Positives
We secured top level European rugby for next season and made the playoffs in what seems to be our transitional period.
To be honest at the start of the year with all the upheaval those were our most realistic targets and they have been achieved
The Saffer signings-I had my reservations but all 3 were readily available and seemed extremely committed to the cause which has been something lacking in some of our previous signings. May well be a South African thing and I don`t think they know any other way. Herbst in particular looks a smashing investment for the future and is made of granite.Its a lot down to these men that stability was achieved after the upheaval of last season.
The youngsters blossoming- A year in which Gilroy, Jackson,Herring, Henderson and McCloskey in particular really came into their own and have established themselves as players the side can be built around over the next decade or so.
Roger Wilson- Outstanding season of a consist level of performance and one I never thought he was capable of delivering at his ripe old age.
Chris Henrys recovery- Unbelievable considering the nature of his injury that he could get back to his best after that lay off.He is a machine.
The front 5- An area of concern that UR has addressed in terms of SID. O`Conner, Warwick, Herring, Lutton and Stevenson all stepped up admirably when called upon whilst our front liners rarely took a backward step throughout the season.
The fortress- May have changed its name but the Kingspan stadium is still a tough place to come and get a result.The Leinster game was a high point even if they were tired from their outstanding European effort in Toulon.
Negatives
Managerial merry-go-round -We get rid of one coach then sign one who leaves then get a temporary one. Just when we yearned for stability. Only at UR.The less said about the Docs departure the better
Discipline- Absolutely shocking giving away needless cards and penalties, it killed our season. Needs addressing urgently.
Non Saffer signings- Awful at best. Must do better or just give the academy lads a go if we are going to sign dross.We need a good back up 7 for Henry. Stop gaps aren`t good enough for a position of such importance. We should know that by now.
Tactics- Very negative at times trying to hoof our way out of trouble rather than play our way.Thankfully we seemed to twig on towards the end of the season that it wasn`t working but in all fairness it was Chads return that allowed us to play with more continuity. His playoff try against Glasgow was a thing of beauty and exemplifies the way we all want to see Ulster play.
Losing the big matches- This isn`t coincidence now- its a mindset.The same can be said of our away performances which have been awful and a hark back to the bad old days when we couldn`t play away from the hill. Brian and MA stopped that rot but its returned. Possibly need to recruit staff on the the playing and management side who have won things as a habit to help over come that mental hurdle.There aren`t many in our set up who have won much at club level.
Selection- We continually messed about with the centres and back 3, didn`t rotate the squad properly and didn`t rest players sufficiently which lead in my opinion to a lot of the injury problems we seem to always get. Injuries is not a separate heading as a negative as I believe it is entirely interlinked with our poor squad management.We need to stop using fringe players as break glass options and get them more involved instead of parachuting them in from the cold and expecting them to perform at the drop of a hat when a front liner is injured or unavailable.
Europe- Realistically it was a bit of non starter with the group we drew and the star losses to our squad.Despite the Leicester home game when it was all done and dusted it was all a bit of a no show.
The frustrating thing about UR for me is we know the things are doing wrong yet continually make the same mistakes. I don`t mind the mistakes but its the lack of learning I find most infuriating as we aren`t that far away with the talent we have at our disposal.
We know what needs addressing now we just need people at the helm who know that too. Doaky to his credit has learnt some lessons particularly on the tactical side but we need a man at the helm who has been there and done that to take us to the next level. Whether its Kiss or not only time will tell but he showed enough tactical know how especially against Glasgow at home to demonstrate he has at least the potential.
What I still know however is that I love my Ulster rugby for better or worse.
