Pack for next season...

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

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Cockatrice
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Cockatrice »

Our pack may indeed show a slight improvement next year but without another serious signing (not happening) it still falls way short of anything to worry about.

We have no quality at prop and by that I mean the world class prop worth his weight in gold (and yes they too don't grow on trees) and who without the pack will rarely if ever compete against top sides. Best is unfortunately on the down turn and hopefully after this summer tour and maybe a final flirt with the 6N's I would like to see him hang up his boots for Ireland and concentrate on Ulster..

Treadwell for me is raw and has at least shown pride in a shirt that others could learn from and looks to improve. AOC is part fit 2 weeks in every 6 and Henderson will have to come back from NZ a different man to suggest we have anything in the engine room to get us through a whole season.

Safe in the knowledge that Diack will still be serving barista's here for the next two years he is the man that can cover everything and give us to go forward ball we all know he thrives on. A little bit of uncertainty in the back-row where two staffers with one decent leg between them have the whole world on their shoulders. Neither are actually ball carriers yet Marcel shows the difference in class but overnight he was already looking like our best carrier. So roll on another season and the spread bet as to which goes down first with the same injury and when that happened we will hear the familiar tone of our season is over.

The most positive signing was the stumble into Gibbes and I think we will see what a forwards coach can do with an ordinary pack because if not we are fecked. Gibbes and Peel has given KISS one more year. He has already bought 2 and now will settle down into a third season of being given a chance...
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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Bart S wrote:Based on the past few seasons we'll be lucky to see those guys play together. 2 backrowers with injury doubts and another (Henry) who seems to be getting more injury prone, a developing lock who could turn into something if he had a Johann alongside him (a la Tuohy) and a couple of young front rowers who have spent the last few months on the treatment table. Throw in an admirable but now ageing hooker as well....

Hard to believe that back in the Heiny final heyday of 2012 we were able to field our first choice starting pack against Leicester and Clermont in successive weeks and then also against Munster in the big QF at Thomond and the final.
Nice story Bart but you don't add in that of the backrow only Pedrie was remotely fit and there was nobody else McGlock trusted so Fez & Chad played unfit.
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BaggyTrousers
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by BaggyTrousers »

Cockers, I believe you are writing Rory's obituary a bit too early. Schmidt wants him as captain through to the next RWC, or so it was whispered in my ear.

The problem being that he will be only a fleeting presence in white for big games as D4 conserves his energies for there is still a huge gap from Rory to anything close to a quality hooker in Ireland. In his favour, Rory is a magnificent physical specimen who appears to have remarkable recuperative powers for a veteran.

Only a slight disagreement but funny, amongst much to the recent dross, I have detected an improvement in Warwick recently and I am loathed to give up on him entirely for being at least decent Pro12 standard. Kane looks good to me, I hear O'Hagan could develop into a tough nut and Diddies McCall has still much to prove, much in the same way Paddymac had before Humphreys sent him on his way.

Deeply concerned about 2nd row, O'Connor is a walking wounded constantly, Hendy looks like Ulster is too much bother for him, Tredders is very promising and Adjutant General Browne, well we'll see how he comes back. Diack was rightly retained simply because we have nothing else that we know of because Kiss, like others before him is reluctant to put out nippers (some of whom are really long past nipper age) except in absolute necessity. Fitness allowing the back row holds promise, with 4 good players Ross who did reasonably well this season and Diack, then let's see what Rea & Timoney have about them. Diack at least is usually ace in the lineout if of dubious quality elsewhere.

I'm really investing in Gibbes to rekindle some appetite in Rory & Hendy for Ulster, to make those we have identified as decent better and hopefully just by not being Les fuc'king Kiss, to wheedle something useful out of some who we have more or less written off.

If nothing else, I'm hoping Dwayne Peel can help our great white hope at 9, Cooney, develop into a decent player. If he turns out to be no more than a good scrum half coach, his time will not be wasted, doubtless, Kiss will consider himself an ace backs coach, until UR develop the balls to tell D4 we don't want their plant anymore.

As always I will start the season with a soul full of hope. :roll:
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Bart S »

BaggyTrousers wrote:
Bart S wrote:Based on the past few seasons we'll be lucky to see those guys play together. 2 backrowers with injury doubts and another (Henry) who seems to be getting more injury prone, a developing lock who could turn into something if he had a Johann alongside him (a la Tuohy) and a couple of young front rowers who have spent the last few months on the treatment table. Throw in an admirable but now ageing hooker as well....

Hard to believe that back in the Heiny final heyday of 2012 we were able to field our first choice starting pack against Leicester and Clermont in successive weeks and then also against Munster in the big QF at Thomond and the final.
Nice story Bart but you don't add in that of the backrow only Pedrie was remotely fit and there was nobody else McGlock trusted so Fez & Chad played unfit.

For the final yes, but they looked fine across the other games. Ferris may never have been 100% fit in any of them but at 90% he did some damage across those other games. Falloon was back up in the backrow and played against Embra in the semi as Henry was injured, but was woefully off the standard required at that time. We had no depth in those days but at least we had some strength and a relatively injury free run. Jared was the only 1st choice player not available but by getting Stefan Terreblanche we still had a quality operator, in the way that we didn't when Coetzee was out at the start of the season.

The pack needs a combination of luck with injuries, Gibbes working some magic to develop our younger forwards quickly and 1 or 2 others recovering their mojo.

As for the backs i agree that if Peel can work something with Cooney that will be a huge plus as it is our greatest backline concern right now. Finding a backup for PJ is also key (big ask for Nelson but maybe the best we have right now). I believe we stillhave decent quality in the back division but our coaching team needs to get them gelling properly which clearly has not happened.
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Gerald the Mole
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Gerald the Mole »

JIm Hamilton will add some steel
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Russ
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Russ »

Gerald the Mole wrote:JIm Hamilton will add some steel
So i hear

FRU broke the story

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Gerald the Mole
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Gerald the Mole »

Russ wrote:
Gerald the Mole wrote:JIm Hamilton will add some steel
So i hear

FRU broke the story

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Bart S
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Bart S »

Gerald the Mole wrote:JIm Hamilton will add some steel
If only. Would be a great signing for a season even at 34 to help bring on Treadwell and AOC and maybe even give Hendy a bit of steel. We lack his kind of experience, No way the IRFU would allow it.
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Dave
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Dave »

What's this now?
I have my own tv channel, what have you got?
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scrum5
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by scrum5 »

Big Jim would be an excellent signing for a year
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Dave
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Dave »

Never felt so out of the know.
I have my own tv channel, what have you got?
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Kofi Annan
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Kofi Annan »

Dave wrote:Never felt so out of the know. Image Image
Big hairy arsed second rower, tough as feck ,
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Dave
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Dave »

Kofi Annan wrote:
Dave wrote:Never felt so out of the know. Image Image
Big hairy arsed second rower, tough as feck ,
Is he coming here?
I have my own tv channel, what have you got?
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Dave
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by Dave »

Hond Rory Kane
Hendo Treadwell
Coetzee Reidy Deysel

Certainly good enough but how often will we see it?
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damianmcr
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Re: Pack for next season...

Post by damianmcr »

I'll tell you at the end of the season Dave
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