Clermont v Ulster Saturday Dec 11 5:30pm (UK Time)

[StandUp]

Has Mads taken a dump on Dan’s desk?
Not even a bench spot this year?
I know they are trying to develop for the future but still….
Experience is hard to beat.

[thecrouch]

Has Mads taken a dump on Dan’s desk?
Not even a bench spot this year?
I know they are trying to develop for the future but still….
Experience is hard to beat.

Injured I think?

[Dave]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

[justinr73]

Has Mads taken a dump on Dan’s desk?
Not even a bench spot this year?
I know they are trying to develop for the future but still….
Experience is hard to beat.

Injured I think?

Nope

[justinr73]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

We’ll find out on Friday I guess.

Would be a bit lame if the Saints threw in the towel at this stage. Lawes should be available.

[thecrouch]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

Be happy Dave.

Jonno Gibbes is sitting at home tonight with a big sour bake on him. Hear hear to that.

[StandUp]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

Be happy Dave.

Jonno Gibbes is sitting at home tonight with a big sour bake on him. Hear hear to that.

Made my night!!
I fear Dave might be right but I very much hope he is Rumsplaining

[Bart S]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

Be happy Dave.

Jonno Gibbes is sitting at home tonight with a big sour bake on him. Hear hear to that.

That assumes Jono has discovered where “home” actually is these days.

[thecrouch]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

Be happy Dave.

Jonno Gibbes is sitting at home tonight with a big sour bake on him. Hear hear to that.

That assumes Jono has discovered where “home” actually is these days.

He knows where it's not anyway.

[Bart S]

He’s had limited minutes at 10 but I don’t think Mikey has shown us much from that position at all to date.

He should have another good run at 15 now although losing our best wide defender (by the look of it) is not ideal.

Lowry is Ulster’s best 15 in the absence of Addison but from a team perspective the form of Burns at 10 is a big concern. I don’t think Burns will ever be good enough tbh but he has been consistently poor recently. We need to find an alternative at 10 and there are others who can play 15 adequately at this level. Lowry has not had any run of games at 10 so very difficult to judge.

[BR]

Was impressed with JJ today. Wonder if he fancies another crack in Ireland when his contract ends. Always had the talent , maybe he just needed a bit more development outside munster.

JJ had chances at Munster and Northampton and could not establish himself as consistent first choice. May be a bit better than Billy right now but not what Ulster need.

Surely the only reason he'd come back to Ireland would be to try and get a few caps?
So he wouldn't be coming to Ulster.

[Dave]

So are we brill now? Or is it: one bad game, one good game time again. Connacht, Leinster, Ospreys, Clermont....

Be happy Dave.

Jonno Gibbes is sitting at home tonight with a big sour bake on him. Hear hear to that.

Made my night!!
I fear Dave might be right but I very much hope he is Rumsplaining

I'm only asking the big questions.

I'm very happy with the win.

[So It Is]

Well that was unexpected . . . Super performance from the lads. Thought the wheels were coming off after 60mins but like against Leinster we somehow dug in, which for me was probably the most pleasing aspect of yesterday.

I feel Barnes gave us a relatively easy ride at scrum time (thank God), many an other ref would have pinged us and would have shifted the momentum. Really happy to see our locks and BR working well as combinations. Our backrow strength is the best its been for a long time. Centres and back 3 all really impressive as well.

The elephant in the room is 10.

I personally don't think moving Lowry to 10 FT is a good idea. He's playing really well at 15, makes his tackles, competent under the high ball for a small fella and adds so much when attacking from deep.

Looking elsewhere in the squad you have Madigan who is competent but does he still have the hunger after being a journeyman for a number of years? Angus Curtis is listed as a FH/Centre but is too injury prone to be a ST/MT/LT solution.

So we are left with Billy. He wasn't great yesterday or last week. He frequently has brainfarts. But tbf he does have the ability to play well as we've seen over the years.

In reality we will never win anything with a flakey player at 10, but given that it seems we are stuck with Burns, Dan McF needs to be asking himself how do I design a gameplan around our limitation. I think our recent focus on hard carrying 1 out runners to get the defence going backwards is part of it. But imo we need Lowry coming into the line more often in attack at first receiver to give opposition props something to think about. Billy isn't a threat with the ball so let him distribute. But there must occassionaly be a threat at 10, and Lowry can fill that void from time to time imo.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

With the six two split on the bench was there a scenario whereby Doak was going to out half if need be?

I would have thought that so long as Cooney wasn't the injured player going off, that He would have gone to 10 and Doak would have played 9

So many comments here still about Billy, with many still so critical of him. You'd think from some of those that he was the reason we lost to Leinster and to Clermont. I agree he's not the best 10 around, and we should always be looking for better, no matter who we have signed, but guys, you don't win against those two teams away from home by playing as poor an outhalf as some seem to be making out to be. Billy's had a decent couple of games, hasn't set the house on fire, but decent. And yes, of course I would love Paddy to be in there, and yes, we may have won those two matches more convincingly if he had been playing, but guys, we've had two great results (and a poor one in between), so maybe instead of looking to criticise, why not just just enjoy the moment. Anyone looking in here would think we lost yesterday and it was all Billy's fault.

Awaits incoming.

[rumncoke]

The opinion that Lowry Is not big enough to play out half is still valid --- it has nothing to do with skill etc -- it is the fact that he would invite the Late tackle --- by a player without half his ability --- the game on Saturday makes that opinion more valid --- no team can afford or be built round a player especially , out half who may spend six weeks a year recovering from injury --- Ok I admit Sexton at Leinster might seem to to disprove the argument but Leinster are no longer built round Sexton -- Ireland maybe in the short term but not Leinster.

It was a nice win away from Home which all to easily could have been thrown away by stupid kicking away possession in the second half Clermont are not a team to kick the ball to and allow them space to run the ball back -- too many big backs who will hit the gain line at pace and with their bulk create the power to break the tackle -- a very dangerous tactic --- Ulster lost the lead in the second half

IMHO the man of the match was JJ which seems a bit strange for an Ulster supporter to say but the fact is the result from an Ulster point of view was a team effort with cameos by Lowry Hume ,McCLoskey solid performance with the boot by Cooney .