ASM Clermont Auvergne Vs Ulster Sat 11th Jan @ 1.00pm BT Sport 3

[Dharper]

We need to get the lads home ASAP. I suspect MM & WA won’t be fit for Bath. I think we are still more than capable of a bp win. Bath put out a 2nd string at home to quins, so I’d imagine they’d do the same away next week. Bath also have big league game v Leic the following week.

A light physical week, get the boys back up mentally, Park Saturday, and focus on Bath and seeing the job through.

Yesterday was a harsh lesson, but hardly unexpected. Clermont are a European cup superpower nigh on unbeatable at home & for 55mins we went toe to toe with them. This is perhaps a timely reminder & reality check for the squad of the level required to win against the very best teams.
So far: we have had a successful league campaign - a good Xmas period. successful Euro campaign - 2 further away wins in England, home win against clermont.

I have no doubt yesterday will be learned from, every experience is an opportunity - DMcF has clearly created that kind of environment.

[lovesthehardground]

So thoughts from yesterday. It was a mixture of some very poor refereeing decisions going against us and some poor decision making and errors on our part. Given the final score its hard to explain that I feel we could and should have won the game. But I do believe that to be the case.
Firstly our poor play/decision making. McCloskey blew a huge overlap in the first half that would have seen us score a second try. We also declined two very kickable penalties in the first half which again would have stretched our lead in a game that we only had to win with or without a BP. Then their three scores in the first half came on the back of stupid penalties/errors given away by us. Hendersons's high tackle, Cooney's box kick direct into touch and Cotzee's play off the ground in the tackle gifted them their two penalties and field position for their drop kick. Those errors and the fact we didn't score any points when they were down to 14 men cost us dear. We then had two bad scrums and a lost lineout at the start of the second half and the game was lost. Hopefully we will learn from these mistakes. Learn that to win against away against teams like Clermont we need a near perfect performance for the full 80 mins.
Then the referee. He totally ignored the offside line and their constant diving through the ruck and going to ground beyond the ball. The second scrum lost was as a result of their loosehead driving in at an angle on Marty Moore. He was well over 45 degrees but the ref chose to penalise Ulster. Then the Raka hit on Marshall that the commentators delighted in was shoulder to head and should have been at least a penalty to Ulster if not a card against Raka. Finally I think it was Raka again with a blatant neck roll on Marshall not 10 metres in front of the touch judge who again chose to ignore.
Now I'm not saying the ref cost us the game but if we got these decisions and took our penalty chances I believe we would have won that game.

[Cockatrice]

Never expected us not to get out of this group more so once the English sides lose
that first game they are already evaluating their own league position and where to go next.

Next week Bath seconds will serve up five points or we will have questions to ask but for me very naive not taking the kicks away from home when we were on top and just building the scoreboards. It’s all small margin like letting teams get a loosing bonus point at home and not realising that a losing bonus point in France can be a good thing.

At home in a QF we could give anyone a game away we are hoping for a lucky draw and further luck being on our side as well.

Strangely I see paying good money to watch Bath seconds as a waste of my savings as I want to see the best players on the pitch so maybe bring on the British League so I can see quality players on the pitch every week.

[Rem99]

[quote="Evil Kiwi" post_id=691346 time=1578833722 user_id We were unlucky with that injury occurring when the ref stopped play. It seemed like we might score. Clermont were just too powerful in the latter stages.
[/quote]
Hendi pulled the ref on this - pointing out that this happened twice in home match. Three times in two matches with miracle recoveries by Clermont players who all were able to play on!

[Bart S]

Quins could I suppose beat Clermont and leave aulster topping the group BUT.....

Even with 5 pts to reach 22 it is unlikely we would overhaul Toulouse or Exeter, given they would have to lose with no points at home to Gloucester and La Rochelle respectively. Our "best" hope then would be a huge win vs Bath (40 points) and Sarries to beat Racing well. We would then get....Racing at home in the qf's.

All very unlikely of course. I expect a trip to Toulouse.

Am sure there was an incident there some years ago when we played them but I have completely forgotten about it as no-one has ever mentioned it on here since....

[jackthelad]

Quins could I suppose beat Clermont and leave aulster topping the group BUT.....

Even with 5 pts to reach 22 it is unlikely we would overhaul Toulouse or Exeter, given they would have to lose with no points at home to Gloucester and La Rochelle respectively. Our "best" hope then would be a huge win vs Bath (40 points) and Sarries to beat Racing well. We would then get....Racing at home in the qf's.

All very unlikely of course. I expect a trip to Toulouse.

Am sure there was an incident there some years ago when we played them but I have completely forgotten about it as no-one has ever mentioned it on here since....

We can't get a home Q/F as a second place qualifier. Clermont have a home q/f unless we top the group. Clermont losing to 'Quins ain't gonna happen. Racing and Exeter are group winners and have home Q/F's so long as they are in the top 4 group winners.

[rumncoke]

There has been mention of the opinion that McCloskey f-cked up a scoring chance . Having watched the game again the one who f-cked it up was Cooney he choose the wrong option and wrong player to pass to .

McCloskey was lying flat marked by two players and took the ball at pace.

The backline behind and out side McCloskey was lying deep, too deep to chase a nudge over the line.

Cooney should have used McCloskey as a decoy and passed deep to Stockdale who had the backline lined up out side him.
Stockdale may then have benefited from the decoy and gone himself -or used the backline out side him by either passing or a nudge over the line.

[justinr73]

I'd love to see a team play a perfect game of rugby but i suspect i won't.

That being said, we really should have taken the points in the first half.

It's not as though properly executing the kick to the corner, the line out and the maul automatically guarantees a try nor was Parra much of a loss to them in trying to defend it!

[ladyboy696969]

McGrath to Reidy to Moore to Cooney TRY!

Nucifora. We salute you.

[Marco]

Three certainties in life:

Death....

Taxes....

In critical matches, Ulster kick to the corner and overthrow the resulting line out....

A poor attempt at humour and to be honest the thought of going to Toulouse in the Spring does appeal, plus never been to Devon....