights to the young fellas.

Not sure the input from the Ulster supporter was necessary!

Willie Andreson likes Lowry ALLOT!

https://the42.ie/5661582

bilston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118516398#Comment_118516398

I think it's harder for Ulster players to get recognition from the southern media, thats just sensible editorials from southern media outlets really.

But I don't think it has any impact on Ireland selections.

The reality is Ulster needed to start winning away in Europe and needed to start beating Leinster, they've done that and all of a sudden we've 8 or 9 guys in the Ireland squad with probably two others in Addison and Stockdale to come back as well.

Anyway putting all that to one side we've have a great crop of young players.

Doak, Lowry, Moore, Hume, Baloucoune, McIlroy, even Stockdale would be considered young if he hadn't already been in the Ireland side.

Now it's time to deliver some forwards, and maybe, just maybe there are green shoots there as well.

Thinking about it I'd love Willie Anderson to still be involved mentoring these lads. The comments on Doak are interesting. I'm not a professional expert but early in the season I'd noticed he was a bit slow at clearing the ball away, but it was noticeable against Northampton that he was much quicker. His box kicking was a lot better against Northampton than it was against Munster as well. Virtually every kick was contestable. Hopefully people are having these conversations with him, be it his dad or others within the camp. I'm sure they are, it's their job after all.

But yeah, if we could order a couple of beastly second rows from the Ulster Academy then I think we'd all be pretty happy.

Just on Lowry, I don't know the guy personally, but I do know quite a few who do, and from everything I've heard that story about the guy in the wheelchair doesn't surprise me at all.

I really hope size isn't an issue for him at test level, because if it isn't I honestly believe he could be world class.

awec

Doak is so fast to every ruck and so fast to get the ball away, incredible for his age. Makes a massive difference to the attack, no need to get there and meercat, knows already where he is going.

launish116

Bench is going to play major role in this game!

OldRio

An obvious thing to say but Ulsters discipline is killing them.

Saying that both teams are struggling with what Pearce wants at the breakdown

OldRio

Some of the Rugby Ulster play is just wonderful.

Clegg

Took a world class piece of skill from Penaud to break down Ulster's defence.

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518385#Comment_118518385

It was unreal

Clegg

Ok.

Penaud is just brilliant.

Clegg

...

Surely not?

Yeah_Right

Are Ulster about to do a Connacht?

awec

McFarland very relieved I’d say. IMO he rolled the dice far too much with the subs.

Doak should have seen the game out, he was running the show. As soon as he went off we lost a lot of impetus.

Carter is a useless big pudding. Can’t believe we’re keeping him. An empty shirt.

Locke_Lamora

Let's just pretend that never happened.

Four from four, nobody predicted it, on we go.

awec

If Hume keeps these performances up it’ll be impossible for Farrell to ignore him

OldRio

Unfortunately a very big ? hangs over Ulster. Wonderful for much but...........

Clegg

You noticed how much better Clermont looked when Lopez came on. Not a ringing endorsement for JJ Hanrahan. But the big change for Clermont was really Penaud. He's world class. Such an excellent runner, but knows how when exactly to release the ball.

Awec is right that Ulster's subs didn't add much to the game. Clermont started winning a few collisions which they weren't for the majority of the game.

PMC83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118518463#Comment_118518463

Its tough but you can see JJ's headed for Dragons, he sparkles the odd time but never really kicked on

launish116

Thought Curtis didn't do to bad, considering the lack of game time.

Carter on the other hand, I can see why Australian Rugby went awol!