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

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...

What are the Ulster fans thoughts on Clarkson, Osbourne and Farrell called up to the Lions?

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.

Home to the French teams is great. Surely that group is manageable?

I really do hate this group stages set-up, though.

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.

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.

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.

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/

https://ulster.rugby/content/ulster-rugby-releases-new-202526-castore-playing-kits

Thoughts?

Like the home kit - like the red socks.

Hate the away kit - are we really not putting red in the red hand logo? Come on FFS.

I see Ireland U18s beat SA U18 A team 39 36 today. Just 2 Ulster players in the starting XV, although I've a feeling it was maybe a rotated Irish selection given they also play the SA U18 1st team and Georgia in the next few days.

Either way any win against a SA side on South African soil is a good result so hopefully signs that this is a decent Irish squad irrespective of province.

Edit- also just read on Twitter that Georgia U18s beat England!