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

Jack Murphy, Zac Ward, Ben Carson and Iain Henderson were absolutely diabolical tonight thought.

& Ewan Crean should never step into a rugby pitch again until he gets rid of that gut. Disgraceful.

Baloucoune gone again. I knew it as soon as I saw him holding that arm. A tantalizing what might have been in provincial and national rugby. What is the injury exactly?

I've actually thought Crean has done pretty well this season, but I was watching walk onto the pitch this evening and thought similar to you.

He is a cracking player, good defender, takes the ball to the line hard and runs great lines. Couldn't kick his own heels but otherwise very good.

I'd hate to lose him.

missing our 4 top centres (postlewaithe, Hume, McCloskey & Moore)

Injury Situation:

David Shanahan and James Hume have both recovered from the concussions they sustained in the game against Edinburgh Rugby and are fit for selection.

Charlie Irvine (lower leg), Sam Crean (knee), Jack Murphy (ribs) and Scott Wilson (shoulder) will have their fitness for selection assessed through training this week.

Nick Timoney and Stuart McCloskey are back in training following their involvement in Ireland's Guinness Six Nations Championship campaign.

Players currently unavailable for selection because of injury: 

Cormac Izuchukwu (concussion), James McNabney (knee), Stewart Moore (knee), Jude Postlethwaite (hand), Robert Baloucoune (elbow), Rory McGuire (shoulder), Jake Flannery (shoulder).

This Zebre game is one that has pressures pushing in very different directions. It's our last opportunity to rest any players. It's also the easiest game we have left in the run-in. But for that reason, it's also the best opportunity by far to get 4/5 points. A win here and a few bonus points in the rest of the games, and we shoud scrape into the top eight whatever happens - but a loss here and out goose may be cooked.

I think I'd go -

1 - Bell

2 - Stewart

3 - TOT

4 - Henderson

5 - Dalton

6 - McCann

7 - Ward

8 - Augusto

9 - Doak

10 - Humphreys

11 - Ward

12 - McCloskey

13 - Hume

14 - Kok

15 - Stockdale

Bench

16 - EOS

17 - Herring

18 - McAllister

19 - Hopes

20 - Timoney

21 - McKee

22 - Lowry

23 - McIlroy

I think. Some of my logic -

Humphreys - if not now, then when? With the Dragon's marked improvement, this is the easiest game we'll have all season - it could only be more straightforward if it was at home. (And I say that as someone who was at the game when Zebre beat us in Ravenhill.) I'd rather he had a run out, nestled between Doak and McCloksey who can take a lot of the pressure off him, than rush Murphy back - Jack's pivotal to our harder games. Humphreys has a full contract. I'm much more excited by Owen O'Kane, but we need to see if we can rely on jHumph.

I'd almost be tempted to just move TOT across when Bell comes off.

Maybe Andrew or McCormick on the bench/starting at hooker? Our lineout consistently gave the ball back to Connacht though, and we need to get it purring.

Doak probably covers ten, with Lowry able to cover FB/wing so that Stockdale can go into centre if needed.

Always possible that we keep some of the heavier hitters for the bench. Maybe Hopes starts with Henderson.

If Irvine, Crean or Wilson are fit, they come back in.

Only 1 year which is surprising.

Zebre Parma v Ulster Rugby, Saturday 28th March, Round 14, BKT United Rugby Championship, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi (Live on Premier Sports and URC.tv)

(Player appearances in brackets)

1. Eric O’Sullivan (133)
2. Rob Herring (267)
3. Tom McAllister (1)
4. Iain Henderson (Capt) (172)
5. Joe Hopes (9)
6. David McCann (84)
7. Nick Timoney (177)
8. Bryn Ward (12)
9. Conor McKee (15)
10. James Humphreys (6)
11. Zac Ward (22)
12. Stuart McCloskey (212)
13. James Hume (113)
14. Werner Kok (28)
15. Ethan McIlroy (71)

Replacements:

1. James McCormick (13)
2. Angus Bell (10)
3. Scott Wilson (50)
4. Matthew Dalton (22)
5. Juarno Augustus (10)
6. Nathan Doak (102)
7. Ben Carson (18)
8. Ben Moxham (39)

When the hell did Humphreys get six caps?

Fair play to Tom McAllister.

That's a formidable bench of forwards. And good to see McCormick back in the mix. Has he passed Andrew, I wonder.

Finally, that's an insane number of caps for Doak for a lad that's just turned 24.

In terms of Bryn, I'd imagine it's the disruption. He's only just broken through into the Ulster squad and he's been playing for Ireland A and training with the senior international team. That's a lot of switcheroo for a lad still just finding his feet at provincial level. I don't disagree that he's gone off the boil a bit, but I'm not convinced that you could realistically expect anything less.

The game was distinctly underwhelming but we rested players for the run-in. That's McAllister's second cap, Hopes' tenth. Ward's thirteenth, McKee's sixteenth and Humphrey's seventh. They all started.

We definitely have Stewart, O'Toole, Sherdian, Stockdale and Lowry to come back in. Hopefully we have Murphy, Izzy and Irvine from injury.

Winning would be lovely but I’m begging us to just get to the final. I quite fancy a trip to Bilbao

He kicked very well

should be enough to win if they Ulster turn up on the night.

hopefully Crean has lost a bit of the gut since his last appearance.