There's a blast from the past. Fair play.
Bruce Houston is on the bench for Zimbabwe against Namibia.
https://www.reddit.com/r/rugbyunion/comments/1m2txug/zimbabwe_team_to_face_namibia_for_rwc/
I think our Challenge Cup draw was glamorous enough to draw a crowd. Racing are a huge club for example.
Getting the 2 French sides at home was a smart move.
I disagree, to be honest.
Whatever the name of the competition, you'll be going to watch a game against one of two good, pedigreed French teams, who'll bring their own glamour and rambunctious fans. Add in that we've a decent chance of putting one over on them, and I think, if Ulster push these games hard in publicity terms, people would lap them up. I could be proven wrong, and a lot will depend on how we're going.
Hard to see many fans going to Challenge Cup games whoever the opposition may be.
But you would have thought the easy solution is to designate the Cheetahs as one of the Premiership slots?
That would guarantee no same-league fixtures.
Makes sense. Cheers.
It’s because there is only one team from the Premiership in the pool so it can’t work the same way as the Champions Cup
ie the five non-English teams cannot all play Exeter, since there’s only four rounds.
Yeah, that doesn't make any sense based on my understanding of how these pool stages work. Maybe it's a typo and we are actually away to Exeter on the 13th December.
Is it the top 4 that qualify? With the two French teams at home we should have a really decent shot at this in fact not qualifying would be a shambles.
Big season coming up for Richie.
Two decent days on the turnstiles hopefully. Lot more French fans will be over than Cardiff or SA fans. The VAT man will be pleased.
You would like to think we can get out of that group, both away games are very winnable and I think we can beat anyone in this competition at home.
Not getting out of the group would be fairly damning and unacceptable tbh.
Home to the French teams is great. Surely that group is manageable?
I really do hate this group stages set-up, though.
Fri 5th Dec - Home to Racing
Sat 13th Dec - Away to Cardiff
Sun 11th Jan - Away to Cheetahs
Sat 17th Jan - Home to Stade
2 French teams at home.
Why are we playing Cardiff and not Exeter? Bizarre.
Honestly, happy for the players. But I have misgivings about the fact that Farrell is basically wrapping himself in an impervious blanket of guys he knows because he's worried he can't get them over the line.
He's taken most of the Ireland coaches and Ireland team. I'm interested in the Lions to see genuinely unique combinations of talented players from across four nations doing things not normally asked of them, and Farrell's approach has stripped away that sense of excitement or novelty. He's far from the first to do that - Garland was egregious from that perspective. And as I say, he's basically trying to recreate a coaching and playing home from home.
From an Irish supporter perspective, I thought this might be brilliant in terms of giving a mid-RWC cycle shakeup to coaching and having Farrell exposed to challenging new ideas from other coaches. That's not going to happen. He's just basically rolling around Oz with a lightly diluted Irish set-up. Hopefully he learns something from the actual experience if not ftrom his peers, because otherwise I worry we'll go stale.
Clarkson is a tackle bag holder I'm sure. If Furlong has a calf that is 'twitching' Farrell won't want him live scrummaging in training so a 4th tight head was needed. He could have called up Joe Hayes or Asher Opoku-Fordjour who are probably better but it doesn't really matter if it's a training dummy he needs. Osbourne is probably in a similar position given the Ringrose concussion. Osbourne is more like a Daly replacement than Farrell. I'd suggest that the discussion about him revolved around his leadership and versatility. He ain't there on form from the season past….
What are the Ulster fans thoughts on Clarkson, Osbourne and Farrell called up to the Lions?
Scott Wilson returning too.
Likely long term injury for Stockdale...well obviously...why would this not happen to an Ulster player. That's McNabney and Stockdale (probably) missing the start of next season and it's only the 6th July...
Have to say, I definitely ended up calling it Kingspan stadium a lot more than I claimed I would. Had a ring to it.
But I reckon it might be back to good ol' Ravenhill for a while.
Can't wait to get back to the Affidea Stadium in September to see Ulster play.
Yes this is exactly it, Ulster won't play against Cardiff and Cheetahs are using an English "slot" if you will so Exeter will avoid them
Brain fart from me forgot it was Cheetahs. Maybe Cheetahs act like a second English side so 2 urc 2 French and then Cheetahs and chiefs.
How are the Cheetahs handled here since they aren't in any of the leagues?
Is it just random who we don't play?
It's 4 group games. Isn't it so cardiff or Cheetahs is who ye don't play
Ulster
Cardiff
Cheetahs
Stade
Racing
Exeter
Of course we get the strongest pool by a mile, it's like a champions cup pool. 🙄
Assume we play everyone except Cardiff.
COOOO-NEEEEY
COOOO-NEEEEEEY
ah right cheers, didn’t actually think anyone would be too put out by the travel was more observing it’s quite a big area. watched a few u20 club matches last season and the standard was excellent and some of the young lads were enormous.
Ulster doesn't really have an under 20s league certainly not in same way as the other provinces. It is a bit of travel but in the main it will be dublin and maybe galway so not that bad and don't think dublin clubs will see it as an issue. I'm sure players will enjoy the longer trips!
that’s interesting, would Queens be far ahead normally at u20? It's a lot of travel, I barely left Dublin when I was u20 in fact think Clontarf or maybe Sutton might have been as far north as we’d travel.
TThought it might suit this thread rather than 20s but interesting to see Queens are entering the jp fanagan league next season. Under 20s club league. So we'll have clubs from 3 provinces jn 1 league and then Munster on their own. A step closer to a full all ireland league at under 20s/21s level?
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