Positives & Negatives: Ulster V Embra

[brianc]

Anyway, what does bad weather have to do with getting 4 tries?

Says it all really. You related to Boggy by any chance?

[stickinout]

Anyway, what does bad weather have to do with getting 4 tries?

Says it all really. You related to Boggy by any chance?

Might be

[for dog and ulcer]

I usually complain about the referee but I thought Christophe Berdos gave an excellent performance tonight which neither team can have any gripes about. Any more of that and I will have found a referee in whose standards I have trust.

[Rooster]

Chances of 4 trys were always going to be extremely light, for a start off the weather was crap for chucking ball around and secondly not many sides will score 4 trys against Edinburgh on a night like that, to deny them a bonus point was the icing on the cake tonight.

[Rob6]

denied Edinburgh bonus point big +, and we're another step closer to qualifying for the Amlin Quarters!!!!!

Some good stand out performances and boss deserved his MOTM....also congrats to him for reaching 100 caps!!!!

[bogboy]

Very happy we won the toss and played the best 40 mins defensive rugby of the season in the first half I have said before you never want to play with the wind in the first half .

Ulster had to win and keep possession and frustrate Edinbiurgh for 40 mins and did that task well -- Edinburgh needed at least 12- 15 points going into half time --- and didn't get them . A one point lead meant they were denied the opportunity to play keep ball and had to go for points and attack.

Ferris's yellow was extremely harsh since the offence was basically a one off penalty offence -- its not as if Ulster had been committing that offence all night because in my opinion Ulster gave away fewer penalties than usual . ( but given the Edinbugh red in the first half the ref was being consisent )

Given that we had only 40 mins in which attacking rugby was really possible a bonus point would never have been seen as an original objective of the game at the kick off -- it might have become an objective at 15 -6 except for Ferris's yellow
at 15 --13 the objective was soundlly decided as first and foremost field position -- deep inside the Edinbugh half putting the pressure on Edinbugh and trying to force the errors -- and take advantage of the mistakes

All in all a good win -- assisted by winning the toss

[BPH]

I think it says a fair amount for Jamie Smith that he hasn't looked at all out of place in his last few outings, none of which have been easy

[againstthehead]

I think it says a fair amount for Jamie Smith that he hasn't looked at all out of place in his last few outings, none of which have been easy

Yes, I thought Smith looked pretty confident last night. Although Embra didn't really put him under any real pressure. I'd like to see him under a few high balls before I make a real judgement. His kicking was much better last night and he loves to run with the ball. A good prospect at this stage. If he prove himself in a defensive capacity then he's yet another bright prospect for the future!

[againstthehead]

All in all a good win -- assisted by winning the toss

The toss decided the game. Prior to the match I had predicted a 19-12 win to whoever had the wind in the second half . My mates gave me a bit of stick for 'sitting on the fence'. First half the side against the wind if fresh and can defend and keep possession well. In addtion, there is added pressure on the attacking team - they are EXPECTED to get at least 10 points at least. Expectation leads to pressure and it's not even half time!
WIth wind at our backs we knew exactly what was required in the 2nd 40 - a whole different ball game. That said, IMHO both sides played their best rugby against the wind!!

[colwynvet]

I reckon that Dan Touhy must have had a few backers for MOTM last night.

Nice run for the first try.

Good tackle on their big left winger after he collected the cross kick & left Cave for dead.

Good lineout play & restarts (ok, he dropped one but thats not bad given the conditions)

[Rooster]

I reckon that Dan Touhy must have had a few backers for MOTM last night.

Nice run for the first try.

Good tackle on their big left winger after he collected the cross kick & left Cave for dead.

Good lineout play & restarts (ok, he dropped one but thats not bad given the conditions)

Agree with that , the big lad is hard to put down when he gets a bit of steam up and almost got through a couple more times.
At the time he was signed I was a bit worried about him as it appeared that Stevenson was keeping him out of his previous starts but he has exceeded all expectations of him this year

[colind]

Agree with the comments about Jamie Smith. He has a great boot on him, one particular claerance kick into the wind in the frst half got great distance.

[brianc]

Agree about big Dan, he was magnificent, not far behind Bossman for MOM.

It is also hard to overestimate the importance of a fit, (or at least semi fit), Paddy Wallace. Along with Ferris & BJ he is our only other real top class player, his influence on the backline is huge, takes some pressure of Humphs, very like Steiner a few seasons ago. (Incidentally, nice to see an article about Steiner in the programme).

[Bart S]

Based on performances this season, Caldwell should definitely be our 3rd choice lock, as the wonderfully consistent Mr Ed and Dan T have been far superior. For a guy who a year or 2 ago should have been looking at Ireland caps given the yawning gap behind POC and DOC in this position, Caldwell hasn't really kicked on IMHO. Will be interesting to see where his career goes from here.

Agree 100% with Brian C about Paddy Wallace. Has been a fantastic performer for Ulster over the past couple of seasons (notably last season when all around him were struggling). He has matured wodnerfully as a player and his distribution, ability to make a break and relieve the pressure on IH have all been fantastic assets to Ulster. He's also been a fine example to any player who requires to improve their tackling

[notj]

Positives;

-Thought Darren Cave had his best game of the season, looked like the player who impressed us all so much last year.
-Tom Court and Andrew Trimble are forcing Declan Kidney to consider them for the Ireland XV, because their form has been excellent. Serious contenders to figure heavily in the Six Nations.
- Discipline in the first half was excellent, despite playing the game without much territory we managed to go through phase after phase without conceding penalties- only gave Paterson two kickable penalties, which is always a decisive factor in any game against Edinburgh.

Negative;

-Paddy Wallace seemed to take the responsibility of kicking to touch from free kicks/penalties from Ian Humphreys- Humphreys showed why with a restart out on the full!