Best Ulster centre.....

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Aird
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Aird »

Whitten playing @13 alongside Paddy Wallace had a fantastic performance on Ulster's first visit to Clermont.
But if we are talking about all time Ulster centres then David Hewitt ability to break in the centre of the field must be mentioned.
Unfortunately he retired far to early in his career.
Hounslow 22 unlike you I am of an older vintage but I had the misfortune of seeing Mike Gibson play from the close up perspective of a player on the opposiotion team in a school's cup game.
On that occasion he was at Out half but his all round ability and versatility was exceptional but also was a Handicap too.
He was probably best at centre in his adult career but " management" tended to use him to strengthen any weaknesses in the Irish back line. He was too nice a bloke to object and did his bit where ever he was needed.
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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by BaggyTrousers »

222toHounslow wrote:My vote goes to Mike Gibson but I'm too young to remember him play.

Dr Dave Irwin was a favourite of mine, no Rob Dewey but I liked him all the same.
>appl >appl >appl >appl >appl

2x3, I, of course, am old enough and you are correct Gibson is the best Irish centre ever never mind Ulster, that crooked baked wee Jackeen glype wouldn't have lived with him if he'd had a day job to go to. Different times of course & you can't really compare, but Gibson had a natural fitness about him and had a Rolls Royce engine. 69 Irish caps when a long career might have got you to 50 - Keirnan 54, Kyle 46, Willie John 63. He also toured with the Lions 5 times before playing professionally for Ulster was the pinnacle of a career.

A totally selfless player, if there was a pass to ensure a try when he may well have scored he'd pass and he had talent dripping out of him.

Big fan of Doc too, I was at LR when he made his Irish debut, France or Wales :scratch: , and he scored a try in a win. No Gibson of course but a good player & great captain.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Hadn't seen your bit Aird, absolutely true, I've always recalled that he played his last game on the wing in Paris but I was corrected by someone saying it was on the 2-0 winning series in Australia in 1979, certainly the last time I saw him in green was in Paris so that means 1978 so Oz it is then for he retired in 79.

He originally moved to 12 to accommodate Barry McGann who was an amazingly good 10 for a fat bloke, they found him equally adept and he had some great partnerships including most memorably Kevin Flynn. Last time I was in Wanderers clubhouse they still had a picture of the winning try at Twickenham when Gibson had given Flynn a gap & he hurdle the last tackle to score under the posts. Gibson, I think played in the 10,12,13,14 shirts internationally, an indication not just of versatility but also to his natural fitness & all round talent.

He was a passable golfer too, 8 handicap I think & played occasionally with Mervyn Hardy a dear friend of mine, sadly no longer with us. Legend and not just a "legend", a proper legend.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
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Spiffsson
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Spiffsson »

BaggyTrousers wrote:
222toHounslow wrote:My vote goes to Mike Gibson but I'm too young to remember him play.

Dr Dave Irwin was a favourite of mine, no Rob Dewey but I liked him all the same.
>appl >appl >appl >appl >appl

2x3, I, of course, am old enough and you are correct Gibson is the best Irish centre ever never mind Ulster, that crooked baked wee Jackeen glype wouldn't have lived with him if he'd had a day job to go to. Different times of course & you can't really compare, but Gibson had a natural fitness about him and had a Rolls Royce engine. 69 Irish caps when a long career might have got you to 50 - Keirnan 54, Kyle 46, Willie John 63. He also toured with the Lions 5 times before playing professionally for Ulster was the pinnacle of a career.

A totally selfless player, if there was a pass to ensure a try when he may well have scored he'd pass and he had talent dripping out of him.

Big fan of Doc too, I was at LR when he made his Irish debut, France or Wales :scratch: , and he scored a try in a win. No Gibson of course but a good player & great captain.
I remember Gibson being clean through in an international game, just about on the opponent's goal line and all he had to do was dot down for a certain try, but he passed the ball on to Dick Milliken to give him a try in his first Ireland game (don't remember who the opposition was.) Great bloke and tremendous player.
The fastest centre I ever saw for Ireland was David Hewitt who had blazing acceleration and a sidestep to go with it. Played for Ulster as a schoolboy of 18; Ireland at 19; two Lions tours by the time he was 24; had to retire around 26 with hamstring trouble. He would have left the current crop in his dust.
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

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Abbey!
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by big mervyn »

Tighter End wrote:Abbey!
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I was just about to post Buttercrane.
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Tender
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Tender »

So a fine Sunday Roast does the same to you!
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Cap'n Grumpy
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

Mike Gibson was my childhood sporting hero. Coming from a non-rugby background, it was watching him on the telly visual box in B&W playing for Ireland in pale grey in the 5N that first got me interested in rugby - him and Fergus Slattery, but we're not talking flankers here ....

Never got to see him live in the flesh playing in white though.
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by jackthelad »

BaggyTrousers wrote:Hadn't seen your bit Aird, absolutely true, I've always recalled that he played his last game on the wing in Paris but I was corrected by someone saying it was on the 2-0 winning series in Australia in 1979, certainly the last time I saw him in green was in Paris so that means 1978 so Oz it is then for he retired in 79.

He originally moved to 12 to accommodate Barry McGann who was an amazingly good 10 for a fat bloke, they found him equally adept and he had some great partnerships including most memorably Kevin Flynn. Last time I was in Wanderers clubhouse they still had a picture of the winning try at Twickenham when Gibson had given Flynn a gap & he hurdle the last tackle to score under the posts. Gibson, I think played in the 10,12,13,14 shirts internationally, an indication not just of versatility but also to his natural fitness & all round talent.

He was a passable golfer too, 8 handicap I think & played occasionally with Mervyn Hardy a dear friend of mine, sadly no longer with us. Legend and not just a "legend", a proper legend.
Cecil Pedlow was another wonderful centre / wing.
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Dave
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Dave »

Gibson was a Pablo.
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by rumncoke »

The thread started as an appreciation of Whitten in an Exeter shirt .

The lad always was a solid player and the English game suits his talent where centres are not expected to be star performers but provide a mid field defence and wings with ball when the overlap or space is available .

There has always been the expectation in the Celtic approach to rugby for Centres to be creative and something more than a link .

( Celtic - Irish - Scottish - Welsh )



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Dave
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by Dave »

Thanks for explaining the term Celtic.
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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Dave wrote:Thanks for explaining the term Celtic.
In knowledge terms, Ron'n is a wide Ranger :duck:
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by mid ulster maestro »

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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Best Ulster centre.....

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Cheers MUM, I particularly remember the 1974 game with those 2 tries at Twickinghouse. I was there with my brother and a load of guys from Ards. 26-21 with Ireland scoring 4 -1 on the try count, Alan Old's kicking keeping England in the game.

We had arranged to meet my sister & her husband, an Englishman, in the centre off the pitch after the game as they were at the other end. My brother-in-law still thinks we gloated a bit too much after the game. :lol: :lol: :lol:

Different days when meeting people in the middle of the pitch after the game was the easiest place to do it. :D There was something special too in walking the turf where the great players had performed and looking around the ground from the pitch.
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
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