The UAFC

The backline defence for the two Edinburgh tries was poor. Both centres slipped off tackles and made some poor decisons. For all the hype I read about about James Hume in attack he does not inspire confidence in defence. If he is 13 against Toulouse I fear we will be badly exposed. What ever happene...

The continued presence of Stuart at 12 has undoubtedly been a big bonus but without the experience of Darren and Luke we have often been a bit at sea in defence. Our younger wingers have often been caught too narrow trying to punch in 'Trimblesque' fashion and opposition have taken advantage on the ...

Lowry has talent to spare but Professional Rugby isn’t just about talent — it’s also about size ( unfortunately). Small and talented add up to target for the day — and the closer the talent is to the front five — then the greater the chance of hitting the target and exploiting the disadvantage . Ho...

I would say absolutely the exact opposite. Burns is planting his feet and just shipping the ball on, it doesn't matter if he stands a yard or two closer to the line, the defenders are immediately drifting off him and onto the midfield. McPhillips is running onto and with the ball. He's also trying t...

I have to concur with others on this thread that doubt we are going to struggle this side of Christmas with the limited resources we have available to us. Not sure it will improve in the new year but heres hoping. We struggled in the first four but dug in to scrape a result. In the last two matches ...

It's not about an Ulster born and bred 15. That is always going to be average at best. It's about 3-4 top Ulster players along with maybe 6-7 who are the next level down SUPPLEMENTED by 4 world class imports (not the dirt we've been accepting the last 4-5 years) and a good promising project player ...

Unlike many on this forum I was prepared to go and support our team in Thomond on Saturday despite the team selection which would suggest a very long night – which it was. However, I think we need to put the game in perspective, starting with a 5 day turnaround after a 6 hour bus drive and 2 ten hou...

I was in Zebre for the match on Saturday and was impressed by the number of Ulster fans that had travelled. Other than the crowd they had for the local derby against Treviso of 4509, Saturdays crowd was the best they have had by some distance at 3000. The next closest was Leinster at 2430. Not sure ...

Schmidt will be happy because there were no great dramas, no injuries & he could bring several guys off & as importantly get some guys like the two props some valuable time, GP & Hendo a fleeting performance as well. All round very good day for teh coach if not a performance that will h...

The challenge of Mourad Boudjellal to Regulation 9 is understandable considering their financial interests but surely the power in this instance lies with the players when they sign their contracts. They simply have to insist that they have a clause which allows their release under Regulation 9. The...

With this new deal the French have brokered the 4 home countries need to settle their differences and quickly come up with a format which will attract a TV deal and sponsors to financially compete. The English clubs are naïve if they think they can come up with a marketable product on their own. The...

What the avaricious Anglos fail to understand is that no other country, certainly in the NH, has anything remotely close to them in terms of clubs & therefore the rugby infrastructure to develop the game on a large scale. In the vast majority of countries it is a relatively minor game. Doing a ...

It's only 3 weeks since the players had a 3 week rest - they can rest in 5 weeks time! If any of them need a "rest" (outside of injury) at this point they shouldn't be playing professional rugby - simples!!! Feckin resting players - load of horse manure :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: Ra...

Stuart Olding is certainly a very talented and versatile player and as such is of huge value to a match day squad in the options that allows. With Paddy and Luke away for the next few weeks I think we could well see that versatility deployed. He came into the squad as a 10 and I think that is the mo...