I'll generously give him Robbie Diack, was a rudderless ship on an unfriendly sea, bobbing along without direction. Yinst could ell be right but let's chalk Robbie up to Maaaak.Nightsoil wrote:Ok, three positives from Anscombe's reign, a small monument of sorts against his sins...
1 - Robbie Diack has improved immeasurably under him. I remain something of a critic, but I don't think anyone can deny he earned his Ireland cap, and in that performance put his hand up for more. Impossible to think that would be the case when Anscombe rocked up, no particular reason to think it would have happened without him.
2 - The away victory to Montpellier was a masterclass in how to tame a physically bigger team and showed a real step forwards from the Sarries quarter-final last year. He got the tactics bang on that day and he broke another psychological barrier - Ulster can win in France. I'd like the players to have filed that game plan away for when it's needed.
3 - Three might have been pushing it in hindsight.
I take issue with the Montpellier win being down to a great Anscombe plan. I see it more as his default kicking option actually finding a team of suckers who couldn't deal/cope with it & the magnificent kick chasing. Even more I credit Dinger, in a 25-8 win it might seem odd, but that game was won with 5-10 minutes of superb defence just after Monpellier had scored their try & were all over us like a chape suit. 25-8 implies a doddle, it was a fiercesome scrap until the last quarter, one by opportunism, defence and magnficent goalkicking late in the game after a few early misses.
Three? Yeah, optimistic says it all.
Ding Dong the Kiwis gone.
