Ladyboys V Leinster

[boringperson12]

The cupboard is quite bare looking in the row with Henderson in New Zealand, DIllane injured and Ryan going to France... Treadwell probably deserves a place on form and he does seem to have potential and a willingness to learn and put the hardwork in.

[UlsterNo9]

With Treadwell having been in camp during the six nations I'll eat the contents of Rums bedroom bin if he's not on the plane to Japan

[Cockatrice]

The cupboard is quite bare looking in the row with Henderson in New Zealand, DIllane injured and Ryan going to France... Treadwell probably deserves a place on form and he does seem to have potential and a willingness to learn and put the hardwork in.

It may look even worse if Treaders starts having to attend training camps and miss matches...

What was it Kiss said whoever beats Leinster will win the league. I suppose many will go away high in the hope that everything will change for next season and that things will only get better.. well one thing already looking much worse is our SID.

As someone else said I couldn't believe my eyes when I seen two middle age men with their laptop computers playing EA Sports in the bar before the game... the world has changed.

[jean valjean]

Yesterday summed up why ulster supporters get so frustrated. Ok the quality was poor but the intent was there and that is all we ask of the team. Sadly it has been missing for a lot of the season but I hope the players have realised that is the intensity required every week. Optimistic again for next season.

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[Snipe Watson]

Had our defensive line speed and shape yesterday been replicated throughout the season, I have no doubt we would have finished in the top two.
For me that speaks to the view that we do have the players, but there has been a massive lack of "team" in our team. All of the playing as individuals, shooting the line general lack of cohesion we have seen since the autumn was missing. I don't think that was fuelled by anything other than emotion and the occasion.
We joke about Munster pashun, but it's what they have in spades and we don't seem to have at all.
Again for me, this is about a rotten core, lack of leadership and a systemic malaise.
I had a few interesting chat's yesterday and received some interesting takes on the dynamics at play within our coaching team, some of which explains the mixed views being expressed here.

[Gerald the Mole]

Had our defensive line speed and shape yesterday been replicated throughout the season, I have no doubt we would have finished in the top two.
For me that speaks to the view that we do have the players, but there has been a massive lack of "team" in our team. All of the playing as individuals, shooting the line general lack of cohesion we have seen since the autumn was missing. I don't think that was fuelled by anything other than emotion and the occasion.
We joke about Munster pashun, but it's what they have in spades and we don't seem to have at all.
Again for me, this is about a rotten core, lack of leadership and a systemic malaise.
I had a few interesting chat's yesterday and received some interesting takes on the dynamics at play within our coaching team, some of which explains the mixed views being expressed here.

Care to share?

[Wee Woman]

Okay , were do you start and finish?

Cûnts in the bar with laptops playing games, banker
The PC 2BC! Flegs out after the whistle , so scared of upsetting Logie
That côckwomble McGoldrick
ULSter Rugby awards in a school gym, What's that about?
Women , lots there for the event, dressed like yon bint in Botanic gardens on the Buckie

St Ruan, a loss I think Ulster will struggle with.

Drinks companies won't spend at all these days, they have gone super anal on cutting back on costs.

Plus Heineken aren't a stand alone business in the North anymore, they have been implemented into an existing business as an agency brand.

An awards ceremony sponsored by a drinks company in a school, such irony.

[Snipe Watson]

Had our defensive line speed and shape yesterday been replicated throughout the season, I have no doubt we would have finished in the top two.
For me that speaks to the view that we do have the players, but there has been a massive lack of "team" in our team. All of the playing as individuals, shooting the line general lack of cohesion we have seen since the autumn was missing. I don't think that was fuelled by anything other than emotion and the occasion.
We joke about Munster pashun, but it's what they have in spades and we don't seem to have at all.
Again for me, this is about a rotten core, lack of leadership and a systemic malaise.
I had a few interesting chat's yesterday and received some interesting takes on the dynamics at play within our coaching team, some of which explains the mixed views being expressed here.

Care to share?

Well the whole coaching team is fractured all parties have been actively undermining each other. That'll not be news to anyone. Kiss is struggling to handle the whole thing and there is a view that Gibbes role will be significantly different to Doak's. All parties are culpable to some extent in the breakdown.

[Russ]

With Joe at the game, Treaders may have played his way onto the summer tour.

Would be a smart move, particularly given that he has played underage for England

And Ireland...

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[Russ]

When's the next cup final

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[UlsterNo9]

Observations from yesterday, not all with a point, just emptying my head

- speed of recycle ball from Ulster was good

- defensive line speed also good (we were up for it). Some may say that this was a change in defensive tactic style, correct. However, I dare say that a defensive style that makes the crowd get up from their seat and applaud / roar even if no better on the stats board is a much more positive approach than the passive crap we've been subjected to.

- Luke Marshall caught Leinster would be attackers behind the gain line on several occasions. Made several hits that had I not watched the outcome I would have second guessed that's another HIA for Luke, not the case, fantastic he seems to have put those behind him.

- Pienaar hit more rucks yesterday than in seven years

- players playing like its their last ever game

- Paddys kicking

- if Leavy is an international standard backrow then Reidy should be on the plane to New Zealand this summer

- Robbie Diack earning turnover penalties at the breakdown

- Has Kyle had a breast reduction?

- we offloaded in the tackle, 75% of the time it worked, I can accept the 25% we turned over, when it worked we got in behind Leinster, put them on the back foot and looked dangerous

- won a game we were completely annihilated at the set piece, our scrum and lineout was atrocious in parts

- disappointing that all that was missing this season appears to be a bit of attitude based on yesterdays performance. If only that were true

- Pete Nelson making another positive contribution having been absent for so long through injury

- Ulster man handled Leinster yesterday, do not remember the last time we did that to any team

- nothing game my hole

[Dave]

It was a much better performance, especially in defence, but we still need personnel changes in the team. Guys like Diack, Roger, Warwick, Lutton etc.. have been tom kite all season. I don't fall for the one off performances, these guys are not consistent enough. Diack had a one on one tackle opportunity with Ruddock on the prom side, both guys similar in size. Ruddock brushed him off and Diack scrags him by the ankles, Ruddock is able to offload and this led up to their non try and subsequent pen try. Your backrowers have to at least match the opposition. Marcell would have emptied him. Keep Marcell fit and I think we can raise our game to the next level with Jonno on board.

I thought Leinster played pretty poorly. They were hampered by a few players being rubbish. I thought Carberry was atrocious and I don't see the fuss in him. He danced around and went sideways. His passing was abysmal and a few went straight into touch. He got rewarded for his dancing by Treadwell who absolutely tanked him. He is a mads-lite. With a better 10 they would have been more threatening.

Noel Reid will have nightmares about big Stu who absolutely flattened him a few times. Ringrose was kept quiet by Luke until that giant gap in midfield opened up. We were still bunching up in the middle at times. Ringrose is one of the best gap exploiters around.

This will serve as an excellent warm up to the main event versus the baabaas.

FOLK

[Joe Schmo]

Snipe and Dave's post about yesterday's match are spot on as usual. Carberry I thought cost Leinster the match, I thought we go wide too quickly but he was miss passing two players and often straight out. Treadwell and Stockdale show great promise but the front row for next season is nowhere near good enough to get anywhere in the super duper unless Jonno can make the difference. Weird with Diack in the lineout that it was the worst lineouts I've seen in years at Kingspan.

[Cockatrice]

It was a much better performance, especially in defence, but we still need personnel changes in the team. Guys like Diack, Roger, Warwick, Lutton etc.. have been tom kite all season. I don't fall for the one off performances, these guys are not consistent enough. Diack had a one on one tackle opportunity with Ruddock on the prom side, both guys similar in size. Ruddock brushed him off and Diack scrags him by the ankles, Ruddock is able to offload and this led up to their non try and subsequent pen try. Your backrowers have to at least match the opposition. Marcell would have emptied him. Keep Marcell fit and I think we can raise our game to the next level with Jonno on board.

I thought Leinster played pretty poorly. They were hampered by a few players being rubbish. I thought Carberry was atrocious and I don't see the fuss in him. He danced around and went sideways. His passing was abysmal and a few went straight into touch. He got rewarded for his dancing by Treadwell who absolutely tanked him. He is a mads-lite. With a better 10 they would have been more threatening.

Noel Reid will have nightmares about big Stu who absolutely flattened him a few times. Ringrose was kept quiet by Luke until that giant gap in midfield opened up. We were still bunching up in the middle at times. Ringrose is one of the best gap exploiters around.

This will serve as an excellent warm up to the main event versus the baabaas.

FOLK

Yep our cup final with the Baabaas is now looming and Kiss will set on focusing minds and bodies for that must win game.. just think if Kiss had targeted one more Pro12 game during the season where we might be.... the problem is we have covered over the cracks and everyone is looking forward to World Domination again next year..

[ruckover]

Alright, let's get a little bit of perspective here.

It was a nothing match. The fact that we traipsed out two departing players first clearly indicated it was about them, not the team. As great as it was to say goodbye to Ruan and Roger, in my opinion it took away from the match. Save your goodbyes for after the game. As for Leinster, in my opinion they looked disinterested and I don't blame them - who wants to get injured two weeks before a semi-final? That wasn't a full blooded performance.

As for the game itself, it was glorified tripe rather than a good performance.

Defence was better, yes, although Carbery was marshalling that Leinster back line at about the same level as I could have, and I have a physique the shape of Rodney Ah You. The forwards stepped up too, yes, but they didn't control the game like some believe - we had parity at best. Scrum wasn't great, giving away a penalty try says it all. Speaking of Ah You, he needs an extensive fitness course over the summer or he has no business being in our squad, being hauled off after half an hour is embarrassing.

Attack was poor again, so many dropped balls, forwards in the middle of the park during moves, trying to force the issue unnecessarily, our centres still relied upon for crash ball. I haven't watched the game back yet but I'm willing to bet our centres made more carries than the forwards.

Line-out was an utter shambles. If Leinster didn't catch the throw, we overthrew it. The best part was our coaching staff did nothing to try and rectify it - Andrew sat on the bench until the 76th minute (admittedly he didn't improve affairs, but until he came on we didn't know that) and we didn't have anyone to come on to take control. Someone better versed in the dark arts of the line-out will probably point out it was the jumpers as opposed to Herring, and if so I apologise, but in my opinion Andrew had to be introduced sooner.

Credit where credit's due, and I already mentioned this, but Treadwell had another good performance and should be on the Ireland tour. Stockdale still looks like one of our most dangerous backs, and why he is still stuck on the bench is ludicrous, although the last couple of weeks have proven he's still quite rough around the edges, he should have caught that interception. Reidy is unbelievably underrated, and was my player of the season.

Was it better? Yes. Was it good? Not really. I still saw more problems than solutions yesterday. This has been an extremely poor season, managing to miss out on the top four in a three team league is embarrassing, particularly when one of those three teams finished sixth. A lot to work on next season, none more so than how to cope without the heartbeat of our squad. My expectations next season aren't high, so hopefully that will leave them plenty of room to surprise me.

Our front row is average besides Best. Second row, if Henderson slots in there, actually seems alright with Treadwell impressing and AOC and Browne good squad options, back row is very good if everyone's fit but lose one or two players and suddenly it looks very weak. Gibbes will need his magic to turn it around. Backs are wholly dependent on how far Cooney goes to replacing Ruan and whether Kiss will actually select the form players over centrally contracted ones (which I do not expect will happen). If our centres could go on a crash course in defending that would also help.

On the bright side, missing out on the play-offs means things can only get better. As poor as we've been, I do still believe our squad is too good not to finish outside the top six next season. Top four finish, marked improvement in our forwards, and the emergence of some Academy players and I'd call next year a success. We're in a rebuild.