UAFC Ask the Oppo - Glasgow - ANSWERS (Part 1) P3

[BigHairyMonster]

Yeah me included but it was like the whole of Ravers was there

[BaggyTrousers]

Scotstoun is a fine stadium and the move from Firhill has benefited them immensely, was over there for our HC victory a couple of seasons ago, yes the one when Rory kicked smallp in the backside for messing around at the base of a ruck....maybe Rory should do it more often.

Too right he should, once every 5 minutes whether p needs it or not, keep him right.

[BR]

I think I got propositioned!

[mid ulster maestro]

Big girls blouse more like!

[Loki]

had it all written up before kick-off and lost it due to the log-out timeout, should have just copied it into Word. daft on my part. should be up tomorrow morning for a scansch.

[Loki]

ASK THE OPPOSITION - ULSTER v GLASGOW WARRIORS

PART I

cheers to everyone at Glasgow Warriors who took part - so many answers and detail this week it's had to be split into two parts! Apologies for getting it on the site post game - however, there's some great calls from the Warriors fans - Nick Williams, Glasgow's possible difficulties against scrums & mauls - that make for great reading, so let's get on with it.

• What's your take on Ulster - on and off the pitch?

Hp18: A club I've got time for. Phenomenally one eyed noisy ***** for supporters, something I can respect and relate to as well I've prattled at length about this in the past, I'll come back to it at some point.

Bmg99: Ulster on and off the pitch - Ravenhill now looks a great stadium and you've a great bunch of loud and committed fans. As a Glasgow fan I'd love to see us grow our support to a similar size as yours and have a stadium with Ravenhill's capacity to call home. Was very surprised at your coaching changes over the summer but you've a core of older heads in your squad with I think have helped with this transition. On the field, your a different team when Pienaar is in the team.

Sairhead: Ulster are a well run club, but have to beware the Edinburgh trap of having a revolving door to coaches. The Scotstoun game against you lot at the end of last season was just superb - atmosphere and result.

Gonesouth: Always there or there abouts. I would prefer if the IRFU adopted the SRU remit of no more than 5 games in a row for the full internationalists to level the playing fields from the off now that the budgets are nearly the same. I think that the provinces need to end the love in with the super duper cup of champions, it’s important but the seasons focus seems to be on that until Christmas and then it either remains that way or concentrate on the league.

Northstander: On the pitch - difficult to beat, more likely to grind a team down than rip them apart. Off the pitch - fantastic support, intimidating ground now that it's finished.

AJPatterson: This is obviously a transitional year but there are starting to be some good youngsters who are coming through and being managed a lot better in the past.

I'm not sure people in Glasgow realise how popular Ulster are in Belfast in that it's the only top rank fully pro team in town. But there are many parallels with Glasgow and indeed we have many personal links (Darren Cave has Weegie cousins for example).

And my nephew is doing ballboy for Ulster vs Toulon

Captain Midnight: A perennially competitive and well organised outfit. Good bunch of fans.

Rossco: A very professional outfit. However from the outside the loss of Humphreys and several key players indicate you might have just passed your peak. Fans are as one eyed as the best of them but great craic with it. Been to a few away grounds and Ravers is easily the best away trip. I've a lot of time for the Nordies even if they don't like waving the proper Flag of Ulster.

• Who'll win this weekend? Why?

Bmg99: Who will win this weekend - Glasgow will win because Pienaar is not playing

CraigChalmers: Glasgow by 5, but I can see it going either way. Not seen much of Ulster this season (just Zebre (h) and some of Cardiff) but they haven't been overly impressive when I have seen them. That said, play like the first 10 minutes on sunday and we can forget it!

Gonesouth: I think Ulster are going to win. There has been a lot of sloppy play in the last two and for us to come away with bonus points has been, em a bonus. Ulster will not want to lose at Ravers, and I think that might swing it. Heart says Glasgow by 12 though.

Northstander: Ulster […] they haven't forgotten the way we robbed them at Ravenhill last year and our indiscipline at the breakdown will be costly.

AJPatterson: I've been doing some formlines work which suggests Glasgow are about 8-10 points better. But Embra will have given Ulster confidence so it should be closer than that (but if Ulster keep kicking the ball away, the Glasgow backs will have, er, a ball).

Captain Midnight: Impossible to say. Glasgow are the strong, form team yet have obvious little weaknesses here and there. Ulster will start clicking again soon.

• What do you see as Glasgow's strengths? Where are their weaknesses?

HP18: True strength in depth, any number of guys who can step in without weakening the XV. A proper team spirit, something the older players and staff can take great credit for starting, it's one of the reasons I follow Glasgow through bad times and good.

BMG99: Glasgow's strengths - teamwork, scramble defence, our bench. When I first starting watching Glasgow we were always one injury away from a crisis and the quality of the guys coming on from the bench was invariably a big drop from the starting XV. Now most of us don't know who the best XV are and the guy coming off the bench is as good or better than the player he is replacing.

Weakness - Our set piece can be a little fragile and we tend to give away too many penalties at scrum time. Hmmm…we tend to give away too many penalties full stop We are also a little inconsistent at defending a driving maul off a line out - one week we manage this well the next week we can't.

Gonesouth: Depth of squad now and the proper club spirit. That dipped last year with the Ryan Wilson kebab house rumble and superstar Hogg status but I think they’ve had a clear the air season and they seem even more coherent this season. Niko! It’s like the Forrest Gump movie when he’s playing American Football, we need to get Clyde a stop sign.

Northstander: Strengths - can score from just about anywhere on the park; outstanding defence; squad who put their bodies on the line for each other.
Weaknesses - set piece struggles against the better teams

AJPatterson: The backline is now the best in the league, the breakdown is always strong. The worry is about big packs, and didn't defend the driving maul well early on this season.

Captain Midnight: Strengths: camaraderie, strength in depth, fitness and hunger. Weaknesses: you'll have to watch us carefully to find out.

Rossco: Strengths:
- Attacking Intent
- Team Spirit

Weaknesses
- Bit soft up front, all aspects of our forward play needs work
- Openside
- Defending Mauls
- Nick Williams, he never seems to have a bad game against us

• What's the best part of watching Glasgow? Niko?

Hp18: Niko does take it upon himself to liven things up (Naka too tbh), for good or bad.

Bmg99: Winning I think we've always been a team that try to play rugby and when things go well the high tempo off-loading game is both nerve wracking and wonderful to watch. The other great part of watching Glasgow is seeing young players make their mark, guys like Fin Russell and J Gray.

Northstander: Niko is a genius - we're lucky to have him and his big pal Naka too. Best thing for me, though, is the commitment the players show to each other - they don't hide when things aren't working and they're hard to beat because they don't shirk. Treviso on Saturday was a good example, down to 13 in the last 10 minutes... game already won but they still defended as if their lives depended on it.

AJPatterson: The club is very unified and the players are genuinely close to the fans. I can't say Niko's the best player as Morag Harley will personally kill me if I don't say her son Robert is the best player

Captain Midnight: Entertainment and promise. The Warriors are finally giving Scottish rugby fans something to be upbeat about.... it's been a long, long wait. Niko? He's a special case. Very. As a former cavalier and speedy 10 I'd have given anything to play alongside him.

• What do you think are the reasons behind Glasgow's good form in the Pro12 and poorer form in the HEC? Can Glasgow transfer their P12 form to the European arena?

Bmg99: We've got off to a poor start too many times in the HEC and you just can't do that in a knock out comp. Also we've lacked the strength and depth in squad to copy when everyone else are fielding their best teams and our was weekend through loosing key players.

I worry about Bath; they are looking rather good at the moment.

CraigChalmers: At least in part, luck. We have had some difficult groups (finishing second behind Leinster, being the only team not to earn a QF of some sort; that group of Ulster, Northampton and Castres where we were the only team to lose our domestic semi-final..) and some terrible luck with injuries at times.

That said, there can be excuses for last season. We could and should have reached at least the Challenge Cup QF last season, but then those 2 games v Cardiff happened...

Gonesouth: Naiveté and nerves. We need to get over the small team syndrome who occasionally shock, to being a team when we lose it’s spoken about as a shock. Nothing will suite BT Sport and the Walkinshaws/Wrays of this world better than to see the Pro 12 teams at the bottom of their groups.

Sumfanny2:Lot's of valid reasons already given but I also think part of it has been the attitude towards the competitions. GT has made no secret of the fact that he has targeted the league in recent seasons and seems to elude to seeing success in that sphere earning you the right to have a crack at Euro glory.

They are in a much better position to have a tilt at both this term although who knew when the draw was made that Bath would have got off to quite such a flyer in their league and Montpellier are not doing too badly either.

Northstander: IMO the coaches have targeted the Pro12 rather than Europe. Also at the very highest level our set piece tends to come under more pressure.

This year's group looks very evenly matched on paper. Three home wins and one away win might be enough to get us through to the next round and I think we're well capable of that.

AJPatterson: Big fat packs always cause problems and until last year there was a phobia of English teams.

Ask after Bath. Either it will be another bad season or Bath won't know what's hit them. Glasgow are a much faster team and that could hurt them, top of the Eng Prem or not. But they have a big fat pack.

Captain Midnight: Hurts my head just thinking about it. Hopefully it will have been hurting Toonie's head the most and he's found a solution for it.

Rossco: As good a squad as Glasgow have, I think we struggle to name a first XV that can compete with the best of France/England/Ireland. We'll pick up plenty of wins in the Pro12 but until we win these games on a regular basis then we'll always have difficulty with that mental block.

• Are you happy with Scotstoun as your home - capacity c7,000 in a residential area with no parking in the near vicinity and a running track round the pitch (seems to be an essential in Scotland!)? Are there any viable alternatives, especially since the Commonwealth games improvements? Where would you play a Pro 12 final?

Hp18: Capacity will do for now but needs addressing in the nearish future. And there's endless parking with a few minutes walk if you know what you're doing. Final wise, Parkhead was nominated last year, though I think that was due to Ibrox being worked on, would assume the latter this season if required.

Bmg99: I liked being near the pitch at Firhill and was sad to leave, but Scotsoun is a nice wee set up and we are not restricted by a short and narrow pitch. Capacity is normally about 6k and as tenants we can't just do what we want with the place. I've never found parking a problem. There are no viable alternatives at the moment. Where would we play a Pro12 final??? Your guess is a good as mine...

CraigChalmers: Short answer, yes. Longer answer.. It's the best option at the moment, but there aren't many other options. What happens if crowds continue to grow at present rate is a problem however. A big step from Scotstoun to Hampden or an OF ground, and there is absolutely nothing in between.

Northstander: Scotstoun isn't perfect but it's the best ground we've had IMO and there aren't any better options short of building a new stadium (unlikely). There are tons of viable alternatives for a Pro12 final - the three big Glasgow stadia or Murrayfield would all be options. Not sure which would get the nod.

Jordanhilly: There was no suggestion last season that if we got a home final it would be in Embra!

You don't try and build a local support and then cash in at the first opportunity by taking their final to the home of their oldest rivals even if it is the National stadium and you want 20,000 visitors from Ireland in Edinburgh hotels !
To say it would not go down well with the GW support is putting it mildly...........can't see GT, Shade and big Al going along with this.
Note Scotland are playing an autumn test vs. Tonga at Rugby park. Good rehearsal ?

Hope we are having this conversation with 5 games to go. Glasgow need every point they can get at the moment given the run of games they have at the end of the season !

AJPatterson: Scotstoun is really good but will need temporary stands as per the RDS. And the North Stand needs another tier on it. But it's been much better than people feared and we're really proud of it now. It's much more like a French rugby ground than a trad British Isles stadium.

Rugby Park could hold a Pro12 final and our Ayrshire contingent would no doubt welcome a visit from the rest of us.

Captain Midnight: As an expat I'll just go with the flow and trust the brains of the outfit to get it right. Love coming back to Scotstoun once or twice a year. The atmosphere is always buzzing.

Rossco: It'll do for the time being, but until we get a cash cow to build us a specified venue for our exclusive use then I don't see any other alternatives.

After the success of the Commie Games, surely the final will be held at Ibrox. I'd love to see the final held there next year against you fellas. If the SRU dictate that it be held at Murrayfield, I'd be raging.

• Glasgow's attendances have increased steadily over the last few years. What do you think the potential for future growth is?

Hp18: Continued improvement, greater profile etc will get folks attention and get them hooked.

CraigChalmers: Potentially huge, IMO. We have a pretty substantial population base to draw from, so if we can continue our recent success and Scottish fitba' continues to flounder then I can see huge growth. Leinster has often been cited as an example of whats possible by people connected with the club.

Northstander: The club have publicly stated that they see Leinster as the model to follow. They've kept season ticket prices low to try and tie in support and our average gates are going up by double-digit percentages. Still not that long since we were getting 1500 in for some games though, so a sense of perspective is needed.

AJPatterson: I think 10k regularly is attainable. There are plenty of other attractions in town so there may not be the potential of - say - Leinster where the city is the same size but there's no other sport in town after the Dubs go out of Sam.

Captain Midnight: The attendances will keep growing as long as we keep winning and entertaining.

Rossco: An average crowd of 5,000 is good going for any sports team in Scotland, whether that's Football, Rugby, Ice Hockey or whatever. If Glasgow can kick on and win some silverware then I'm sure we can get up to 10,000 crowds.

• From the outside anyway, Glasgow is perceived as a city dominated by fitba'. What chance does rugby have in making inroads into this dominance?

Hp18: It is, yet attendances grow anyway. There's are hundreds of thousands/millions within easy reach. It won't be that easy but there's enough room for all imo.

Bmg99: Football is certainly dominant in the media, but this is also the case in England where you have far bigger clubs and higher profile players. With regards to football's more general dominance, we're making slow progress and there are plenty of people who have no interest in football who may yet be attracted to rugby.

Sairhead: It's getting there - comparing the crowd for the Home Game against the Westies against last weeks Wendyball fixtures in the 'premier' the Warriors crowd was the 3 largest crowd in Scotland only the Aberdeen and Dundee fixtures were larger.

I know several fussy ball fans who have walked away from the roundball game after being at a Warriors fixture - they couldn't get over the fact that there is no segregation and you can have a beer @ your seat (all be it an expensive beer).

CraigChalmers: It's true that fitba' is king here, but don't think it's anywhere near as dominant as it was 3/4 years ago. The Rangers liquidation saga (which is still far from over..) has really tested the resolve of many OF fans (especially Rangers, amazing how often I speak to people who are falling out of love with the sport). It's not just the city's rugby team who are benefiting either; Both Ice Hockey and Basketball are doing pretty well here too.

Gonesouth: I know a few soccerites that have been priced out the football, we will make in roads, winning something will certainly help but the dominance won’t be broken in my opinon, too much “history”, and “if you know the history” of what colours his father wore…..

Northstander: Earlier comments about the demise of Rangers and a knock on effect are spot on.

AJPatterson: Pretty good. Loads of people are saying they saw the matches on Alba.

Captain Midnight: So far so good for the inroads. The city wants success and pride, irrespective of the shape of the ball.

Rossco: Ach Footballs king. Always has been, always will be. Until Rugby has a bigger presence in the Schools then well always be a distant second. However there is space for Glasgow to carve out a niche for itself.

[BaggyTrousers]

Good stuff Loki.

For an returning Weegies, very good to see a good sprinkling of kilts & other Weegies at the game yesterday, the score was a bit flattering to be honest & after an hour I was still worrying about a repeat of last year with just the 6 point gap.

I've always liked the Scottish teams, I've family there too, best of luck next week to show a bit of class in the Soupa Doupa Cup.

[Loki]

ASK THE OPPOSITION - ULSTER v GLASGOW WARRIORS

PART II....

• The Hogg issue...discuss!

Hp18: Half time interview section on the beeb was with him last weekend. He's a young lad who went off on one a bit, early days but seems he has his head back on the right track and committed to Glasgow. We'll know for sure in a few months.

bmg99: I don't think the gap between him and Murchie is a great as many think. In the past I think Hogg as played at times too much as an individual, however, some of his recent outings suggest IMHO that he is developing as a team player and therefore will not just score tries but will also create tries for others.

Gonesouth: As […]HP said, try and get his half time interview from the iplayer or youtube. The lad has grown up. We all need to go through tough times to make us better people. Hogg has hopefully had his. I blame rooming with 1/2p turning the bloke’s heid.

Northstander: Have to remember that Hoggy is still a young guy, he probably had his head turned last season but all the attention but judging by his comments to the BBC at the weekend he's got his head sorted now. Contract runs out at the end of the season so we shall see...

Captain Midnight: He's come back down to Earth with a mature jolt. We like honesty amongst our own. He'll go from strength to strength now.

Rossco: We'll see in the next month or two. His contract is up next summer so if he's serious about kicking on then I'd be expecting him to sign a new contract shortly.

Baggy’s Gregor “Toonie” Townsend Section….

• Are the Weegie folk as impressed by Gregor Townsend as I am? I seem to recall some irritation when the previous incumbent was "let go" but under Gregor, Weegies have changed from a hard to beat team of spoilers to a very good team who play some superb rugby.

Hp18: There was some fairly... robust debate when it came out. Much like his time as a player, he's nuts but it works.

Bmg99: He's built upon Lineen's foundations and I'm not sure Lineen could have taken the team any further than he had. The rancour at the time was about how things were done rather than what had been done. Shade Munro must take great credit for success at Glasgow, its not just about Toony but the team he has around him. Munro is a "keeper" of the Glasgow culture and work ethic and has helped with Toony and the teams success.

What I really like about Toony is his emphasis on basic skills, i.e. Pass/catch. I think improvements among the players in these core skills has been as significant as any systems in our progression.

Sairhead: This coach issue was Glasgow’s problem early doors, but once they settled on Lineen and they left him in place with Shade Munro and kept a coaching staff together and let them develop they moved from being KREP to being hard to beat and then occasionally turning over 'bigger' teams.

I will admit, I was one of those who felt the way Lineen was treated was poor - to say the least - when GT was appointed. I'm glad my misgivings have been proved wrong.

CraigChalmers: He's done not bad, to be fair Can't speak for others, but my anger was vented more at the SRU for the way the whole thing was managed. I still think that was a disgrace, and was unfair to all involved - both those leaving and those replacing them. But what's done is done, and Toonie is certainly proving it wasn't his fault Scotland couldn't buy a try during his spell as backs coach...

Gonesouth: He was parachuted in, many on this board thought it was unacceptable, me included. Sometimes people in charge know better.

Northstander: Toonie has done very well. He'd acknowledge, however, that he came into a club on the up thanks to Sean Lineen's good work and has the support of a really strong coaching team led by Shade Munro and Matt Taylor.

Captain Midnight: I like how Toonie balances flair with graft and organisation. I'm still disgusted by the treatment Sean Lineen got. I was one of thousands who gave him a standing ovation in Firhill before the start of the Treviso game in March 2012. We just have to move on from that and be grateful for what we have now.

Rossco: Sean Lineen put in the ground work, Shade Munro is grossly underestimated and the Core group of Weegies led by Big Al set the example in the changing room. As can be seen by our counterparts in Edinburgh it makes a hell of a difference when everyone involved is pulling in the same direction.

• Are there any factors other than Gregor Townsend in Weegies’ improvement?

Hp18: The purse strings were loosened at that stage, not much but it allowed Glasgow to both keep some top players and nab a few characters along the way. Not going overboard but good investments, Niko, Strauss etc.

Gonesouth: Backroom staff in strength and conditioning, Shade Munro for consistency and the move to Scotstoun which is wholly more professional than we had previously. [color]

AJPatterson: More budget. The budget now exceeds that of the Welsh regions. The SRU taking it seriously.[/color

Captain Midnight: Far too many to mention. The Diamond Munro is the first to spring to mind.

Northstander: See above. Also, Glasgow seems to have done much better than Edinburgh out of the emerging talent coming through and the more effective overseas/project signings.

• Is it true Gregor is in line to be the next James Bond?

Hp18: He was, but the rush it caused to be the next Bond girl was deemed hazardous. He gallantly stepped aside.

Gonesouth: Nope, Hoggy’s agent has told him it’s going to be him.

Northstander: Next TinTin, surely?

Captain Midnight: His chances of that are better than Les Kiss being the next Crocodile Dundee. Slightly.

AJPatterson: Colin Gregor or Toonie??

• Why are the chuubes from Auld Reekie a pile o'keek compared to Weegies? Gregor by any chance?

hp18: Watching embra down the years, I'm not sure they've ever had the same culture as Glasgow. And now, after Moffat went mad, Bradley met expectations, and with that zoomer Solomons at the wheel with his game plan from 2007 it's gone totally to ****.

bmg99: The chutes at the other end have a culture problem and now have a coach who seems determined to impose a style of play that the squad can't/won't execute. The culture problem has been there for a few years - I think Jim Hamilton alluded to it when he left them in 2010 and since then they have signed too many average journeymen from SA.

Sairhead: Edinburgh […] need to move away from the souless bowl, having the National coaches in the offices overlooking your training pitch really can't be good for the psyche. They also need to appoint a decent coach and stick with him. IMHO - Solomons is not a decent coach, there is no quick fix at Edinburgh, it will take 3-4 years of pain to get things back on track.

CraigChalmers: I dare say it's less about who isn't coaching them, and more about who is...

Northstander: The worst thing that ever happened to Edinburgh was reaching the Heineken Cup semi-final. Things haven't been right there for years but winning half a dozen European matches papered over the cracks. The need a more suitable ground for starters. Doesn't have to be perfect (see Scotstoun) but Murrayfield is a mood killer.

AJPatterson: Because they have rejected generations of good Borderers because they didn't go to an Edinburgh private school. And there is basically no club spirit. Put Sean Lineen in and they might find one.

Captain Midnight: Their heads are in a shed. I've no idea how they can manage to be so self-defeating.

• Any insight as to why Carlin Isles didn't manage to make any real impact during his brief spell with Glasgow? Did he just not take to the 15-a-side game or was there anything more to it?
  
  I also remember reading during the summer that you signed Canadian 7s star Connor Braid on a short-term deal. Anyone know how he's been getting on and if he's likely to get a longer deal?

Hp18: Presuming the former. Maybe some of our more wired in members can answer that one. Regardless of anything else, he was good publicity, and great entertainment at Melrose.

Braid’s been solid so far, not had much in the way of chances and is at LS for three weeks as they've got an injury crisis. Reckon he has a decent chance of an extension here what with the bulk of Scotland call ups likely to come this way. Like him as a player.

CraigChalmers: Don't think Carlin is that great a 7's player either; bags of pace, but has he ever actually done anything to warrant his reputation? Was a good publicity stunt, and worth a shot, but suspect he left us for the same reason Toulon decided not to pursue him.

Braid on the other hand.. I haven't seen much of him, but he's off to London Scottish for 3 weeks. Scored a brace off the bench for them at the weekend too.. Whether he will stay around I don't know though. We had Taylor Paris (also Canada 7's) for a season and he looked pretty decent; but he headed to Agen due to lack of opportunities here, and it's worked out pretty well for him.

Gonesouth: He was too small, catching, passing and tackling weren’t his forte. But good luck to him, it was a spectacular bit of publicity for Glasgow at the time. The Melrose treasurer was particularly pleased.
[Braid] – I watched the London Scottish game with one eye on Sunday. He looks the part, big and strong, didn’t see much of his kicking game but that will come on with the coaches and his Glasgow peers. I hope not too quickly or he’ll be called up to the Canada 15 side in November.

Northstander: AFAIK both sides saw it as something which was worth a go. Isles needed more game experience, Glasgow got a publicity boost and a chance to see what Isles had to offer. Wing may be our most competitive position so it was always unlikely he'd break through, to be honest.
[on Braid] Hard to say... he looked good in our pre-season game against Harlequins and came off the bench to score two for London Scottish last weekend. Might be kept on as cover for stand off.

AJPatterson: [Isles] basically decided 7s was better for him and seems to be doing well with USA. He wants to star in the Olympics.
[Braid’s a] Decent player going forwards but not up to the standard required in defence yet. Which is a very very high standard so he's been lent to Kenny Baillie (who used to be MD at the Warriors) at LS.

• These signings seem to suggest that Townsend thinks that 7s players might adapt well Glasgow's fast, dynamic brand of rugby. Do any of you think this is a signing policy that could yield success for Glasgow or would you be happier recruiting established 15s players instead?

Hp18: Toonie wants to play a fast game, 7s players are naturally quite adept at that. We're no Leicester lets put it that way. They've recruited well and it's not only winning but doing so in a very entertaining fashion, works for me. I enjoyed it when Dan was winning by the boot too.

Gonesouth: I don’t think there is any signing policy. We are not interested (or so it seems) of marquee signings which leaves a decent budget to scour the Pacific Islands and Americas. I wish there was more clarity of how much the Scotland 7’s team cost as in my opinion they are not producing much. I would give the whole budget to Edinburgh with a caveat that Gregor T has to agree with any signings they make to stop them signing Currie Cup reserve players.

Northstander: He likes good ball players and constantly hammers home the importance of fitness and conditioning to our style of play - probably why there's a crossover with sevens requirements.

Rossco: Finances dictate who we can target, to be honest we couldn't afford to splurge out on the likes of Pienaar. Glasgow have been very canny in unearthing talented Scots qualified players such as Murchie, Wilson and Swinson. Signing the likes of Nakarawa and Niko on relatively cheap wages has been a master stroke, there natural fast paced offloading game suits Toonies gameplay perfectly. I just hope we can keep them when their contracts are up for renewal.

• The Wider Scene….
  Is there much of a relationship between the professional team and the amateur rugby clubs in their area?

Gonesouth: At the lower levels through player appearances at fund raising and clear up days and at the higher level each player is allocated a club (Kellock on the comeback turned out for Stirling a few weeks back). Development Players mostly play at the clubs but on an apprentice type wage.

Northstander: My club has had visits from Warriors players and coaches on four occasions in the last couple of seasons. They've all been great - very approachable, enthusiastic and showed an interest in our club. Made a great impression. Do Ulster do that?

AJPatterson: Pretty good. A lot of club guys still begrudge the pro teams' existence but the players spend a lot of time with clubs. And the Scottish teams do a much better job than the Irish teams at blooding youngsters at clubs. Because schools end at 17 in Scotland, clubs are more important than in NI where schools dominate until 18. The Schools Cup dominates in Ireland whereas it's only for a small number of private schools in Scotland.

• In Ireland the four provinces are clearly defined areas, how does this compare in Scotland and the two professional teams? Do players have regional loyalty to their teams or would a promising player from say Edinburgh simply take the best offer between Glasgow and Edinburgh?

hp18: Awfy big areas. Recent case I can think of is James Ritchie at Embra, 17YO flanker, was apparently offered an EDP here but went to embra for a full deal. Outside of that, all I can say is Glasgow players, particularly the local ones, seem to be very attached to the club.

Gonesouth: Kinda, athough not with the old Scottish districts of Edinburgh, Borders, Glasgow and North and Midlands. Edinburgh recruit from the borders and we get North and Midlands (or Caledonia). All Pro players in Scotland are employed by the SRU, they could go to either. Gawd help us.

Northstander: Scotland has four clearly defined regions, too, it's just that two of them don't have a pro-team. Borders are lumped in with Edinburgh and North & Midlands are in with Glasgow. In a perfect world, they'd both have their own teams, though.

AJPatterson: Generally West and Caledonian region players will got to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Borders to Embra. But it's not hard and fast so there's a bit of give and take.

Captain Midnight: A promising player from Edinburgh would be off his rocker to sign for them right now. The question is would they be competitive enough to make a worthwhile dent in the Glasgow set up? Happily some of them are.

Rossco: We just wait until Solomons has drunk off the Edinburgers then we come in and pick then up when they have a point to prove. See Kellock, Hall, Jones, Cross and Allan as prime examples.


cheers again to the Warriors lads - hoping to see them right up at the top end of the table come the end of the season, and looking forward to the game in Scotstoun already. I'll be paying even more attention than usual to their Euro fixtures too - the Bath games in particular could be belters. Best of luck for the rest of the season and cheers for a great game Saturday!

[Loki]

cheers Bagster

have to say I had a fairly high opinion of Glasgow Warriors and their fans beforehand and it's only been increased now. hopefully we're top 4 with them later in the season - it'd be cool to get a Playoffs Ask the Oppo as a podcast or something. I'd say it'd be gas craic.

[Cornerfleg]

Well played everyone - good read. Always had time for the weeg, some good friends over there as well, like to see them doing well and playing rugby worth watching.

[Russ]

Any chance of a summary of the AOC discussion?

[Loki]

in general they're like us, waiting to see the outcome. there's much more opprobrium for Nick Williams' various attempts at tackling / busting lads on Saturday.

on AO'C -

I dont expect citing commissioner to do much TBH. I don't think o'Connor helped himself by after the incident bowling a clearly unconscious Bennett through the air onto his face.

Would need to watch it again but not sure if AOC would have known that Bennett was sparko before shoving him out.

screenshot of Bennett before the roll. Quite an unnatural position to lie on someone i am sure you will agree. Best to his credit was shouting at AOC appearing to get him to stop as well as Marshall.

It won't be clear how Bennet became unconscious. so a wrist tap for pushing Bennet off from on top of him and warned about his behaviour. As you were.

Ignoring the details of this incident for a moment, officials really need to react to players grappling heads/necks in the maul. Happens far too often.

on Nick Williams -

I really think Williams is going to seriously hurt someone in the near future, his tackling is designed to cause injury rather than anything else. Fantastic player to watch with ball in hand and I am not against big hits but they are fairly blatant attempts to put players off their game or off the pitch. The one on Murray in particular was pre meditated, he would have know fully that Glas had an 18yr old on the bench. Not surprised Murray was not scrummaging well after that.

Williams incidents for me were sickening also. Lazy runner deemed as a yellow but an off the ball, arms questionable tackle and then a tip tackle who was thrn dropped is just a penalty. I really don't rate Owens at all any more and see his quirks as nothing more than publicity / marketing stunts. How someone can actively coach during a game being the ref is beggars belief. Too big for his own boots with celebrity status.

Williams retains hold of Lamont's ankle (Lamont IIRC still up on foot, not tackled to ground). Williams lifts Lamont ankle to shoulder height while anther Ulster player tackles him. Lamont pretty much lands on head. Lifting a players feet above waist height is the guide to refs re tip tackles.
It was deliberate and a clear yellow - unless, as he'd already had a yellow, which he should.
But hey, best ref in the world, he lets things flow. and he's witty, that counts for so much

On Sean Lamont / Ludik:

For balance's sake what did we think of Lamont clattering their 15? I thought it was clumsy and unfortunate, but nothing nasty. He's not known for being a dirty player. Lucky for us O'wens saw it that way. Other refs could easily have been harsher I feel.

But that was one incident of ours against a handful of theirs. Ulster got off very lightly indeed.

my initial reaction was that he had been clumsy, and got too close, Ludik had landed on him on the way down. Therefore Lamont in trouble as it his responsibility to ensure that Ludik can get to ground safely.
Rewatching the slo mo, I far from sure that is right. I think Marshall went under Ludik causing him to fall forwards horizontally and onto Lamont; has Marshall not been there I think Ludik would have landed on his feet eyeball to eyeball with Lamont.
Credit where its due, I think that is how Owens read it on the replays

I think there should have been a yellow card in that incident... for beagle taking out the player in the air

-

[rorybestsbigbaldnoggin]

If AOC is to be cited for his conduct, then Williams definitely should be.

[Cockatrice]

I thought Williams was very lucky to stay on the pitch….

[Russ]

I thought Williams was very lucky to stay on the pitch….

They should really look at raising the lines to a boundary wall so that people don't accidentally leave