Ulster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumour Thread II

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

My point was that if Ulster sign a short term player now (or no player now) but go onto sign a long term player not tied to any international country with the hope he would go onto qualify for Ireland in the summer I think its stupid. If they sign a seasoned international in the summer great but if they are going with someone who could someday qualify for Ireland in a position where everyman and his dog knows (and have known for sometime) that a replacement is needed well it's leaving it late.

Maybe there isnt anyone available until Summer. Lealifano was only available because of his health issues in 2016.

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Burkie1203 wrote: »

Maybe there isnt anyone available until Summer. Lealifano was only available because of his health issues in 2016.

Maybe it just me but Ulster have had plenty of notice which they could use to beat the bushes if they wanted a project player.

Yes Lealifano was a great bit of business at short notice but leaving to short notice was an incompetence. Maybe I won't condemn a project player signed next summer but instead condemn the incompetence and poor planning that led to one being signed at that time.

I’m not shy about asking questions about Ulster decisions, but even I think you’re being harsh here. Ulster couldn’t have signed anyone any earlier due to having to wait and see whether charges against PJ we’re going to be filed. By the time that happened any 10 worth their salt was contracted elsewhere in some way. They were very lucky that CLs personal circumstance presented an opportunity. But I really can’t see what else they could have done.

Former Former wrote: »

molloyjh wrote: »

I’m not shy about asking questions about Ulster decisions, but even I think you’re being harsh here. Ulster couldn’t have signed anyone any earlier due to having to wait and see whether charges against PJ we’re going to be filed. By the time that happened any 10 worth their salt was contracted elsewhere in some way. They were very lucky that CLs personal circumstance presented an opportunity. But I really can’t see what else they could have done.

In the short term, no, and they did incredibly well to land CL. However, their current predicament did not begin in the summer, it didn't begin when Jackson was accused, it began five and a half years ago when Ulster made a deliberate and conscious decision never to have anyone as backup to Jackson, let alone someone capable of competing for his jersey.

In all that time, there hasn't been the first cousin of a decent out half there. Having Pienaar was a sticking plaster that was always going to come off and come off it did, even if Ulster convinced themselves it wouldn't.

No one could have predicted what has happened with Jackson and Olding, but it could just as easily have been a torn cruciate or a broken leg and they'd be in exactly the same situation.

Absolutely terrible squad management and the chickens might be about to come home to roost in a big way.

Olding was meant to be Jackson's back up 10 with Nelson as 3rd choice. So we lost our 1st and 2nd choice 10s to unforeseen circumstances.

bilston wrote: »

Olding was meant to be Jackson's back up 10 with Nelson as 3rd choice. So we lost our 1st and 2nd choice 10s to unforeseen circumstances.

Genuine question, did Olding ever spend any time playing ten for Ulster? Don't think I've ever seen him play there.

prawnsambo wrote: »

bilston wrote: »

Olding was meant to be Jackson's back up 10 with Nelson as 3rd choice. So we lost our 1st and 2nd choice 10s to unforeseen circumstances.

Genuine question, did Olding ever spend any time playing ten for Ulster? Don't think I've ever seen him play there.

Yeah he played there a bit. Only a few starts but would finish games there a bit more. He didn't play loads but Im pretty sure he was lined up to be back up 10 to Jackson.

prawnsambo wrote: »

bilston wrote: »

Yeah he played there a bit. Only a few starts but would finish games there a bit more. He didn't play loads but Im pretty sure he was lined up to be back up 10 to Jackson.

Is that not a bit like Nacewa for Leinster? He can do a job there, but it's not his best position nor would he be seen as a specialist ten these days.

I know he originally came to Leinster as a ten, but never really shone there.

Don't think so. I believe the intention was that Olding would be Jackson's back up but he was never fit long enough to get many games there.

Of course the problem with that is that if Olding had stayed fit and available he would probably have been in the Ireland squad alongside Jackson.

prawnsambo wrote: »

bilston wrote: »

Don't think so. I believe the intention was that Olding would be Jackson's back up but he was never fit long enough to get many games there.

Of course the problem with that is that if Olding had stayed fit and available he would probably have been in the Ireland squad alongside Jackson.

I've had a look back and I can only find three starts for him at ten for Ulster. One in his first season and two last season. He's benched at 20 a handful of times. He's played at 12 for the majority of his career. Can't really see how that takes him out of the Nacewa 'break glass in case of emergency' bracket.

I said earlier that he had only started a few times at 10, but he finished at 10 quite a few times. I'm not really sure what we are debating here!

Ulster's plan, from what I understand was that Olding was going to be Jackson's understudy at out half hence the lack of an alternative. I'm not saying that was a good idea, but I believe that to be the reason why little recruitment has been done in the position.

FrannoFan wrote: »

I wonder if Anscombe had been treated better maybe his kids would have joined ulster as a project player and there would be a decent 10 in situ now

Mod: Libellous comments removed. Post this kind of thing again and you will be banned.

So being a bit bored in the Christmas aftermath, I made the following table. It's complete as far as selections go, but not so complete with injury situations. Anything left blank can be filled in later if the information is to hand. The positions are loosely based on where they've started, I haven't differentiated between TH and LH props for example and if a player is a Wing/FB, I've listed them as a wing in the understanding that they can switch.

S = Start, B = Bench, U = Unavailable, (a) = Academy player.
Bold = Home, Red = Loss, Green = Draw.

Player|Pos|01/09|09/09|15/09|22/09|30/09|06/10|13/10|22/10|28/10|04/11|24/11|01/12|10/12|15/12|23/12|01/01
Opp||Che|Ben|Sca|Dra|Zeb|Con|Was|LaR|Lei|Kin|Ben|Dra|Har|Har|Con|Mun
Ah You|P|B|B|B|S|S|B|B|B|S|U|U|U|U|U|U|S
Andrew|H|B|B|B|B|S|B|B|||S|S|S|B|B|S|U
Best|H|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|B|S|U|U|B|U|U|S|U
Black|P|B|S|||S||B|S|S|B|S|B|S|S||B
Bowe|W|S|S|B|S||S|B|S|S|B|S|S|S|U|U|U
Browne|L||B|||S|||||||||||
Busby|W||||||||||||||||
Cairns|SH|||||||||S|||||||
Cave|C|B|||S|S|||S||S|B||||S|
Coetzee|No. 8|S|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
Cooney|SH|S|S|S||S|S|S|B||S|S|B|S|S|S|S
Dalton (a)|L|||||||||||B|B|U|U|U|U
Deysel|F|S|S|||S|S|S||S|||||||S
Diack|L|S|S|B|S||B|S|B|B|B|U|U|U|U|S|B
Gilroy|W|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|S|S|S|S|S|S|S
Hall (a)|F|||||||||||S|||||
Henderson|L||||B|S|S|S|S|S|U|U||S|S|S|U
Henry|F|S|B|S|S||S||S|S|S||B|B|S|U|U
Herbst|P|S|S|S|B|B|S|S|S||S|||S|S|S|B
Herring|H|S|S|S|S||S|S|S|B||B||S|S||S
Herron|OH||||B||||||||||||
Jackson|OH|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
Jones (a)|F|||||||||||B|S|||S|S
Kane|P|||||||||B|B|S|S|B|B|B|
Leali'fano|OH|S|S|S||S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S||S
Ludik|W|S|S|S||S|B|S||B|S|S|S|B|S|S|S
Lyttle|C||||B|B||||||||||B|S
Luke Marshall|C||B|S||S|S|S|B|S|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
The other Marshall|SH|||B|S||B|B|S|||B|S|B|B|B|B
McBurney|H|||||B|||||B|||||S|B
McCall|P|S||S|S||S|S|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|S
McCloskey|C|S|S|S|S||S|S|S|S|U|U|S|S|S||S
McPhillips|OH|||||||||||||||B|B
Nelson|W|B|B|B|S|B|B|B||B|B|S|B|B|B|S|
O'Connor|L|S||S|S||S||S|S|S|S|S|S|S||S
O'Hagan|P||||||||||||||||
Olding|C|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
Owens|W||||||||||||||||
Patterson|C||||||||||||||||
Payne|FB|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
Piutau|FB|S|||S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S|S||S
Rea|L|B|S|S|B|S||B|B||S|||B|B|B|B
Reidy|F|B|S|S||S|B|S|S|S|S||S|S|B|S|U
Ross|F|||B|S|||B|||B|S||||S|
Shanahan|SH|B|B||B|B|||||||||||
Simpson|P|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U|U
Stewart (a)|SH|||||||||B|B||||||
Stockdale|W||S|S|S||S|S|B|S|U|U||S|S|S|U
Timoney (a)|No. 8||||S|B||||||S|S|S|S||S
Treadwell|L||S|S||B|S|S|S|B|S|S|S|S|S||S
Trimble|W|S|S|S||S|||S||S|B|B||B|S|B
Van der Merwe|P|||||||||||B|S|||B|
Warwick|P||B|B|B|B|B||B|B|S|B|B|B|B|S|


There are some players who haven't started a game all season and I have no idea why. I'm sure it's injury related but there's only so much searching I can do before I bcome bored silly.


E&OE