Ulster v Munster Sunday 1 January 5:15pm KO TG4 / Viaplay Sports 1 / URC TV / Super Sport

[Bangors]

In the absence of any attacking ideas I thought that kicking the penalties and building a lead was a good idea - pity they gave up on this match winning strategy and messed up tried to maul over when they didn’t even manage to get the line out 5 metres from the Munster line.
Also wondered last night when a forward pass stopped resulting in a scrum

[Jackie Brown]

Still 3rd in the league with a game in hand and 2 pts over the Bulls.

Going forward, TOT is going to get a serious examination of his scrummaging creditials with MMs injury. McCann needs to be trusted to be part of that backrow matchday squad. We can’t go into a match that threadbare again with 3 of 4 backrowers under par. I’m not sure how much gametime we can gamble on Doak, JC is the only game controller at UR.

If Cooney does leave UR…..we need to sign a 10 who can actually kick for territory….he needs to make a decision and we need to know where we stand from the Irfu, we need to be planning.

This incessant box kicking off 9 to compete has to stop, we don’t win the ball back.
Stockdale Moore mccloskey can all kick, but it’s a rarity. Munster lineout was tom kite last night, makeshift second row, multiple lost lineouts. I’d have made sure there were multiple Munster lineouts around their 22, and crank up the pressure on them, ridiculous to let them off the hook.
The management need to take responsibility for poor tactics, see above.

Yeah, last night was a game for old school kicking the corners and challenging the Munster lineout. Completely incapable of doing that though, because we pivot around 9 meaning aimless box kicking is about as good as it gets. This is due to the 10 we start with being unable to control a game and not trusted to tactically kick.

Is Flannery not worth a go?

I assume we will get special IRFU dispensation to go find a tight head until the end of the season?

Sent from my Pixel 7 using Tapatalk

[Dharper]

Flannery could be Phillips 2.0 - but from the little I saw I think he’d at least give it a lash. Id be seething if I was him - Doak isn’t a full time FH, Burns is crocked……flannery Still not getting a look in.

It’s clear the amount of comments from ex players Burns isn’t that rated…..and yet, still no IQ 10 willing to come to Belfast…..odd.

[Columbo]

Flannery could be Phillips 2.0 - but from the little I saw I think he’d at least give it a lash. Id be seething if I was him - Doak isn’t a full time FH, Burns is crocked……flannery Still not getting a look in.

It’s clear the amount of comments from ex players Burns isn’t that rated…..and yet, still no IQ 10 willing to come to Belfast…..odd.

What ex players?? I’ve actually heard the opposite, that Burns is really highly thought-of in the camp. I think he’s a very good player, the problem is that he needs another 1-2 players at least as good to take the weight off him / provide competition.. instead of which he’s flogged, and then plays through injury most of the season

[HammerTime]

Worst atmosphere I’ve ever experienced at ravenhill for a ‘big’ game. Dead!! Loudest cheer other than the Baloucoune try was earls duff kicking it out and moores pope mobile just about making it off the pitch (a bit crass considering the guy had a season ending jury). As soon as moore got injured I knew the game was up. Milo is an absolute joke of a ‘professional’ rugby player. Pure penalty machine and soft as sh!te. Munster were licking there lips at him coming on. Box kicking them to death was as ever the required tactic! Has proved its worth before ffs! Ah dear the whole thing has turned into a right sh!t show both on and off the pitch. Burns seems like a nice fella but half a decade with him and it’s going downhill at a rate of knots. Just ships the ball on out as soon as he receives it only for mcL and Hume to get smashed. Offers absolutely nothing and to think McFarland says he’s the most intelligent player he’s ever worked with!! Stockdale is so slow and laboured. The spark is long gone. Hume is a shadow of last year. Particularly galling was seeing Stewart Moore do a lap afterwords clapping the crowd with a huge smile on his face. Laughing and joking with friends and getting pictures taken with others. It was genuinely like he’d won the match with a motm performance. The crowd were sh!te and deserved no plaudits as most were just on the p!ss and you as one of fifteen should just have hung your head in shame and fcuked off down the tunnel like the rest. I highly doubt I’ll be back near ravers this season will much rather illegally stream it with a beer and beside the fire rather than endure that guff. Good chance we’ll lose in Treviso, a 100% will in LAR, probably will v Sale and Stormers and then tough trips away to Glasgow and a resurgent Cardiff. If we were teetering on the cliff edge before last night we are about to go off it head first. An away playoff in SA is our absolute best hope which we will lose. I think we’ll lose to both LAR and probably Sale so we won’t even make challenge cup. Sharks away as well fs. Clusterfcuk!!!

Ps. Hate to bring anything political near anything rugby but Leinster rugby what the fk was thon shenanigans at the end of their match last night?? Poor showing to say the least.

[Columbo]

The aftermath is interesting - Dan slating the players (I heard he did a bit of finger-pointing at Soper and Bell in camp). Sounds rattled..

Radio silence from mr ‘fronting up’ Petrie on Twitter.

And from what I’ve seen on social media a lot of flak for Dan, who until now has been the blue-eyed boy..

[Dave]

Some of these posts are too long. I'm not reading all that.

[Dharper]

Flannery could be Phillips 2.0 - but from the little I saw I think he’d at least give it a lash. Id be seething if I was him - Doak isn’t a full time FH, Burns is crocked……flannery Still not getting a look in.

It’s clear the amount of comments from ex players Burns isn’t that rated…..and yet, still no IQ 10 willing to come to Belfast…..odd.

What ex players?? I’ve actually heard the opposite, that Burns is really highly thought-of in the camp. I think he’s a very good player, the problem is that he needs another 1-2 players at least as good to take the weight off him / provide competition.. instead of which he’s flogged, and then plays through injury most of the season

Columbo….for starters, any pundit connected to Leinster, Ferris, whenever there is any chat by anyone discussing ire 10 options he is written off straight away. Youre right he is being flogged to death, and yep he might be a top fella in house….no we don’t need an option as good as him…..we need better.

Burns can’t kick for distance. If we can’t control possession because he lack bulk in the forwards, we need a 10, that can at least give us territorial management options, by kicking the leather off the ball….hopefully stopping this box kicking brad pitt off 9. I genuinely have never heard anyone state burns is our long term answer at 10….who was sober.

I actually like him as a good backup, UR has caused this issue….but let’s be straight, no way is he a international 10, that is the standard UR should be aiming for.

I’d be interested to know if UR are actively even looking for a top level 10, rather than sticking plaster solutions.

[rumncoke]

Kienspan will always be flat on a Sunday game -- enjoyment on Sunday is not allowed -- its an Ulster thing -- never enjoyed Maxims on a Sunday, beauty is only found with blurred eyes.

[Silverstu]

We should not have been undone by goal line defence at the end we simply should have been further ahead but we coughed up possession way to easily in their 22. Too many players were coming back from injury and not in form. Hume, Baloucoune and Stockdale are all trying to find form, the back row - Refell is just back from injury and I don't think Jones is tough enough. Losing Payne has really fecked up the balance in the coaching mix and it really needs sorting.

Hope McCann continues to get selected and Hume/Stockdale/Baloucoune need played into form. I'm not expecting anything from this season, don't particularly want to see the back of Dan but I think Bell was a mistake and its looking like its thrown everything off kilter and we need a replacement there.

[Dharper]

If Bell is a mistake…..it’s a 3yr contract one.

[jean valjean]

While Dan is right to point the finger at the players he needs to accept his role in all of this. He made the decision to play both Jones and reffel against a team we all knew would target the breakdown. I understand players need rotated but this was not the game leave both rea and timoney out of the lineup (unless there are injuries we aren't aware of). Even mccann was more up to speed following his decent performance last week.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Any word on Marty's injury?

Has the stretcher buggy made it to the medical room yet?

Any truth that our forwards scrum against that buggy in training but it drives them backwards?

Or that UR are now collecting AA batteries at collection points around the ground - they're not recycling, just using them for the stretcher buggy. Word is that if they get some alkaline batteries of a certain make, there will be an upgrade . . . . . . the buggy will be pushed by Energiser Bunny to speed it up going over the hallowed turf.

[nonplussed]

Ballyclare? I hear good things are happening there re. the development.

Its all coming along nicely. We had 600 + at the game yesterday

Didn’t

Did, full club day with vets playing a charity match in the morning raising 10k + for the Air Ambulance, followed by a pre match and the a top of the table clash... but sure, don't let your miserable outlook in life get in the way of the facts.

[StandUp]

Ballyclare? I hear good things are happening there re. the development.

Its all coming along nicely. We had 600 + at the game yesterday

Didn’t

Did, full club day with vets playing a charity match in the morning raising 10k + for the Air Ambulance, followed by a pre match and the a top of the table clash... but sure, don't let your miserable outlook in life get in the way of the facts.