Whats the expectation for Ulster this year..

[downsouthdukin]

well the subject says it all, what are your expectations for the coming season. are you looking for small improvements or a complete turn around. Personally i thnk you'll struggle in the heiny however a top 4 could be on the cards domestically considering the amounts of guys you have that wont be effected by the internationals.
hope this topic isnt already posted, if so i apologise i couldnt find it

[pip14]

1) Top 3 in Magners League
2) Finish at least second in Heiniken Cup pool group
3) Not play boring rugby like last season!

[ColinM]

For me, Top 5 in league. 2nd or 3rd place in the Heiny group would be OK, but I'd love us to win away in England and/or France

[mikerob]

Top half of ML, winning all HEC home games and one away game would be good progress on last season.

It would be good to see some exciting rugby as well!

[FRB]

My expectations are not really about placings in the ML - more about performance and attitude in the squad. Although I asuppose if these are right then the good placings will follow! I would like to see:

1. Unbeaten at home. Make Ravenhill a place to fear for all teams.
2. An away win in the HEC.
3. A miserly Ulster defence.
4. Ruthlessness in pursuing BP once 4 tries are scored and determination to stop otherteams securing a BP against us. Linked to point 3.

[againstthehead]

Realistically? To win at least 2 of the heiny home games and avoid the bottom 3 in the league. We haven't invested heavily enough to make major gains from last season, I'm afraid. If we get off to a good start we may get momentum and confidence but a couple of defeats and those demons from last seaon will no doubt return to haunt us.
In summary, we lack genuine ball carriers up front, we have no idea who our half backs are and defensively suspect in the wide channels.

Hope I'm wrong

[Rooster]

I'm starting to get the feeling that we have got the underdogs tag and will rattle a few teams right from the start that are still thinking of last years Ulster, top 3 finish in Magners and a winner takes all match in Paris is my thoughts for the HEC.

[cheese]

i would say we need to finish in the top half of the table and with the signings we have then during the international periods we should really be getting good scores. I know we loose players but we have good cover. we need at leat one away win in the HEC and not loose at home. Finding a new young star is also key like we did last year with NOC.

[downsouthdukin]

I'm starting to get the feeling that we have got the underdogs tag and will rattle a few teams right from the start that are still thinking of last years Ulster, top 3 finish in Magners and a winner takes all match in Paris is my thoughts for the HEC.

i love your optimism rooster im not sure you can achieve those goals esp.with the inexperience at half back. but hope springs eternal!!

[Tevez]

I'm starting to get the feeling that we have got the underdogs tag and will rattle a few teams right from the start that are still thinking of last years Ulster, top 3 finish in Magners and a winner takes all match in Paris is my thoughts for the HEC.

i love your optimism rooster im not sure you can achieve those goals esp.with the inexperience at half back. but hope springs eternal!!


downsouthdukin - Issac Boss has plenty of experience, domestically, in Europe and down under and at international level....and Hump Jnr has experience of winning (by the grace of God) at Thormond....!

[downsouthdukin]

I'm starting to get the feeling that we have got the underdogs tag and will rattle a few teams right from the start that are still thinking of last years Ulster, top 3 finish in Magners and a winner takes all match in Paris is my thoughts for the HEC.

i love your optimism rooster im not sure you can achieve those goals esp.with the inexperience at half back. but hope springs eternal!!


downsouthdukin - Issac Boss has plenty of experience, domestically, in Europe and down under and at international level....and Hump Jnr has experience of winning (by the grace of God) at Thormond....!

im not sure isaac is assured his place after his dreadfully poor season last year... havent a rasher what winning in THORMOND constitutes but if your refering to leicesters win in thomond 2 YEARS AGO it hardly instills you with experience given that he spent the rest of the season playing 2nds and 3rds for leicester

[Harold7]

Top 5 in the league and 2nd in the HEC group.

Boss played well in fits and starts last season, but as a half back i'd think it helps if you're playing behind a settled pack week in week out, same applies to the out half. Boss, O'Connor and Wallace didn't have that luxury unfortunately.

[Neil F]

Realistically? To win at least 2 of the heiny home games and avoid the bottom 3 in the league. We haven't invested heavily enough to make major gains from last season, I'm afraid. If we get off to a good start we may get momentum and confidence but a couple of defeats and those demons from last seaon will no doubt return to haunt us.
In summary, we lack genuine ball carriers up front, we have no idea who our half backs are and defensively suspect in the wide channels.

Hope I'm wrong

ATH; this assumes that last season was a result, solely, of the players on the park. That's simply not true. Last season was well below the general trajectory of the team in recent times. There will be a number of factors that will lead to improvement in Ulster this season; it shouldn't be forgotten that we spent the tail end of last season without a defence coach, that we had three separate coaches throughout the season and so on. There are a number of off-field changes that will improve Ulster's performances on last season. The team on the park has improved, although has some weaknesses that opponents will be looking to exploit but we look a lot stronger off the park than we previously did. I also find it difficult to agree that in a team with Ferris, Diack, Caldwell and Botha to come that we lack ballcarriers.

Ultimately, what Ulster need to be doing next season is targeting a good run of home wins. To win 7 or 8 Magners League games at home would constitute a fantastic season. That said, Ulster only lost three Magners League games at Ravenhill last season and two of those came at the end of the season when Matt Williams had seemed to be experimenting with personnel and systems. Getting a good run of wins at home should be the minimum requirement. I think Ulster's season in the ML will involve targeting away wins against the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Llanelli or Cardiff. I think what we'll see from Ulster is 7 or 8 home league wins and away wins against Connacht, Dragons and one of those four.

The Heineken Cup is a more complex affair and I wouldn't like to predict what would happen. I think Ulster could just as easily win that group as end up with nothing. What I would expect is perhaps three wins and three defeats in that group.

We have no grounds for ungrounded optimism but with the changes in personnel both on and off the pitch, I think we can see a much better season for Ulster. Fourth or fifth in the ML and third in the HC group.

[downsouthdukin]

Realistically? To win at least 2 of the heiny home games and avoid the bottom 3 in the league. We haven't invested heavily enough to make major gains from last season, I'm afraid. If we get off to a good start we may get momentum and confidence but a couple of defeats and those demons from last seaon will no doubt return to haunt us.
In summary, we lack genuine ball carriers up front, we have no idea who our half backs are and defensively suspect in the wide channels.

Hope I'm wrong

ATH; this assumes that last season was a result, solely, of the players on the park. That's simply not true. Last season was well below the general trajectory of the team in recent times. There will be a number of factors that will lead to improvement in Ulster this season; it shouldn't be forgotten that we spent the tail end of last season without a defence coach, that we had three separate coaches throughout the season and so on. There are a number of off-field changes that will improve Ulster's performances on last season. The team on the park has improved, although has some weaknesses that opponents will be looking to exploit but we look a lot stronger off the park than we previously did. I also find it difficult to agree that in a team with Ferris, Diack, Caldwell and Botha to come that we lack ballcarriers.

Ultimately, what Ulster need to be doing next season is targeting a good run of home wins. To win 7 or 8 Magners League games at home would constitute a fantastic season. That said, Ulster only lost three Magners League games at Ravenhill last season and two of those came at the end of the season when Matt Williams had seemed to be experimenting with personnel and systems. Getting a good run of wins at home should be the minimum requirement. I think Ulster's season in the ML will involve targeting away wins against the likes of Glasgow, Edinburgh, Llanelli or Cardiff. I think what we'll see from Ulster is 7 or 8 home league wins and away wins against Connacht, Dragons and one of those four.

The Heineken Cup is a more complex affair and I wouldn't like to predict what would happen. I think Ulster could just as easily win that group as end up with nothing. What I would expect is perhaps three wins and three defeats in that group.

We have no grounds for ungrounded optimism but with the changes in personnel both on and off the pitch, I think we can see a much better season for Ulster. Fourth or fifth in the ML and third in the HC group.

neil i totally disagree

[brianc]

Neil F, a very sensible, realistic analysis as usual, (despite what the originator of the thread thinks!!). We actually seem to have signed very well given our limited budget, (early days yet I know, but very good signs from new guys against Bath). Top half of the Magners is the very minimum, top 3 would be a very good result. Heiny is very difficult to even guess, but I agree with the majority that 3 home wins plus 1 away would be pretty good. (Obviously would love to see a Heiny win in England or France!!).

Incidentally Gemma, think you are being a bit harsh on the guys last Friday, I thought given age & experience of the team, (plus they hardly knew each other!!), it was a fantastic performance against a reasonably strong Bath team.

ps not going to comment on the weather, dont want the blame if it goes wrong!