Team For Aironi

[Rooster]

I reckon on same team except Nigel in for Rory and perhaps Deccy Fitz for BJ, the BJ replacement though has many other variations.

[TinPig]

Yes Nigel & Deccie seem the obvious choices for saturday. I would also like to see Smith & Seymour get a run out instead of D'arcey & McIlwaine, both scored cracking tries on Friday night and IMO are better in defence.

[Jackie Brown]

Awww Tinpig, you being a WUM.

Smith for the bench certainly, although he couldn't catch a cold in Thomond Park.

Seymour shouldn't be anywhere near the starting 15

[bangorboy]

D'arcy should stay where his is. He has been playing well in my opinion and this is not the match to start changing the team. He has been good under high ball and was close to scoring twice on sat. He offers more that smith.

Seymour impressed me on Friday night, especially in his marshalling of the other players and made some good breaks. But who would you take off to put him on?

Mcilwaine didn't play and knowing glocks use of subs the back next Saturday will spend the time benchwarming.

[Cornerfleg]

Yes they finished off well worked tries - but and this needs to be said, they were playing a side with a game plan consisting of no more than 6 words and none of them with more than 2 syllables written in crayon on a A3 sheet. They contributed to a side who at half time packed up, showered ordered a pizza and generally fannied about for 40 minutes while some semi pros in Northern Ireland Football shirts minced to a win, to the sheer delight of their travelling window lickers.

Smith I think could take McIwaine's spot on the bench - but that's it.

[Harold7]

Smith over D'Arcy is just crazy talk...just crazy...

Seymour will make a decent squad player for us (didn't see the Ravens but thought he played well in Thomond) but there's no way he's ahead of Trimble or Danielli and being a winger and nothing else he isn't the most useful bench option.

[Cornerfleg]

Smith over D'Arcy is just crazy talk...just crazy...

Seymour will make a decent squad player for us (didn't see the Ravens but thought he played well in Thomond) but there's no way he's ahead of Trimble or Danielli and being a winger and nothing else he isn't the most useful bench option.

Am I the only one who heard that in a Woody Allen voice???? Still right though.

[Rooster]

Yes Nigel & Deccie seem the obvious choices for saturday. I would also like to see Smith & Seymour get a run out instead of D'arcey & McIlwaine, both scored cracking tries on Friday night and IMO are better in defence.

Are you feckin nuts Tin Pig, this is the biggest match Ulster has had since '99 not a match for giving someone a "run out"
Aironi are an Italian side and the Italians are a proud passionate nation when it come to sport, Biarritz thought they were heading there for 5 points and look what happened, last time we were there at start of season a lucky intercept for us and a last ditch body under ball saved us from a loss.

[Cornerfleg]

Well said ... it's starting to worry me how many of us are taking a win for granted next week ... plenty of 'big names' have been humbled at Ravers thinking all they need to do is turn up.

We start thinking like Ospreys and we'll start playing like them. As iH said Sat was Part one of the story - it means squat if we nanny about to Italy expecting a win handed to us on a plate.

[Jackie Brown]

Saturdays match will be the BIGGEST in 12yrs. Biarritz was just a warm up and I'm sure the players have forgotten all about it.

[TinPig]

D'Arcey caught a few high balls I grant you but the ball he knee'd forward should have been caught to recycle at least. His position early second half was a mile too far back and when Yachvili chipped over the defence D'Arcey struggled to reach it, hoofed it again rather than diving on it, Nevin Spence thankfully saved the day.
He can spot a gap but has for me squandered more good ball than he has given to others.
McIlwaine simply hasn't played any rugby but no doubt will keep his place on the bench.

[ColinM]

Think D'Arcy just needs to calm down a bit. He's got all the attributes, just tries to create a try every time he's on the ball when sometimes it needs to be secured and recycled. A run in the side and good coaching will help him immensely, getting chopped and changed will make it worse - ie continue to try too hard

[Rule13b]

Most terrifying thing that I saw on Saturday when I reviewed the game on Sky+ later in the weekend was when Trimble was getting treatment on the field and the camera panned to the bench to show McIlwaine stripping off to come on.
D'Arcy may not be the finished article but thee is no one any better at the moment and I would replace McIlwaine with Smith on the bench or how about McCrea. I personally thought an y time he played in the past he at least put his body on the line.

I also hope Diack back on his feet and I would have him onthe bench instead of Henry.

[Cornerfleg]

Spot on Colin - he was bought quickly and to cover a roll in a bit of a crisis, he's not been here that long or had any time to swat up on NH rugby as other big signings will have had, he has looked the part this year and given a years conditioning and coaching (if he signs for an extended time) he will be a better player next year.

I get a tad fed up with castigating small errors that we are quite prepared to put up with if Adam had say a Belfast or Norn Irish accent.

He's the best we have at 15 by a country mile. FFS even TJ looked good on the Ravens team ... the step up to grown up rugby is vast, I wouldn't be that quick to drop someone who played in winning team against BO in a blizzard over someone who scored a try in a losing team at Shaws bridge against semi pro players, a bit of common sense please.

[cables]

Aironi v Ulster
Referee: Christophe Berdos (France)
Assistant referees: Jean-Luc Rebollal (France), Sébastien Minery (France)


Biarritz v Bath
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: David Wilkinson (Ireland), Kevin Beggs (Ireland)
Television match official: Sean Flannery (Ireland)