Ulster v Cardiff Fri 25th October 7:35pm

[for dog and ulcer]

Cooney penalty 20 7 after 46 mins.

[for dog and ulcer]

Nick Williams replaced after very low key performance.

[for dog and ulcer]

23 14 after 75. Not looking forward to a season of this level of performance.

[fermain]

feck sake, web server underwent a security update in the middle of the game!!!

[Joe Schmo]

feck sake, web server underwent a security update in the middle of the game!!!

Did us a favour then, Ulster are complete guff.

[for dog and ulcer]

Glad of the security check. I was in danger of getting barred for comments on an absolutely gash Ulster performance. God help them against a good side.

[UlsterNo9]

Level of expectation already through the roof, Dan has been here 14 months.......catch a grip!

[for dog and ulcer]

Level of expectation already through the roof, Dan has been here 14 months.......catch a grip!

Ah yes the Les Kiss argument-previously used for Matt Williams and Mark Anscombe, Jono Gibbes and all the other failures Ulster have employed.

[Columbo]

rubbish performance, good first quarter but then we did nothing for the rest of the match! Didn't look after the ball at all well, and our scrum is worryingly creaky... That should have been a 5 pointer, the one consolation is that it felt a little like one of those nights where we were off colour and couldn't quite get going - different to the other performances this year (leaving aside Cheetahs) where we have hit our groove, so hopefully a blip. Big 5 pointer required next Friday

[solidarity]

Just watched the game (thank you Premier Sports player) and I have to agree with the general feeling above, that we won't get away with a performance like that in the real world. While we should get five points on Friday (or the season really is over), the Blues handed us the match by woeful handling. We will have fewer guys coming back from the World Cup than most, so our improvement will probably be correspondingly lower.

[jackthelad]

WE will have access to a few more players who might make a difference in the backs but AS USUAL IT IS OUR PACK THAT IS UNDERWHELMING. Adding Moore, Herring, Henderson and Murphy is good but they are not goiung to uplift the other guys to new heights - sadly.
EOS / McGrath
Herring / McBurney
Moore / O'Toole /
Henderson / Carter / Treadwell / O'Connor
Coetzee / Murphy / Reidy / Timoney

looks o.k. but it won't frighten the top sides unless they really gel.

I've been impressed by Treadwell. Looks the real deal. A guy that size has no right being that fast.

[LegsLikeSausages]

WE will have access to a few more players who might make a difference in the backs but AS USUAL IT IS OUR PACK THAT IS UNDERWHELMING. Adding Moore, Herring, Henderson and Murphy is good but they are not goiung to uplift the other guys to new heights - sadly.
EOS / McGrath
Herring / McBurney
Moore / O'Toole /
Henderson / Carter / Treadwell / O'Connor
Coetzee / Murphy / Reidy / Timoney

looks o.k. but it won't frighten the top sides unless they really gel.

I've been impressed by Treadwell. Looks the real deal. A guy that size has no right being that fast.

I agree about Treadwell. I think his game has come on.

I think the first choice pack has a much better look to it if you put Henderson at 6-

1. McGrath
2. Herring
3. Moore
4. Treadwell
5. Carter
6. Henderson
7. Murphy
8. Coetzee

Timoney and O’Connor on the bench.
This gives us 3 good line out options and gives Henderson more freedom to do what he does best in the loose. You could argue Timoney at 7 and Murphy on the bench to cover the whole back row as he does sometimes for Ireland. I like Timoney but one of his key attributes is his pace and he doesn’t back that up with enough jackalling and turnovers for my liking.

Truth is, we don’t have a specialist 7 in the squad really. We’re crying out for a Hamish Watson or Cubby type player.

[rocky]

Think you're forgetting about Reidy - one of our best and most consistent back-rowers. Also think Hendy isn't quick enough to play six. Don't know if Carter has ever played in the back row. Arguably Treadwell is the quickest of all our locks. But for me, our primary back row would be Reidy, Murphy and Coetzee. The jury's still out on Mattie Rea, I think.

[Evil Kiwi]

A soft under belly has run through the Ulster pack for a many a year. Will this year be any different? Save for a one off performance here or there.

[Columbo]

I think our pack suffers from a lack of balance in the front row and back row. In the prop dept we have a couple of quality athletes with a very high work-rate, but who aren't (yet) dominant in the scrum (EOS and TOT) - and on the other hand in Marty Moore a strong scrummager who is less active in the loose. And in the middle we have decent but not outstanding options in McCall, Warwick and Kane. I have left McGrath out because in the past he has been an absolutely top-class prop with a great all-round game, but it's fair to say his form slumped last year - it's very early days and he's still pretty young, so hopefully he will kick into gear this season. We really need him to, and we need Moore to stay fit, because in all honesty our scrum has already been completely battered by Cheetahs and Cardiff this season..

And in the back row, leaving aside Marcel who is one of the most complete back row players about, we don't have an out-and-out groundhog and we don't have any big carriers. Meaning we are incredibly dependent on Marcel (a notoriously injury prone player, historically..) both over the ball and on the carry. To rocky's point Reidy is a good player for us, great tackle count and success rate, and a decent link player, but not a big carrier and poor over the ball; Rea and Ross are solid 6s, actually both of them under-rated footballers, but again solid rather than dominant on the carry. And Murphy is a good jack of all trades, without being exceptional at anything. (Almost forgot Timoney, he had a dose of second-seasonitis last year, a bit like a more athletic Reidy, good grafter but not a threat at the breakdown)

In between I actually like our roster of second rows - I think AOC is an under-rated player, he is a great grafter, and actually carries well for us, and Treadwell is still young and has his best years ahead of him IMO. I actually quite like the idea of Hendy at 6 - he is deceptively quick, I think he could definitely do a job there! interesting thought sausages..