Ulster v Connacht

Talk about the men in white, and everything Ulster!!

Moderator: Moderators

richardt84
Novice
Posts: 170
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2012 8:15 pm

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by richardt84 »

allezlesverres wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 11:33 am
Dharper wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 10:38 pm So many issues in the game came down to one thing: Mindset, those players took the pitch totally in the wrong headspace for a knockout inter pro…..how that was allowed to happen was a disgrace.

They lacked aggression, focus, accuracy, cohesion….because they weren’t in the right headspace. For an hour they were absolute brad pitt, it was an embarrassing performance. Even in the few “dust ups”….they were second best looking to calm things down. Would omahony have calmed things down?….my Brennan, he’d have revved it up to get the pack and crowd going. That pack was man shamed and lacked leadership…..moaning at the ref isn’t leadership.

Our top point scorer, most dynamic forward, had 20mins on the pitch….20 mins. One of our most abrasive impressive forwards this yr Sheridan…..wasn’t even in the 23…..bad bad mistakes.
Literally watching a 60min car crash before doing anything about it, crazy.

I would love to see the selection justification…..picking so many guys leaving because they aren’t good enough or are busted and have lacked gametime. Dreadful.
Hard to argue with any of that, save to say that we can't cite missing players as an excuse. The team we fielded should have been well able to put 7th place connacht away, particularly with home advantage. There were some poor individual performances (burns had a bad day but in his defence he was so isolated by poor back row positioning he had no real chance) but the problem was the same as it has been all year. No structure at all. The breakdown should have been fixed by the coaching staff after the first turnover. Forwards should be forming pods like every other team in the world. They shouldn't be just blasting individually into contact with no support to effect a decent clear out.

Our maul success has obscured the disastrous state of our coaching this year. Take away the maul success and we would have been around dragons levels this year, which is totally unacceptable.
Your point on the forwards is supported by this breakdown of the final play and how it was approached.

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

@theloosehead

Ulster's last possession lasted 2:08.

In that time, they went through 21 phases, one of which was a pick and go.

Of the remaining 20 phases, there were 21 passes.

Connacht just had to number up, square up, and front up to finish out that game and they did it very well.

Ulster started with a messy lineout (credit to Connacht for that).

They then went:
- seven passes off the ruck to a runner
- a pick-and-go
- two passes off the ruck to a runner
- a 'tips' pass from first receiver
- ten passes off the ruck to a runner
Big-al
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5130
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:20 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by Big-al »

richardt84 wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 2:03 pm
allezlesverres wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 11:33 am
Dharper wrote: Mon May 08, 2023 10:38 pm So many issues in the game came down to one thing: Mindset, those players took the pitch totally in the wrong headspace for a knockout inter pro…..how that was allowed to happen was a disgrace.

They lacked aggression, focus, accuracy, cohesion….because they weren’t in the right headspace. For an hour they were absolute brad pitt, it was an embarrassing performance. Even in the few “dust ups”….they were second best looking to calm things down. Would omahony have calmed things down?….my Brennan, he’d have revved it up to get the pack and crowd going. That pack was man shamed and lacked leadership…..moaning at the ref isn’t leadership.

Our top point scorer, most dynamic forward, had 20mins on the pitch….20 mins. One of our most abrasive impressive forwards this yr Sheridan…..wasn’t even in the 23…..bad bad mistakes.
Literally watching a 60min car crash before doing anything about it, crazy.

I would love to see the selection justification…..picking so many guys leaving because they aren’t good enough or are busted and have lacked gametime. Dreadful.
Hard to argue with any of that, save to say that we can't cite missing players as an excuse. The team we fielded should have been well able to put 7th place connacht away, particularly with home advantage. There were some poor individual performances (burns had a bad day but in his defence he was so isolated by poor back row positioning he had no real chance) but the problem was the same as it has been all year. No structure at all. The breakdown should have been fixed by the coaching staff after the first turnover. Forwards should be forming pods like every other team in the world. They shouldn't be just blasting individually into contact with no support to effect a decent clear out.

Our maul success has obscured the disastrous state of our coaching this year. Take away the maul success and we would have been around dragons levels this year, which is totally unacceptable.
Your point on the forwards is supported by this breakdown of the final play and how it was approached.

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

@theloosehead

Ulster's last possession lasted 2:08.

In that time, they went through 21 phases, one of which was a pick and go.

Of the remaining 20 phases, there were 21 passes.

Connacht just had to number up, square up, and front up to finish out that game and they did it very well.

Ulster started with a messy lineout (credit to Connacht for that).

They then went:
- seven passes off the ruck to a runner
- a pick-and-go
- two passes off the ruck to a runner
- a 'tips' pass from first receiver
- ten passes off the ruck to a runner
The proble is that we had Burns at 10 and Cooney/Doak knows it.

Once Burns touched the ball he doesn’t square his shoulders, passes on brad pitt ball and the defence just press out towards the touchline, Ulster often lose ground in the 22 when Burns has the ball.
User avatar
solidarity
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 4127
Joined: Sat Jun 01, 2013 7:00 pm

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by solidarity »

Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?
CIMANFOREVER
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5046
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:16 pm
Location: The Dufferin

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by CIMANFOREVER »

solidarity wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?
Stupidity, poor coaching and lack of a cogent plan... " The Germans won't expect us to use the same plan we've used the previous 17 times, that's the beauty of it Blackadder" Lord Melchett
Exterminate all rational thought
CIMANFOREVER
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5046
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:16 pm
Location: The Dufferin

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by CIMANFOREVER »

solidarity wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?
Yes and no- the vast majority of the crowd didn't expect a walkover- many us suspected what played out. It did however seem like a surprise to the coaching team and 23. Ambushed by their own hubris and a decent, tenacious but smart Connacht team. Any coaching team of a so called pro team that has allowed itself to be outthought again and again across the season and seems unable to have a plan B doesn't deserve another chance.
Exterminate all rational thought
User avatar
UlsterNo9
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5783
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2012 10:02 pm

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by UlsterNo9 »

CIMANFOREVER wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 8:56 pm
solidarity wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?
Stupidity, poor coaching and lack of a cogent plan... " The Germans won't expect us to use the same plan we've used the previous 17 times, that's the beauty of it Blackadder" Lord Melchett
Yep, the average poster on here after watching Ulster for a handful of games could have put together a winning game plan against Ulster this season, we are as predictable as day followed by night.

Trying to think back to any game in the past season whereby we changed tactics to get at the opposition. We played our game and to hell with what the opposition do.
Genuinely would like to be proven wrong on that. Examples anyone?
BRING OUR BOYS HOME #BOBH
THROWN UNDER THE BUS AND EXILED 14/04/18
CIMANFOREVER
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5046
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:16 pm
Location: The Dufferin

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by CIMANFOREVER »

UlsterNo9 wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 10:28 pm
CIMANFOREVER wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 8:56 pm
solidarity wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?
Stupidity, poor coaching and lack of a cogent plan... " The Germans won't expect us to use the same plan we've used the previous 17 times, that's the beauty of it Blackadder" Lord Melchett
Yep, the average poster on here after watching Ulster for a handful of games could have put together a winning game plan against Ulster this season, we are as predictable as day followed by night.

Trying to think back to any game in the past season whereby we changed tactics to get at the opposition. We played our game and to hell with what the opposition do.
Genuinely would like to be proven wrong on that. Examples anyone?
I ain't gut nuthin' :scratch:
Exterminate all rational thought
HighlandRed
Novice
Posts: 127
Joined: Sun Aug 31, 2008 10:38 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by HighlandRed »

On reflection after friday, I'm still fecking raging.
Bobbievee
Warrior Assassin
Posts: 1326
Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2019 11:36 pm

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by Bobbievee »

HighlandRed wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 11:22 pm On reflection after friday, I'm still fecking raging.
I keep having flashbacks. Why, needing a converted try to ( undeservedly) win, did we bring in the ponderous Doak to replace Cooney on 70 minutes?
Marco
Novice
Posts: 249
Joined: Wed Jan 07, 2015 11:59 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by Marco »

One could get quite despondent really, until one remembers that Greg Jones has re-signed for next season….
Big-al
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5130
Joined: Sat Mar 29, 2008 10:20 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by Big-al »

Bobbievee wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 6:29 am
HighlandRed wrote: Tue May 09, 2023 11:22 pm On reflection after friday, I'm still fecking raging.
I keep having flashbacks. Why, needing a converted try to ( undeservedly) win, did we bring in the ponderous Doak to replace Cooney on 70 minutes?
He wasn’t any slower than Cooney, but if anything, he should have came on for Burns.
So It Is
Initiate
Posts: 381
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 9:55 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by So It Is »

Marco wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 7:38 am One could get quite despondent really, until one remembers that Greg Jones has re-signed for next season….
At least all those hot prospects in the academy will have a brill mentor.

Oh wait. .
User avatar
BaggyTrousers
Rí­ na Cúige Uladh
Posts: 30337
Joined: Sat Jun 18, 2011 6:29 pm
Location: España

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by BaggyTrousers »

I hate using refs as an excuse so I won't, however I always find rugby more enjoyable when both teams are reffed the same way.

For any hitmen reading, I'm considering a contract on Neck. >sniper
NEVER MOVE ON. Years on, I cannot ever watch Ireland with anything but indifference, I continue to wish for the imminent death of Donal Spring, the FIRFUC's executioner of Wee Paddy & Wee Stu, and I hate the FIRFUCs with undiminished passion.
CIMANFOREVER
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5046
Joined: Sat Oct 30, 2010 6:16 pm
Location: The Dufferin

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by CIMANFOREVER »

BaggyTrousers wrote: Wed May 10, 2023 4:13 pm I hate using refs as an excuse so I won't, however I always find rugby more enjoyable when both teams are reffed the same way.

For any hitmen reading, I'm considering a contract on Neck. >sniper
Baggy the money would better spent aiming a bit closer to Ravers >EW

From a legal viewpoint this is a humorous aside and in no way to be taken as "serious" by the Woke who walk amongst us like journalists from BT for example. :thumleft: :flower:
I don't want to confirm Jackman's suspicions that we are indeed "wrong un's..." :sleeping:
Exterminate all rational thought
User avatar
shamalicious
Lord Chancellor
Posts: 5440
Joined: Thu Feb 07, 2008 11:32 am

Re: Ulster v Connacht

Post by shamalicious »

FWIW, I heard The42.ie clip of Jackman saying it was a "bad crowd", and it seems he meant it in the context of poor numbers in attendance.

Sent from my SM-S908B using Tapatalk

Nevin Spence 26 April 1990 – 15 September 2012 gone but never forgotten
Post Reply