Clermont Ulster

Utah_Saint

Feck.. scrum not much use to us

bilston

Ref stops play when Ulster are in a good position against Clermont for the second game running!

Squidgy Black

Complete momentum killer. And the player hops up not a bother to him after the medics are done...

baas baa

Somebody needs to teach Henderson how to pass or else keep the ball out of his hands. His footwork and body position before contact is terrible and is a real momentum killer.

Professor Genius

Clegg wrote: »

Need to see it again but I think Stockdale blew a two man overlap.

He gone so far back from his 2018 form it isn’t funny any more.

bilston

Professor Genius wrote: »

He gone so far back from his 2018 form it isn’t funny any more.

You haven't watched him recently then

bilston

Finally the message has landed about taking 3 points

Utah_Saint

bilston wrote: »

Ref stops play when Ulster are in a good position against Clermont for the second game running!

Hendo just raised it with ref

Bridge93

Professor Genius wrote: »

He gone so far back from his 2018 form it isn’t funny any more.

He’s been playing pretty well recently

troyzer

Just heard Henderson having a go about stopping the game.

baas baa

Surely high on Cooney there

Edit: Maybe not

bilston

Utah_Saint wrote: »

Hendo just raised it with ref

I know Clermont did it all.night in Belfast and the same thing is happening again

Fair play to Clermont. If you get away with it and you feel you need to do it then go for it

bilston

To be fair Raka's shoulder catches Marshall's chin there. Marginal, and I wouldn't penalise it, but laws are laws

Squidgy Black

Laidlaw on to slow down the game and kill it off altogether

razorblunt

Squidgy Black wrote: »

Complete momentum killer. And the player hops up not a bother to him after the medics are done...

I dunno bout that it looked horrific at the time.

Such a poor second half from Ulster.

bilston

Fischer looks a good a player to be fair. He has dominated the breakdown

Sinbad_NI

All one way in the second half.

baas baa

Johnston plays with an obliviousness to the clock and scoreboard that is worrying for a 10.

Utah_Saint

Nothing wrong with that #£&@ now!

sydthebeat

Power and pace from clermont.

Once that first tackle was broken you could sense the inevitability

Clegg

It's hard to stop Moala when he's running at full tilt, but Stockdale should've done so much better. He flapped at him with his arms and let him pass so easily.

bilston

There were a couple of big moments where MAYBE this game could have gone a different way.

McCloskey not passing in the first couple of minutes when an almost certain try was waiting

Parra's yellow card, sure he got binned, but it probably would have led to a try.

And then Moala's injury. Ulster had all the momentum and were 5 yards from the Clermont line.

And then there was the non kicks at goal

Oh well, Clermont the better team, and we still have a way to go. But at least we can learn from that today.

bilston

Clegg wrote: »

It's hard to stop Moala when he's running at full tilt, but Stockdale should've done so much better. He flapped at him with his arms and let him pass so easily.

Surely he was Shanahan's man?

You have done a manful job of singling out all of Stockdale's errors today!:D

You're probably right though, he should have done better.

Clegg

bilston wrote: »

Surely he was Shanahan's man?

You have done a manful job of singling out all of Stockdale's errors today!:D

You're probably right though, he should have done better.

I mean, if Stockdale doesn't make the errors then there's no pointing out to be done. But, having seen a replay of the incident I think Stockdale was in a bad position either way. He had to cover the pass out wide and when Shanahan couldn't stop Moala he was drawn in to tackle him. Nothing much Stockdale could have done really. The overlap miss was the really bad one.

baas baa

Still gaps in the Ulster squad that prevent them competing with the best in Europe. There's too much of a drop off between the halfbacks in particular. That's where they need the academy to step up.

Paul Smeenus

Disappointing, actually. Learning curve. We really need to focus on sorting the lineout. We can get away with it in the Pro14, not against French rugby royalty. And a lesson for Hendo. Take the points, fella.

Of course, the biggest issue was Baloucoune's defence

awec

It’s the hope that kills you,

Paul Smeenus

baas baa wrote: »

Still gaps in the Ulster squad that prevent them competing with the best in Europe. There's too much of a drop off between the halfbacks in particular. That's where they need the academy to step up.

Need Lowry to stop being injured.

Clegg

For 50 minutes Ulster were excellent. Should have been further ahead if not for the poor decisions when awarded penalties. Coetzee and McCloskey the standout Ulster players. Reidy was very good as well.

Right now what's missing is depth. But that'll come with time. You're obviously being coached extremely well. The more your younger played get exposed to that high level of coaching the better they'll become. Maybe add a few good imports from abroad and at home and Ulster will improve even more.

bilston

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Need Lowry to stop being injured.

Yep, although I still like Johnston, but I would love to see a fit Lowry get a run at 10. Burns didn't have a great game today. He had to rush things a bit.

However what we absolutely need is a back up 9 of real quality.

Our scrum creaked today, it was actually really costly as it led to the first Clermont try and let them get their tails up.

But generally Marty Moore has been good for us this season, so I'm not going to hang him out to dry. Plus I know bugger all about the scrum. Although I thought Jack McGrath had a good game.

But we are in that group of teams like Exeter and Munster who are more than capable of making the Quarters but are still a bit behind Leinster, Clermont, Racing, Toulouse and Saracens (or at least Saracens in a normal year). It's still progress, and we have more to grow.

Paul Smeenus

Think we were a bit naïve. Need lineout sorted. But not too downhearted. Agree that we need a quality back up nine.

Paul Smeenus

Also, this loss is squarely the fault of "sickening arrogance" Awec.

Brewster

I think Ulster should have taken the points on offer on the second penalty in the first half when the score was 10-6 I think. No disgrace losing in France. Not many people will want to play them in the quarters, assuming they come second in the group.

baas baa

Paul Smeenus wrote: »

Need Lowry to stop being injured.

Completely forgot about Lowry.

awec

Clegg wrote: »

For 50 minutes Ulster were excellent. Should have been further ahead if not for the poor decisions when awarded penalties. Coetzee and McCloskey the standout Ulster players. Reidy was very good as well.

Right now what's missing is depth. But that'll come with time. You're obviously being coached extremely well. The more your younger played get exposed to that high level of coaching the better they'll become. Maybe add a few good imports from abroad and at home and Ulster will improve even more.

I think this was predetermined rather than just a call made on the field. I guess Ulster decided that they'd need tries on the board to win the game.

Buer

bilston wrote: »

To be fair Raka's shoulder catches Marshall's chin there. Marginal, and I wouldn't penalise it, but laws are laws

Red card for Saracens today for a fairly similar incident.

Buer

I thought Reidy was excellent. The sort of showing that Ruddock or POM would be getting all sorts of praise for. He was gritty and effective.

Baloucoune was so efficient. No big gains but his showing belied his age. It was like watching a young Dave Kearney. And yes, that is a compliment. Although I knoe RB has more in his locker for the future.

I thought a couple of big players cost Ulster. Try aside, Cooney had his most patchy showing in a while. Caught at the base a couple of times, kicked out on the full. The non pass from McCloskey was terrible. But his half break and offload before that was sensational.

Harsh scoreline overall given Ulster were comfortably better for 45 minutes. Get some depth and Ulster are clearly in the mix for silverware.

Also, real argument for Larmour on the wing and Addison at 15. I think that's my preference.

bilston

awec wrote: »

I think this was predetermined rather than just a call made on the field. I guess Ulster decided that they'd need tries on the board to win the game.

It's fine, when you are exerting pressure and the opposition give away a penalty near their line. So for example, I've non-issue going to the corner after Parra's penalty.

However when we win soft penalties around their 10 metre line then take the f****** shot at goal. It's a freebie, you aren't exerting pressure and suddenly the opposition have given you the chance to get a cheap 3 points. Take it, say thank you and move on!

bilston

Buer wrote: »

I thought Reidy was excellent. The sort of showing that Ruddock or POM would be getting all sorts of praise for. He was gritty and effective.

I've been banging the Reidy drum for a while now. He has been one of Ulster's best players in the last couple of months. Today wasn't a one off. Although to be fair in the second half the Clermont back row started to take over a bit.

This isn't meant to be an Ulster fan with a chip on his shoulder comment, but I wonder if Reidy played for Leinster or Munster would he get more hype from the media. I suspect he would

bilston

Oh look at that...Munster take their shots at goal and get 9 points. I really Ulster learn that lesson from yesterday.

Clegg

bilston wrote: »

Oh look at that...Munster take their shots at goal and get 9 points. I really Ulster learn that lesson from yesterday.

Tbf Munster are a well seasoned Champions Cup side well versed in making the latter rounds of the competition. They know what tight away games in France require. It's all part of the learning curve for Ulster. Plus, the Clermont side you played are far better than Racing. They're making so many basic mistakes that are keeping Munster in the lead.

Paul Smeenus

bilston wrote: »

Oh look at that...Munster take their shots at goal and get 9 points. I really Ulster learn that lesson from yesterday.

As do I, but didn't Munster come away from Sarries without an LBP because they went for a try rather than take their points in the last ten minutes? Didn't CJ (who was captain at that stage) get a roasting for it?

Yesterday was very frustrating, but this image of us being miles behind Munster as big game players is nonsense.