Ulster vs Leinster friendly?

[Snipe Watson]

What are you talking about Ruck? Porter was very good when he came on. 100 times better than Heaney anyway

He was still too slow getting the ball away from the breakdown.

[mid ulster maestro]

I thought Porter injected a bit of pace into the second half. Ball was whipped away from the ruck without taking a couple of steps to give him room, which gave the backs a bit more space. First half Heaney was so slow the Leinster defense was all over us. A dour first half but a slightly more exciting second half. Wasn't able to get to my usual spot as the press corral is now on the east terrace on the halfway line. Once the stadium is completed this will be the disabled viewing section. Good to see as I thought the disabled fans always got a raw deal being stuck in the corner. The atmosphere was a bit quiet to be honest but that may be down to the acoustics being changed because of the vast open area where the old stand used to be. Overall impressed with the new look however its going to take some time to get comfortable with the place.

[againstthehead]

thought the atmosphere was fine for what the game was. Certainly, when the tries went in, there was a real roar from behind the posts which was great.

[CIMANFOREVER]

Atmosphere was fine when we scored, or terrace was barracking Fitzie . Fitzie was Fitzie tbf, and I sneakingly like him tbh. He's a bit meh, but think his hearts in the right place, and he's not Clancy...
New stands look the business tbh, as do the facilities, apart from the feckin same ol cr*p sold in the food franchises, noodle bar excepted.
Wasn't anywhere near the declared sell out- both terraces in front of the new stands had plenty of room. Is this the curse of declaring attendances by adding season tickets + tickets sold commercially, rather than actual numbers scanned through the turnstiles?

The game:

Typically rusty opener, but I'dve thought, result aside, OConner would have been the happier of the two coaches. Leinster back line especially was a lot slicker handling, given both sides are supposedly at the same point pre-season.
Was impressed with Gopperth tbh- there to do a specific job at out half, and is a steady contrast to the show pony, and new next big thing If we'd have had Gopperth at outhalf, we'd have won by a shed load.

Ulster- wise, thought the first half front row went well, not sure where the comments about the scrums being a disaster came from?- McCall is another nuggett, and was lively in open play. Scrummed well for NW's try. Annett's darts very accurate, and Deccie was, well Deccie- very capable scrummager but anonymous in the loose. Think the new laws will suit DF- allow him to use his obvious technique. I miss the front row hits of old tbh. NW's try came directly from another offensive scrum in the corner, where we had them under all sorts of pressure.

McComb and Lewis were a bit disappointing tbh. Hope it's purely rust, but they didn't dominate as I expected. Maybe they realise the pecking order is well established.
Back row wise- Doyle was our MOM I reckon. One hit to knock A'vua back over his own line and win the scrum for NW's try was worth the admission alone. Tackling was excellent and he was hungry. Some real 7 back up for Chad I hope.
McCoomash (copyright S Barnes ) was McComish tbh, and played second fiddle to Ruddock when he was on. Ruddocks a decent Rabo/ HEC level player- hope he pushes on, cos he's a lump, built not unlike Ferris.
NW had a few decent charges, some good hits, and his try was Nick-like- scattering Leinster forwards like ears of Barley from off the back of an advancing scrum.

Tuohy, I thought, was excellent when he came on.. very aggressive, like the Desperate Dan of old. Big hit on A'vua, who's
built like Manu Samoa, but with half the skill, was a highlight- he looks fit and rarin' to go. The other second row- O'Connor, was a bit meh truth be told.

The rest of the forwards were much of a muchness, probably as expected, with RW returning very rusty and laid back from long term injury; Bronson Ross looked a decent tighthead- no Bent!, altho balanced against a weak Leinster front row. Callum was nuggetty as usual. Annetts replacement again seemed a competent scrummager, bit off with his darts on occasions- think it'll still be Rory, herring, Annett in that order.

As for the backs- believe if Porter had started, and McKinney had any sort of hands at all, we would have scored 4 or 5 tries. Heaney was a bit disappointing for me, altho balanced against the fact that Leinster had the upper hand at rucks generally in the first half, Doyle aside, and much of his ball was scrappy and slow. He was forever having to dig it out, or had to deal with Leinster coming through, giving him retreating ball. This meant that McKinney was rarely taking the ball on the gain line, often forced to kick (fairly decently, tbh.) However, McKinney's handling was often poor- majority of the breakdowns came from 10, totally killing any sort of continuity of back play, Payne excepted. As an aside, has JP bulked up?- he looked a lot stockier (for a future 13? ) and he barrelled through an admittedly weak Ladybois defence, which lived up to the epithet on this occasion.
Farrell is a young Monster (lol) but understandably very ring rusty, with only a few flashes of the off loading game we saw briefly last year.

Allen was his usual puppy dog exuberence and hard tackling, Scholes and Nelson again a bit Meh, especially under Gopperths Gary's. Early days tho, especially Scholes. Nelson needs to push on tho' if he wants to be JP's back up, otherwise I can see SO given a go in this role so that we can get all our skills on the pitch..

As for the rest- Cochrane, Porter, Andrew (more of the same-running straight into traffic and giving away a turnover/ penalty, as usual) etc.. again so-so, and the pecking order for our backline won't change this season with this lot, when RP, PJ, SO, LM, PW, PM etc.. are available again.
Great to see Lukey back tho- and he looks a bit narrower of beam these days, or was it perspective from the new Terrace? One great grubber, and a lot of graft and hunger- onwards and upwards.

In summary- first match won, one up on the Ladybois, much rust, some positives, but as an exercise for some of the squad to break the established order, Doyle and MCall aside (McCall as a squad T/H or loose of some potential for one so young) not much to write home about. Some boys will rue the missed opportunity, and may be on their way. 5 scrum halfs? Heaney disappointed me most, but hopefully ring rust. Porter could take his place in line.
Agree with comments above tho- unless McKinney had a one off 'mare, (and I thought he looked a decent prospect previously tbf,) 10 will be a problem child this year, and PJ wrapped in cotton wool.

Play that side against Leicester, and It'll be a bit of a tonking..

[Kofi Annan]

Atmosphere was fine when we scored, or terrace was barracking Fitzie . Fitzie was Fitzie tbf, and I sneakingly like him tbh. He's a bit meh, but think his hearts in the right place, and he's not Clancy...
New stands look the business tbh, as do the facilities, apart from the feckin same ol cr*p sold in the food franchises, noodle bar excepted.
Wasn't anywhere near the declared sell out- both terraces in front of the new stands had plenty of room. Is this the curse of declaring attendances by adding season tickets + tickets sold commercially, rather than actual numbers scanned through the turnstiles?

The game:

Typically rusty opener, but I'dve thought, result aside, OConner would have been the happier of the two coaches. Leinster back line especially was a lot slicker handling, given both sides are supposedly at the same point pre-season.
Was impressed with Gopperth tbh- there to do a specific job at out half, and is a steady contrast to the show pony, and new next big thing If we'd have had Gopperth at outhalf, we'd have won by a shed load.

Ulster- wise, thought the first half front row went well, not sure where the comments about the scrums being a disaster came from?- McCall is another nuggett, and was lively in open play. Scrummed well for NW's try. Annett's darts very accurate, and Deccie was, well Deccie- very capable scrummager but anonymous in the loose. Think the new laws will suit DF- allow him to use his obvious technique. I miss the front row hits of old tbh. NW's try came directly from another offensive scrum in the corner, where we had them under all sorts of pressure.

McComb and Lewis were a bit disappointing tbh. Hope it's purely rust, but they didn't dominate as I expected. Maybe they realise the pecking order is well established.
Back row wise- Doyle was our MOM I reckon. One hit to knock A'vua back over his own line and win the scrum for NW's try was worth the admission alone. Tackling was excellent and he was hungry. Some real 7 back up for Chad I hope.
McCoomash (copyright S Barnes ) was McComish tbh, and played second fiddle to Ruddock when he was on. Ruddocks a decent Rabo/ HEC level player- hope he pushes on, cos he's a lump, built not unlike Ferris.
NW had a few decent charges, some good hits, and his try was Nick-like- scattering Leinster forwards like ears of Barley from off the back of an advancing scrum.

Tuohy, I thought, was excellent when he came on.. very aggressive, like the Desperate Dan of old. Big hit on A'vua, who's
built like Manu Samoa, but with half the skill, was a highlight- he looks fit and rarin' to go. The other second row- O'Connor, was a bit meh truth be told.

The rest of the forwards were much of a muchness, probably as expected, with RW returning very rusty and laid back from long term injury; Bronson Ross looked a decent tighthead- no Bent!, altho balanced against a weak Leinster front row. Callum was nuggetty as usual. Annetts replacement again seemed a competent scrummager, bit off with his darts on occasions- think it'll still be Rory, herring, Annett in that order.

As for the backs- believe if Porter had started, and McKinney had any sort of hands at all, we would have scored 4 or 5 tries. Heaney was a bit disappointing for me, altho balanced against the fact that Leinster had the upper hand at rucks generally in the first half, Doyle aside, and much of his ball was scrappy and slow. He was forever having to dig it out, or had to deal with Leinster coming through, giving him retreating ball. This meant that McKinney was rarely taking the ball on the gain line, often forced to kick (fairly decently, tbh.) However, McKinney's handling was often poor- majority of the breakdowns came from 10, totally killing any sort of continuity of back play, Payne excepted. As an aside, has JP bulked up?- he looked a lot stockier (for a future 13? ) and he barrelled through an admittedly weak Ladybois defence, which lived up to the epithet on this occasion.
Farrell is a young Monster (lol) but understandably very ring rusty, with only a few flashes of the off loading game we saw briefly last year.

Allen was his usual puppy dog exuberence and hard tackling, Scholes and Nelson again a bit Meh, especially under Gopperths Gary's. Early days tho, especially Scholes. Nelson needs to push on tho' if he wants to be JP's back up, otherwise I can see SO given a go in this role so that we can get all our skills on the pitch..

As for the rest- Cochrane, Porter, Andrew (more of the same-running straight into traffic and giving away a turnover/ penalty, as usual) etc.. again so-so, and the pecking order for our backline won't change this season with this lot, when RP, PJ, SO, LM, PW, PM etc.. are available again.
Great to see Lukey back tho- and he looks a bit narrower of beam these days, or was it perspective from the new Terrace? One great grubber, and a lot of graft and hunger- onwards and upwards.

In summary- first match won, one up on the Ladybois, much rust, some positives, but as an exercise for some of the squad to break the established order, Doyle and MCall aside (McCall as a squad T/H or loose of some potential for one so young) not much to write home about. Some boys will rue the missed opportunity, and may be on their way. 5 scrum halfs? Heaney disappointed me most, but hopefully ring rust. Porter could take his place in line.
Agree with comments above tho- unless McKinney had a one off 'mare, (and I thought he looked a decent prospect previously tbf,) 10 will be a problem child this year, and PJ wrapped in cotton wool.

Play that side against Leicester, and It'll be a bit of a tonking..

Meh is such a teeny bopper word, how did it go at Hamilton Park #Ciwhenitsuits

[Russ]

Anyone grab Joe Schmidt's take on the game? He normally has a word or 2 to say to the media after we beat Leinster

[ruckover]

I now find myself worrying about the international periods. If we're stuck with McKinney at 10 then we're in big trouble. Might we see Olding at 10 a few times this season instead?

Did anyone know before the match that Fitzgibbon was reffing or was it a complete surprise to everyone?

[Russ]

I now find myself worrying about the international periods. If we're stuck with McKinney at 10 then we're in big trouble. Might we see Olding at 10 a few times this season instead?

Did anyone know before the match that Fitzgibbon was reffing or was it a complete surprise to everyone?

Why?

There's Sexton and the nest big thing showpony ahead of Jacko

[CIMANFOREVER]

Meh is such a teeny bopper word, how did it go at Hamilton Park #Ciwhenitsuits

Wha Wha Wha, Koffee- still looking for a club to patronise, or persona non gratis everywhere?... #d*ckallthe time

21-19 CI, unbeaten so far...draw in Dundalk.. happy now? Mwah/ Meh you choose...

[BuckRogers]

I think the judgements on players should be reserved until the competition starts proper. McCall does look like a player though the sheer size difference between himself and McAllister is something that will be hard to overcome. Perhaps he might actually be a better scrummager than Paddy all the same.

Ravers looks excellent it has to be said, miss the prom but the terrace will do 'til she's finished. When the stands are all compete we will have a seriously impressive stadium and credit where that is due.

Good to get a game under the belt, certainly got my competitive juices flowing.

[Rooster]

Did anyone know before the match that Fitzgibbon was reffing or was it a complete surprise to everyone?

Seemed to be a surprise to him as well !

[Fly Half]

It is annoying that it wasn't a sell out after all - I'd certainly have gone if they had tickets at the gate.

Thanks to the guys providing match commentaries, it's a bit too soon to judge players but it's hard to be informative if you don't! It's good to hear McCall did well, he is a prospect.

[Russ]

It is annoying that it wasn't a sell out after all - I'd certainly have gone if they had tickets at the gate.

Thanks to the guys providing match commentaries, it's a bit too soon to judge players but it's hard to be informative if you don't! It's good to hear McCall did well, he is a prospect.

This is why the season ticket trade system is in place ...

[rumncoke]

From the MES its hard to judge if players are off side but the speed Leinster were up on the Ulster backline made it look as if the were frequently maginal .

The truth is the penalty count wasn't higher than normal although because Ulster couldn't keep the ball in first 20 minutes they seldom got out of their own half and the penalties were therefore kickable.

Fitz as ref can be inconsistent and was to some extent but with nothing at stake I won't overstate the fact. But I find it annoying when refs play advantage and when the team fails to capitalise on the possession with advantage then revert to the original breakdown the ball may have gone through 2 phases or four passes , but they trot back for the scrum or on occassions a penalty. My personal opinion would be if a penalty offence occurs outside the 22 blow it and forget playing advantage .

Gripes finished.

The game resembled a second XV school boy match 2 weeks after the summer holidays careless, reckless , and over ambitious passing , passes misdirected or to players who were totally unready for the pass.

The Ulster 1/2 backs in the first half just couldn't get their act together now either the scrum half was to slow or the outhalf was too flat from the Memorial end it was hard to tell which but my feel would be the back line was too flat .

I know there are the admirers of a flat back line and there may be some advantages playing a flat backline but last night identified its downside your out half can be come aware of the opposition backrow and take his eye off the ball , passing becomes rushed and players get man and ball.

The MotM for me was the Leinster outhalf (not because kicked his penalties ) but because in the first 20 minutes every kick he made put the Ulster backline under pressure.

Leinster's decision to kick penalities , now I can understand that kickers needed to practice kicking penalties under pressure , but was last nights game a pressure game , was a win obtained by penalties going to raise the team spirit and confidence level sufficently to justify the decision to kick the penalties rather than play to forwards and to run your backs.

Ulster tried to play an open game and nearly failed Leinster tried to play a winning game and failed and in doing so failed to identify any potential in their backline.

[rocky]

It is annoying that it wasn't a sell out after all - I'd certainly have gone if they had tickets at the gate.

Thanks to the guys providing match commentaries, it's a bit too soon to judge players but it's hard to be informative if you don't! It's good to hear McCall did well, he is a prospect.

I think the gate was strictly limited to 10,000 for H&S reasons as the first match in a mostly new stadium. That's why there was plenty of room.