B & I Cup 16/17

[scrum5]

Could well have been....must have been a right while back

He's over 30 I think.

One for the future then.....

[scrum5]

O'Sullivan is a TH

Is he definitely coming? I know he was with us on loan.

I really hope so, they are all very talented kids and with Jono at the helm they could actually fulfil that talent, on the subject of talent, the skills on display from Leinster A would put many off our first team to shame.....

[therealspratt]

O'Sullivan is a TH

He must be an ambiprop as I believe last time he played for us he started at loosehead and I'd only really heard of him as a LH before.

[scrum5]

I thought he was a TH, but what would I know

[Rooster]

O'Hagan can scrummage and that's about the only positive, Leinster stronger, fitter and a better skill set only one winner there

Have we a skulls coach or do we just do weights ?

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[scrum5]

O'Hagan can scrummage and that's about the only positive, Leinster stronger, fitter and a better skill set only one winner there

Have we a skulls coach or do we just do weights ?

Sent from my STV100-4 using Tapatalk

They mustn't do weights either as Leinster were bigger and stronger

[Rooster]

O'Hagan can scrummage and that's about the only positive, Leinster stronger, fitter and a better skill set only one winner there

Have we a skulls coach or do we just do weights ?

They mustn't do weights either as Leinster were bigger and stronger

Perhaps Leinster have a better nutritionist ?

[Cockatrice]

maybe just maybe they move with the times and see the benefit in keeping up.. we at Ulster seem to keep coaching staff for 10 years teaching the same old methods..maybe we are dated and need a little bit of 2017 rather than 2007... then again aren't we supposed to have the best gym in the world?

[Cap'n Grumpy]

... then again aren't we supposed to have the best gym in the world?

If they think gym'll fix it, shirley they should know how that ended the last time it was tried.

[ovalballs]

Could well have been....must have been a right while back

He's over 30 I think.

One for the future then.....

Just for the record John Creighton is 3 months older than Shannahan. He was Ulster Schools player of the Year in 2011. Moved from Malone to Ballymena this year. According to google article 'The Old Campbellian' he captained Campbell and Ulster and Irish Schools teams.

[scrum5]

Thanks OB

[Gerald the Mole]

Jersey and Munster in the final then, I still think if the strongest XV available were played they could have won this, but I suppose it's a good place for academy to get games above AIL level. Especially how crap,some of them are doing.

[therealspratt]

Could well have been....must have been a right while back

He's over 30 I think.

One for the future then.....

Just for the record John Creighton is 3 months older than Shannahan. He was Ulster Schools player of the Year in 2011. Moved from Malone to Ballymena this year. According to google article 'The Old Campbellian' he captained Campbell and Ulster and Irish Schools teams.

Oh right! Shouldn't have taken the Ballymena website at face value then! Who am I confusing him with then? Decent Methody scrumhalf who was involved a while back but was too small.

[Rooster]

Could well have been....must have been a right while back

He's over 30 I think.

One for the future then.....

Just for the record John Creighton is 3 months older than Shannahan. He was Ulster Schools player of the Year in 2011. Moved from Malone to Ballymena this year. According to google article 'The Old Campbellian' he captained Campbell and Ulster and Irish Schools teams.

Oh right! Shouldn't have taken the Ballymena website at face value then! Who am I confusing him with then? Decent Methody scrumhalf who was involved a while back but was too small.

Feck he must have been a dwarf if he was smaller than p and Shananananaghan

[lepus]

Better late than never but for what it's worth this was my assessment! I only saw the first half though which seems to have been a bit more competitive than the second.....

1. O'Hagan - good size, seems to have a bit of aggression in him, like others have said did well in the scrums. Would have liked to have seen a bit more from him carrying and in open play.

2. Andrew - played as John Andrew always does - a bit too small but gets involved.

3. Lutton - shouldn't have been playing. We know what he can do and what level he is at. He held up his side of the scrum but also gave away a few penalties in open play that Warwick or Black would have been proud of....

4. McCusker - I was impressed with his work, he has good size and looks like he might be a rugby player. Swam through one of their mauls disrupting play really well. On the flip side over committed a few times and got beaten on the inside by the rather slippy Leinster backs once or twice. Looked to be one for the future, definite potential.

5. Browne - Solid performance - felt he was coasting and could have imposed himself on things more but maybe just couldn't have been bothered?

6. Dunleavy - another young man with potential. Showed real signs of being a smart player, made a lovely charge down of a box kick in their 22 - targeted the ball rather than just jumping for show. Took a ridiculous one handed lineout. I watched him for a bit and he seemed to actually be thinking about what he was doing repositioning himself intelligently without being told and again looking like he might understand more about rugby than lattes. Would probably need to fill out a bit to push on a senior level.

7. Boomer - for me he had trouble getting himself into the game - he seemed keen enough but didn't have much of an impact around the breakdown

8. Jones - another one who didn't quite get into the game - he seems to have good size and pace but didn't really get a chance to show it.

9. Shanahan - did what shanahan does - passed ok, went ruck to ruck ok, nothing special nothing horrendous.

10. Herron - I always get the impression that Herron would prefer to stand back and admire his own work rather than do what the team needs him to. He made some nice kicks for territory but for me we needed to hold the ball and go through the phases - Leinster are too good a team to be properly pressured by simply kicking over their heads. We are a team than doesn't hold the ball enough. Herron didn't help that.

11. Ludik - solid, fearless, aggressive and consistent.

12. McCloskey - scored a typical McCloskey try with about 4 men on his back but after that he was well-marked. Doesn't really use his size to create openings for the men outside him.

13. Patterson - really only seemed to get the ball when he was clearing up someone else's mess, which he did ok. I would like to have seen him get more positive ball and see what he could do with it but between Herron kicking it away and McCloskey running into the entire Leinster pack that never happened.

14. Keane - similar to patterson but one man further out. Saw no ball at all that I can remember chased a McCloskey grubber kick well but apart from that can't remember him doing a lot.

15. Best - made a couple of crunching last man tackles - he hits like a man 2 stone heavier and 2 inches taller. He is a rugby player but he's undersized for senior level and I assume that is what has stopped him progressing.

I have high hopes for McCusker - he looked to be the one with most potential. When did Ulster last produce a quality home grown forward? it's been sometime......