Positives and Negatives: Ulster V Ospreys

[Snipe Watson]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

[BaggyTrousers]

Chris Henry back to his meddlesome best.

Hendo is becoming our MVP.
No harm to RD but Hendos introduction was a game changer.

Hate that MVP American tom kite but actually you are right. That said Robbie shouldn't have started, that much was bloody obvious despite some will joyfully point out that we didn't get the rounds of the Liberty.

[bazzaj]

MVP , the curse of xbox generation ffs

Thanks Kofi for the implication that I am from the Xbox generation having never actually seen one.
Thought it was invented in US sport years ago.

[BaggyTrousers]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

Snipe, I love Luke's commitment and no little ability, but I've said it since almost as soon as I saw him, Olding, like Henderson & like Jackson is special, he will be a magnificent 12 beside our magnificent 10 GP. Feck, when you think about it , Rooster is right, the future IS white with a wee bit of red & black.

I'm not quite sure what the future holds for Marshall Marshall, I love him as a full on, everything he's got he gives player but he hasn't anything like Olding's ability.

For the terminally stupid, Paddy Jackson & Stuart Olding are the absolute quality future of Ulster Rugby. I know not everybody can see things clearly, why not just accept it from one who can.

Two magnificent players who should be in place for a decade.

[Lurgan Lad]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

Snipe, I love Luke's commitment and no little ability, but I've said it since almost as soon as I saw him, Olding, like Henderson & like Jackson is special, he will be a magnificent 12 beside our magnificent 10 GP. Feck, when you think about it , Rooster is right, the future IS white with a wee bit of red & black.

I'm not quite sure what the future holds for Marshall Marshall, I love him as a full on, everything he's got he gives player but he hasn't anything like Olding's ability.

For the terminally stupid, Paddy Jackson & Stuart Olding are the absolute quality future of Ulster Rugby. I know not everybody can see things clearly, why not just accept it from one who can.

Two magnificent players who should be in place for a decade.

Agree with you baggy, barring injury Hendo, PJ and Olding can all be special players for a long time. Luke Marshall is looking more like a poorly skilled, poor hands bosh merchant and that is unfortunate.

[Kanbei]

Jackson was brilliant but what impressed me the most was the general character of the team after we went 12-0 down. They just pulled their socks up and got on with it and gave the best 30 minutes of the season. Brilliant stuff.

[mike]

Jackson was brilliant but what impressed me the most was the general character of the team after we went 12-0 down. They just pulled their socks up and got on with it and gave the best 30 minutes of the season. Brilliant stuff.

agreed-if we had just trudged (is that a word?) along to a close defeat, morale would have been terrible next week. We would have been grasping for deluded positives but after a very disappointing start to the season, we can now confidently say that we are back and rarin' to go.

Leicester will be be feeling a little less confident after tonight.

[ruckover]

POSITIVES
+ Big, big comeback. To show the character to come back from 12-0 down is massive, tells a lot about us as a club. Fantastic.
+ Paddy Jackson. Take a bow son, 10/10 absolutely superb tonight, one of your best performances in a white shirt.
+ Scrum was dominant whether the monkey in the middle thought it was or not. Very good.
+ Line-out was ok, lost one or two but that's acceptable.
+ Hendo was very good off the bench, gives us some great go forward ball.
+ That defence at the end was phenomenal. Again, speaks volumes about the character of this squad.

IN THE MIDDLE
+/- It's Paul Marshall again. This week the box kicking was pin perfect, couldn't fault him. Passing was not. Too slow, inaccurate and wasn't quite up to speed. I really don't know what to think of him. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I just don't quite know.

NEGATIVES
- Williams. Not very often I say this. Didn't make much of an impact compared to last week and is so poor at holding the ball at the back of the scrum. Definitely an impact sub in my opinion.
- Allen. I wouldn't say he was a negative so to say, but not as good as he was the previous weeks and may have been to anonymous last night to work his way into the Heineken Cup team.
- Backs in general were almost lazy and there was no spark. That said, the same can be said for the Ospreys so maybe it simply wasn't a night for running rugby.
- Tactics. The BBC boys mentioned this at half time - there were gaping holes around the Ospreys rucks every time yet we seemed to want to throw it around the backs.

DREADFUL
------- Fitzgibbon. I will not elaborate any further.

But hey, I won't complain. Any win in Swansea is definitely a good thing.

[mike]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

he didn't get much of a sniff tonight but he's very composed. I was a little worried about his lack of bulk but he's very smart when he goes into contact and presents the ball very quickly- his defence also looks good so far-
he's a superb prospect, can't wait to see more of him.

[Spiffsson]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

he didn't get much of a sniff tonight but he's very composed. I was a little worried about his lack of bulk but he's very smart when he goes into contact and presents the ball very quickly- his defence also looks good so far-
he's a superb prospect, can't wait to see more of him.

I'm a long time fan but a first time poster, so go aisy on me,wud yez.

Olding's lack of bulk doers not matter. He punches way above his weight and tackles like a demon. Marshall is a great, hard-running centre who will do well. But Olding is ahead in speed, step, game reading and overall footballing ability. The lad is a bit special. The sooner he beds down into an Ulster/Ireland 12 shirt, the better.

[mike]

Much as I like luke's hard running game. Olding looks full of game and possibly a very special player.

he didn't get much of a sniff tonight but he's very composed. I was a little worried about his lack of bulk but he's very smart when he goes into contact and presents the ball very quickly- his defence also looks good so far-
he's a superb prospect, can't wait to see more of him.

I'm a long time fan but a first time poster, so go aisy on me,wud yez.

Olding's lack of bulk doers not matter. He punches way above his weight and tackles like a demon. Marshall is a great, hard-running centre who will do well. But Olding is ahead in speed, step, game reading and overall footballing ability. The lad is a bit special. The sooner he beds down into an Ulster/Ireland 12 shirt, the better.

nah-yer clearly a ballix and have no idea-how dare you post amongst these rugby titans of genius? the nerve.pftt.

[mike]

but-yes. I agree.

he's a bit like pj-the test will be if he has the character to impose himself on the team?

[bazzaj]

POSITIVES
+ Big, big comeback. To show the character to come back from 12-0 down is massive, tells a lot about us as a club. Fantastic.
+ Paddy Jackson. Take a bow son, 10/10 absolutely superb tonight, one of your best performances in a white shirt.
+ Scrum was dominant whether the monkey in the middle thought it was or not. Very good.
+ Line-out was ok, lost one or two but that's acceptable.
+ Hendo was very good off the bench, gives us some great go forward ball.
+ That defence at the end was phenomenal. Again, speaks volumes about the character of this squad.

IN THE MIDDLE
+/- It's Paul Marshall again. This week the box kicking was pin perfect, couldn't fault him. Passing was not. Too slow, inaccurate and wasn't quite up to speed. I really don't know what to think of him. Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I just don't quite know.

NEGATIVES
- Williams. Not very often I say this. Didn't make much of an impact compared to last week and is so poor at holding the ball at the back of the scrum. Definitely an impact sub in my opinion.
- Allen. I wouldn't say he was a negative so to say, but not as good as he was the previous weeks and may have been to anonymous last night to work his way into the Heineken Cup team.
- Backs in general were almost lazy and there was no spark. That said, the same can be said for the Ospreys so maybe it simply wasn't a night for running rugby.
- Tactics. The BBC boys mentioned this at half time - there were gaping holes around the Ospreys rucks every time yet we seemed to want to throw it around the backs.

DREADFUL
------- Fitzgibbon. I will not elaborate any further.

But hey, I won't complain. Any win in Swansea is definitely a good thing.

Someone said before the game that a penalty slug fest is what we had to avoid because of the disparity between the 2 kickers.
I would have agreed and I think that's what the Ospreys banked on and were happy to do.
They have learnt the hard way.

If PJ introduces that sort of consistency to his game it will be a massive string to our bow.
Always said it was an experience issue and I hope the penny has finally dropped with his doubters.

Agree with the rest of the rucksters comment but thought he was harsh on Williams who was targeted.
This is where he needs to be decoyed and the outstanding Tuohy and Hendo can get more space and time.

[againstthehead]

Call me cynical or old-school or just a Ashton but I love a bit of bulk and aggression at 12. For me Olding is too much of a wippet. Cracking skills with nice feet but all too often the really big games become a bit of a slug-fest and you certainly need to be able to hold your own. I'd say there are games that suit Olding and Marshall throughout a season. Or as last night, one comes on for the other. On a wet friday night, it's hard to beat a bit of raw physicality, whereas on a sunny afternoon in france you might fancy some quick feet.... Either way, we have a couple of decent players coming through.

[Cornerfleg]

I'm a long time fan but a first time poster, so go aisy on me,wud yez.

Olding's lack of bulk doers not matter. He punches way above his weight and tackles like a demon. Marshall is a great, hard-running centre who will do well. But Olding is ahead in speed, step, game reading and overall footballing ability. The lad is a bit special. The sooner he beds down into an Ulster/Ireland 12 shirt, the better.

Wud ya look at what the cat dragged in .... there goes the neighbourhood!


Until these new scrum laws bed in - there is precious little quick clean ball off the scrum ... which means the 12's job as a play maker is reduced in the game at the minute. Who ever is saying Luke is just a bosh merchant has very little appreciation of what he's trying to do. Both Olding and Marshall are superb young talents we're lucky to have both and should enjoy both, when they play.