Munster game

[promenader]

I have been saying this since we lost to Glasgow at home a couple of years ago after spending most of the second half in their 25 without scoring. But why the hell do we wait for a crisis before working a drop goal attempt and keep the scoreboard ticking over and particularly tonight when the score was 14 5 and we were banging on a closed door.

This. Sat in the Memorial stand watching ulster making no real progress towards the line, 2 or 3 people around me were shouting for Paddy to take a drop goal. No chance. He waits until the game is all but lost then attempts one from a much worse position. Go figure.

[bassbostoncup]

I have been saying this since we lost to Glasgow at home a couple of years ago after spending most of the second half in their 25 without scoring. But why the hell do we wait for a crisis before working a drop goal attempt and keep the scoreboard ticking over and particularly tonight when the score was 14 5 and we were banging on a closed door.

We were tapping on that closed door. Gentle tapping.

Not so much banging...

quoth the ravens

[Dave]

Williams and Keatley did everything in their power to cost us that game. They are spectacularly hopeless players. Williams kills any momentum the pack are generating and Keatley's disgraceful attempt for his first penalty set the tone for his overall performance.


Outside of those two we weren't brilliant as I suspected we mightn't be but happy we fought on to grab the win.

The better pack won.

[Gerald the Mole]

To lose a game after leading by 14 points in inexcusable, seems to be an Ulster trait this season , same applies to the A team and Age grade teams. I wonder what the problem is. I am sure Logan will have them all in Monday morning for a speech .

"Something is rotten in the state of Denmark "

[rumncoke]

The game went from a certain win to losable when Cave went off and CP was moved to centre .At full back Munster didn't know how to defend against him if he came at speed but at centre they could rush a defender into his face before the ball got near him.

I thought Ulster may have been better served bring Bowe into centre and playing the ball high and down the middle with the odd pass across the backs.

Given that it was Munster Nigel was light on the whistle with a team that comes in from the side or over the top at 50% of rucks and there was also a fair amount of blocking and playing the man off the ball as well , having made that point he did allow the game to flow well all night though I do like a team to kept honest . Sitting in the Memorial Stand it is hard to assess as to whether defences are on side or off side but Ulster seemed to be getting man and ball excessively.

[Russ]

Was it my beer goggles last night or did Ruan actually box kick backward over his head into touch last night...
When even the likes of the normally stable world-class quality of RP is being questioned there must be something fundamentally wrong with the team.

Must be the feud between him and Les

[Dave]

Clive Ross is better than Diack and Wilson. Ross and Reidy to start in future with either a mobile second row at 6 or a youngling.

When is chad back?

[Russ]

You'll hear Ferris and O'Sullivans full post match reaction on the BBC website, scathing, not good enough and a long term problem which does suggest something deeper is wrong than just coaching, I can't believe I'm saying this but I think might be worth bringing Eddie in as a consultant, he's saying it's their heads that need sorted and no better man!

Having said all that, respect to all for taking a few beers into the Munster changing room after the game, a class touch!

Leinster bring in Graham Henry
Ulster bring in Eddie OSullivan

Second rate doesn't half cut it

[Dave]

I blame that firework

[BaggyTrousers]

Wasteful kicking, wasteful over-complication, zero go forward from our pack, we are easy to stop, same crap different week.

Oh aye and Tommy looks like he's done.

All summaries of the game may be based on this.

Ulster's first decent kick came from Rob Lyttle, he had the remarkable idea that rather than kick the ball straight down Conway or Sweetnam's neck, he'd kick it 50 metres from a tight angle into touch, not only gaining ground but stopping new waves of attack breaking on Ulster's defence and particularly on Luke Marshall who to my eyes last night was heroic in the midst of mediocrity.

On the over complication it was bad enough that we made an utter balls of moves - usually but not exclusively through Tommy not catching the ball - but on three occasions, actively inviting Munster to score from 50 metres. That Munster failed tells you all you need know about this game.

Let's make know mistake, this was a dreadfully poor performance yet such were Munster's limitations, with perhaps the worst halfback combo since beagle and iHumph took the pitch together and stank out Oyannax for 40 minutes, that Ulster had to work incredibly hard to lose.

Sean Reidy continues to labour manfully in a hopelessly lightweight back 5 of the pack, surrounded by honest but failed and failing compadres. For example Robbie Diack, I thought he had a decent 10 minutes then drifted into obscurity. Not good enough nor even close.

Only Williams and Keatley prevented that being a rout, so poor are they. Nobody sings the praises of that Munster pack as individuals, only POM has a name amongst other teams fans but they embody everything that is missing in Ulster's.

Nice that the Ulster team joined Munster around Axel's memorial, but I'd prefer we were good winners.

We are in a tough tough spot at present, I struggle to imagine what next weeks backline will be.

The return of Tuohy and Herbst my only solace, plus Luke and Reidy as usual. Charless is a big worry for me, a serious amount of money spent on a man who throws a few hitch kicks and can't pass water, I'm still hoping to become impressed.

I thought Nigel was going to go the whole match without noticing Munster's men tackling and blocking in front of their ballcarrier but bingo on about 55 minutes he spotted one. Of course, this is what you pick up about the opposing team and never your own team, but it was obvious from the end view in the Memorial. They were very effective with it.

[Snipe Watson]

The calls for Les out are a distraction from the problem. Bad kicking, not competing at the breakdown, wild passes that are uncatchable, dereliction of duty at the restart and apparently not sticking to the game plan are all execution problems.
The problem lies further down the pecking order with Doak, Clarke, Barakat and the players.
The players are no doubt disappointed with themselves, but it's a bit too late for that when we have thrown a 6 point advantage to one of our biggest rivals.

[Russ]

We have 2 players we can conceivably build a team around


Reidy
Marshall

Now. We need to start plugging the 13 other gaps with people with a brain cell who can play for the shirt

[Silverstu]

Clive Ross is better than Diack and Wilson. Ross and Reidy to start in future with either a mobile second row at 6 or a youngling.

When is chad back?

I really want to see Matt Rea given a go, I know he is out injured [anyone hear a when he might be back?], but based on the reports on the preseason games and given how he performed on the one I saw he could definitely add to our back row - a big ball carrying 8 with decent hands. Dow needs to get a shot too- we know what Robbie and Roger are able to do - get the young lads in- when given a chance they seem to be well up for it- Lyttle, Stockdale and Kane.

Great to see Touhy and Herbst back - they seemed fired up. Touhy and 2MP/AoC as our starting locks?
Really frustrating how many times the backs fumbled the ball in good attacking positions, Tommy [and to a lesser extent Gilroy] needs to find a bit of form.

[BR]

The calls for Les out are a distraction from the problem. Bad kicking, not competing at the breakdown, wild passes that are uncatchable, dereliction of duty at the restart and apparently not sticking to the game plan are all execution problems.
The problem lies further down the pecking order with Doak, Clarke, Barakat and the players.
The players are no doubt disappointed with themselves, but it's a bit too late for that when we have thrown a 6 point advantage to one of our biggest rivals.

It's increasingly clear that the aimless kicking to the opposition is following orders.

Tin hat was. Gilroy finds a nice touch off the side of his boot from his own 22. Crowd applaud; Gilroy annoyed with himself for making touch.

Also clear that the forwards are being told to go and STAND off once we have the ball at rucks. We made some progress last season going round the corner, but that has been stopped.

There are two possibilities here:
1) Kiss is telling them to play in a stupid way.
2) Kiss is telling them to play a better way and they are not listening.

Either way - Kiss is the problem.

Offensively, the players on the park last night were individually better than the collective.

[Dave]

Clive Ross is better than Diack and Wilson. Ross and Reidy to start in future with either a mobile second row at 6 or a youngling.

When is chad back?

I really want to see Matt Rea given a go, I know he is out injured [anyone hear a when he might be back?], but based on the reports on the preseason games and given how he performed on the one I saw he could definitely add to our back row - a big ball carrying 8 with decent hands. Dow needs to get a shot too- we know what Robbie and Roger are able to do - get the young lads in- when given a chance they seem to be well up for it- Lyttle, Stockdale and Kane.

Great to see Touhy and Herbst back - they seemed fired up. Touhy and 2MP/AoC as our starting locks?
Really frustrating how many times the backs fumbled the ball in good attacking positions, Tommy [and to a lesser extent Gilroy] needs to find a bit of form.

Not sure how long Rea is out but he has had surgery. Why haven't we seen him before now? It's very frustrating when you see Jack O'Donoghue getting plenty of chances and doing so well.