Ulster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

totallegend · 22-03-2013 11:46pm

Quint2010 wrote: »

Shocking loss for Ulster. They will lose next week too. Home semi final now out of their hands.

Ah I don't know if you can call it this early.

With Pienaar, Cave and Marshall back and Muller hopefully lasting 80, they'd be a different team.

Tox56 · 22-03-2013 11:49pm

Quint2010 wrote: »

Shocking loss for Ulster. They will lose next week too. Home semi final now out of their hands.

You've done it now, I hope you're happy :mad:

Quint2010 · 22-03-2013 11:57pm

Quint2010 wrote: »

Shocking loss for Ulster. I think they will might lose next week too. Home semi final now could be out of their hands.

Fixed now.:)

awec · 22-03-2013 11:58pm

Quint2010 wrote: »

Fixed now.:)

Don't listen to him, he's a Leinster fan. :pac:

Leinster are going to batter us. By a cricket score.

P_1 · 23-03-2013 12:54am

Ah at times like this I'm glad to be a mocker atheist :pac:

Paul4As · 23-03-2013 4:56pm

The only positive from last night was the line out...the best its been for a good while.
Hopefully Pienaar is back for the Leinster game for some kicking practice. Though even he has not been himself this season going for goal.
Not sure what has gone wrong with Ulster...too easy to blame injuries or the Six Nations.

mfceiling · 23-03-2013 5:37pm

Paul4As wrote: »

The only positive from last night was the line out...the best its been for a good while.
Hopefully Pienaar is back for the Leinster game for some kicking practice. Though even he has not been himself this season going for goal.
Not sure what has gone wrong with Ulster...too easy to blame injuries or the Six Nations.

Bowe, Ferris, Muller, Williams, Henry, Henderson, Payne, Fitzpatrick, Wilson, Wallce, Doyle all suffering from some injury or another.

Best, Gilroy, Jackson, L.Marshall, Court and P.Marshall all taking some part in the 6N.

It is fairly easy to blame alright!!

Paul4As · 24-03-2013 10:32am

mfceiling wrote: »

Bowe, Ferris, Muller, Williams, Henry, Henderson, Payne, Fitzpatrick, Wilson, Wallce, Doyle all suffering from some injury or another.

Best, Gilroy, Jackson, L.Marshall, Court and P.Marshall all taking some part in the 6N.

It is fairly easy to blame alright!!

Those standing in for injured players in the first half of the season when Ulster were on their undefeated run seemed to do everything right...the injured weren't missed. Now those same players seem to be lacking something.
All teams lose players to the 6 nations...Ulster didn't fair too bad in that respect.
The Leinster game next week is their most important so far this season...a dry run for the standard of team they will be playing at Twickenham...get thumped in Dublin and you can kiss your Heineiken Cup semi final bye bye! Put in a decent performance and confidence will be lifted.

mfceiling · 24-03-2013 12:09pm

Paul4As wrote: »

Those standing in for injured players in the first half of the season when Ulster were on their undefeated run seemed to do everything right...the injured weren't missed. Now those same players seem to be lacking something.
All teams lose players to the 6 nations...Ulster didn't fair too bad in that respect.
The Leinster game next week is their most important so far this season...a dry run for the standard of team they will be playing at Twickenham...get thumped in Dublin and you can kiss your Heineiken Cup semi final bye bye! Put in a decent performance and confidence will be lifted.

To be fair we had most of these players at the start of the season and then they started to drop one by one - the team was weakening every week but still winning - just about sometimes.

It was only a matter of time before the injuries took their toll.

Mind you it's correct in what you say about a good performance in dublin - could set them up nicely for the quarters. Get a few front line players back for that and who knows??

lurtz · 25-03-2013 9:20pm

John Semple from Ballymena signed to play for Hawkes bay in this years ITM Cup

awec · 25-03-2013 9:57pm

Michael Allen two year deal.

jacothelad · 26-03-2013 1:45pm

lurtz wrote: »

John Semple from Ballymena signed to play for Hawkes bay in this years ITM Cup

He's a very good 10. Kicks well from hand and ground, has a great range of passes and can really tackler hard. Let's hope he does well and steps up to that level.

CIARAN_BOYLE · 26-03-2013 1:53pm

jacothelad wrote: »

He's a very good 10. Kicks well from hand and ground, has a great range of passes and can really tackler hard. Let's hope he does well and steps up to that level.

Be good for him if he can feature for Hawkes bay. Rua Topoki has been playing inside center beside him for the last year in the level below ITM cup.

Still only 24 he could come back and play for one of the provinces if this taste of professional (or semi professional, not really sure) rugby works for him.

None of the Hawkes Bay 10s are known to me so maybe he could get a lot of gametime.

http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=28936
http://www.gisborneherald.co.nz/article/?id=30036
http://limavady.thechronicle.uk.com/articles/sports/30260/hone-keeps-it-semple/

bilston · 26-03-2013 2:11pm

Forwards (15)
Neil McComb, Callum Black, Rory Best, Robbie Diack, Chris Henry, Dan Tuohy, Lewis Stevenson, Johann Muller, Nick Williams, Rob Herring, Kyle McCall, Ricky Lutton, Tom Court, Iain Henderson, Roger Wilson;

Backs (10)
Ruan Pienaar, Jared Payne, Craig Gilroy, Paul Marshall, Peter Nelson, Michael Heaney, Paddy Jackson, Stuart Olding, Darren Cave, Andrew Trimble.

bilston · 26-03-2013 2:14pm

I think we'll be looking at

15 Payne 14 Trimble 13 Cave 12 Olding 11 Gilroy 10 Jackson 9 Pienaar
1 Black 2 Best 3 Court

4 Muller 5 Tuohy 6 Henderson 7 Diack 8 Williams

Not convinced Henry will start so I think to get both Henry and Wilson on the bench Henderson would have to be second row cover.

Hopefully Marshall will be back for Saracens and I believe Afoa will, all being well, return from NZ in the middle of next week which is not great prep for Sarries. Ferris, Bowe and McAlistair are the only other players now that we really need to get back that would be in the starting XV or in Paddy Macs case the 23 so good to see things beginning to ease...he says confidently while touching a rain forest of wood...

irishbucsfan · 26-03-2013 2:15pm

Hmm, so Heaney, Marshall and Pienaar all play?

Is McComish hurt or have they finally seen sense?

CIARAN_BOYLE · 26-03-2013 2:20pm

irishbucsfan wrote: »

Hmm, so Heaney, Marshall and Pienaar all play?

bilston wrote: »

Not convinced Henry will start so I think to get both Henry and Wilson on the bench Henderson would have to be second row cover.

6-2 split on the bench maybe

awec · 26-03-2013 2:24pm

Why is Afoa unavailable?

bilston · 26-03-2013 2:25pm

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

6-2 split on the bench maybe

That makes sense with there being 3 scrums halves. Good thinking!

bilston · 26-03-2013 2:27pm

awec wrote: »

Why is Afoa unavailable?

Just read this on UAFC so don't take it as 100% gospel but it seems he is in NZ (baby due very soon) and won't be back until next Wed. That gives him 3 days to get himself right for the Q/F.

rchendz92 · 26-03-2013 2:27pm

awec wrote: »

Why is Afoa unavailable?

Could just want to rest him for Sarries the next week? I don't think he's injured.

EDIT: Just saw the above, ignore. That's worrying for us, but good for him.

CIARAN_BOYLE · 26-03-2013 2:32pm

bilston wrote: »

Just read this on UAFC so don't take it as 100% gospel but it seems he is in NZ (baby due very soon) and won't be back until next Wed. That gives him 3 days to get himself right for the Q/F.

damn that means the child won't be IQ :P

Gives greater credence to the Afoa wants to move back to NZ rumours

awec · 26-03-2013 2:39pm

If we lose him I'm seriously worried. We would need to be allowed to sign another NIQ ffs.

CIARAN_BOYLE · 26-03-2013 2:44pm

awec wrote: »

If we lose him I'm seriously worried. We would need to be allowed to sign another NIQ ffs.

supposedly he wants to go but will only go if he can arrange a replacement.

awec · 26-03-2013 2:45pm

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

supposedly he wants to go but will only go if he can arrange a replacement.

How many TH's of Afoa's quality are we likely to have a chance of getting though?

bilston · 26-03-2013 2:47pm

He'd be a big loss. It wouldn't be so bad if Fitzpatrick could make it until lunchtime before getting injured because while he doesn't do what Afoa does around the park he can actually scrummage. What IQ TH is there that Ulster could actually sign?

Hoepfully he stays but if your wife had just given birth and was insisting on living on the other side of the planet what would you do? Especially when you're safe in the knowledge that there will be no shortage of takers in NZ. It looks like a no brainer to me for Afoa to go back home.

awec · 26-03-2013 2:49pm

I think Afoa is great in the scrum. He has battered the majority of packs put in front of him this season.

Sinbad_NI · 26-03-2013 3:08pm

He'll be missed badly, hopefully they can replace him with someone of equal quality and consistency.

thomond2006 · 27-03-2013 10:14am

Ferris to Japan brought up again: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/blow-for-ireland-as-ferris-set-for-lucrative-japanese-switch-29156866.html

totallegend · 27-03-2013 10:25am

thomond2006 wrote: »

Ferris to Japan brought up again: http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/blow-for-ireland-as-ferris-set-for-lucrative-japanese-switch-29156866.html

Jesus, if Jacque Fourie is on $1 million, I might see if I can get a trial over there.

Indo report states:
"the blindside flanker will still be picked by Ireland if he can prove his form and fitness – as long as his club contract allows it."

Don't IRB regulations prohibit club contracts which restrict international appearances?

Ulster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

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