Benetton v Ulster Saturday January 7 1pm KO (UK Time) Viaplay (Premier) Sports 1 / URC TV / Super Sport

[justinr73]

We should have beat Glasgow and won the home final v Munster.

[Soda]

We've become the perennial nearly men of Irish rugby, absolutely guaranteed to bottle it when it matters

Cf with our interpro dominance of the 80's and early 90's

There, I've said it


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[CIMANFOREVER]

We should have beat Glasgow and won the home final v Munster.

That was another all of us there knew we'd bottle... The longer it went on. Same old M.O. We give suckers an even break every time

[scrumncoke]

We've chronically under achieved for nigh on 20 years

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Interesting. Have we ?

What basis have we for the expectation that we should win a league or European title?

If Connacht can win a league I'm damn sure we should have been able to
( granted it's tougher now with the saffers )


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We did win a league

Better answer please

[Soda]

We've chronically under achieved for nigh on 20 years

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Interesting. Have we ?

What basis have we for the expectation that we should win a league or European title?

If Connacht can win a league I'm damn sure we should have been able to
( granted it's tougher now with the saffers )


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We did win a league

Better answer please

Did you bother to read the nigh on 20 years bit??

(unless you're claiming we won the league but lost the final? In which case wise up)


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[Dave]

More signs of stress on here than crisis free UR.

[scrumncoke]

We've chronically under achieved for nigh on 20 years

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Interesting. Have we ?

What basis have we for the expectation that we should win a league or European title?

If Connacht can win a league I'm damn sure we should have been able to
( granted it's tougher now with the saffers )


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We did win a league

Better answer please

Did you bother to read the nigh on 20 years bit??


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I did. Didn't realise 17 years = 20 years.

Fan expectation has been chronically too high for nigh on 20 years.

[Soda]

Interesting. Have we ?

What basis have we for the expectation that we should win a league or European title?

If Connacht can win a league I'm damn sure we should have been able to
( granted it's tougher now with the saffers )


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We did win a league

Better answer please

Did you bother to read the nigh on 20 years bit??


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I did. Didn't realise 17 years = 20 years.

Fan expectation has been chronically too high for nigh on 20 years.

Ah, you also don't appear to realise what nigh on means and then say it yourself in the next sentence

(still waiting for a valid reason why we're less successful than Connacht btw)


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[Big-al]

We should have won the 2013 Rabo Direct final. We should have beaten Leinster in the Heiny QF in 2019. We should have beaten Quins to qualify for Heiny knockout in 2021.
We should have beaten Toulose over two legs, considering the red card, last season. We should have beaten the Stormers last season considering the red card.

This season, take your pick.

Nailed it. Ulster rugby are a all well funded, well resourced province. A lot of missed opportunities within the past 10 years since the 2012 Hcup final.

As Yer maun Beacom in the Bel Telegraph said a few weeks ago, Ulster are the Tottenham Hotspur of rugby union.

[CIMANFOREVER]

100% correct Soda.
Scrum the league we won in 2006 was significantly weaker than that won by both Connacht and Glasgow, and indeed Scarlets. Are you saying we've a lower potential bar or expectation than any of these 3 clubs, given our history, fan base, player catchment area etc? We are serial underperformers and bottlers despite a litany of Lions, internationals, NIQs etc passing through our hallowed halls.

[scrumncoke]

If Connacht can win a league I'm damn sure we should have been able to
( granted it's tougher now with the saffers )


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We did win a league

Better answer please

Did you bother to read the nigh on 20 years bit??


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I did. Didn't realise 17 years = 20 years.

Fan expectation has been chronically too high for nigh on 20 years.

Ah, you also don't appear to realise what nigh on means
Carry on regardless sure, we're brill so we are


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Better answer please.

Let's stick to the rugby rather than personal insults, get a bit of debate going and improve the argument.

So our level of expectation should be based on the Ulster team during the amateur era of the 80s and 90s..... I'll assume early 90s as we did nothing after the 94 inter pros until we scraped out of our group in 99 and won a European Cup with no Justins in it.

We've won one league since Irish teams joined in 2001.

This isn't directed at yourself Soda, theres an overwhelming majority think we should be winning silverware every season.

Truth is we've never shown pedigree in the pro era to indicate we should be.

[Soda]

I agree entirely we haven't done anything for years, my point is that we absolutely should have

Reasons why we should've been more successful?

Ok

1 For years we had the highest average home attendance

2 They were sitting in a stadium that had been provided free of charge by Stormont

That's a massive commercial advantage which should have translated into a truly world class coaching and management ticket (not Kiss Doak or Logan / Petrie ) and an integrated youth development programme which is actually fit for purpose.

And that's before we get on to Nucifora


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[Dave]

Also, we should have duffed Leicester in the Parker Pen. All these knockout matches that slip away at the end cost the bank balance. As soda states, better coaching doesn't come cheap. Also, more cash equals better signings.

[Soda]

Not to mention match revenue p*ssed away because we can't organise heaters!
Joke shop etc


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[scrumncoke]

Also, we should have duffed Leicester in the Parker Pen. All these knockout matches that slip away at the end cost the bank balance. As soda states, better coaching doesn't come cheap. Also, more cash equals better signings.

Squad not good enough to gaurantee a win versus Leicester, away from home. To come within a point last season over two legs vs Toulouse then European champions and a £20mil - £30mil annual budget is nothing to be sniffed at.

Soda makes a great point, youth development pathway is pure dung, a la Henderson the only forward from here capable of gaining an Irish cap in over 10 years.

Sad truth is Leinster have a dozen forwards of Henderson standard and don't win the European Cup every year, they then add NIQs like Fardy into that, indeed didn't win the league last year.

The fact the current squad and coaches have been probably over achieving over the last few seasons has painted over the cracks. Everything now brought into question as we've lost games.