Sale v Ulster Sunday 11th December 1pm KO BT Sport 2 / beIN SPORTS / Super Sport / FloRugby

[Cap'n Grumpy]

"People think I'm better than Ringrose"

And we have a winner

Nah .....

"We are mentally weak".

trumps that, and he wasn't even trying.

[Dave]

"People think I'm better than Ringrose"

And we have a winner

Nah .....

"We are mentally weak".

trumps that, and he wasn't even trying.

I wouldn't want to Trump anything!

[Bobbievee]

I am as hacked off as everyone else about the performances over the past couple of weeks and also worried. Players don't become bad overnight and it's not very long ago that Hime was being lauded as the form centre in Ireland (some achievement when considering the calibre of others), Timoney was impressing for Ireland and pushing Conan for a bench spot against the Aussies and people were up in arms about Doak's non-selection for the Ireland squad.

I wouldn't be writing any of these guys, nor Rob Baloucoune (still think he's the best winger in Ireland), Lowry, Moore and McIlroy off. With them I am more concerned about the mental side and confidence to get their form back. I don't think Burns is or ever has been good enough to be 1st choice 10 and Stockdale hasn't regained form since around 2019, with his weaknesses not having been addressed and being regularly exposed.

Dan and the players have enough credit in the bank to not be dismissed as no-hopers right now, but something needs to change pretty quickly. The defence is a real concern and the stats don't lie.

The "young" guys might step up.....but soon? Lowry is 24!

Burns has been a problem since day 1; all that was available at the time. And as I said a few posts back, we have sub standard 10s, and, I am afraid, even 9s. ( box kicking of both is atrocious)

Is it possible ( maybe even probable?) that the word from management after about 20 minutes was " guys , we are not going to win this. Make sure no red cards, no injuries, forget about not an inch for today.......and think of next week. And dont worry about the punters some of whom have aid £500 to be here. They are stupid enough to come back. " ..............................because that is what it looks like/feels like.

Or maybe even this instruction was on the coach from the airport??

and if i had an important meeting at 1pm on a Saturday at this time of year, I would definitely not be planning to travel on the Friday through regional airports. Complete administrative incompetence

[Dave]

Burns is young. Give him time.

[Bobbievee]

Burns is young. Give him time.

I personally probably don't have that much time!!

[allezlesverres]

3 weeks for Warwick. Hard to understand given that his tackle was better than Healys.

Edit: he pleaded guilty which probably explains it. Poor decision on his part I think.

[Neill_M]

3 weeks for Warwick. Hard to understand given that his tackle was better than Healys.

Edit: he pleaded guilty which probably explains it. Poor decision on his part I think.

Pleaded innocent re red card, gets 1 week off for tackle school. Started at 6 weeks with 50% mitigation.

[Dave]

Corruption.

[justinr73]

Jim Hamilton on the Rugby Pod, who generally comes down on the side of punishment for such incidents, thought Monsieur had got it right.

You’d think MT, who has made a career of trying to run through people with little regard for his own or anyone else’s safety, would have learned to step by now.

[Rem99]

3 weeks for Warwick. Hard to understand given that his tackle was better than Healys.

Edit: he pleaded guilty which probably explains it. Poor decision on his part I think.

When you saw that live at the match it just smacked of recklessness by Tuilagi who charged head down as fast and as hard as he could into the nearest defender!

[Neill_M]

The Ulster Rugby prop, Andy Warwick, has been suspended for three weeks following an independent Disciplinary Hearing arising from his club’s Heineken Champions Cup, Round 1 match against Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium.

Warwick was cited by the match Citing Commissioner, Wejdane Limame (France), for a dangerous tackle on the Sale Sharks centre, Manu Tuilagi, in the 33rd minute in contravention of Law 9.13.

Law 9.13 A player must not tackle an opponent dangerously
Under World Rugby’s Sanctions for Foul Play, Law 9.13 relating to dangerous tackling carries the following sanction entry points – Low End: 2 weeks; Mid-range: 6 weeks; Top end: 10 to 52 weeks.

The independent Disciplinary Committee comprising Roger Morris (Wales), Chair, Frank Hadden (Scotland) and Leon Lloyd (England) considered video imagery of the incident and heard submissions from Warwick, who accepted that he committed an act of foul play but that it did not warrant a red card, from the player’s legal representative, Derek Hegarty, and from the EPCR Disciplinary Officer, Liam McTiernan.

The committee upheld the citing complaint, finding that in executing the tackle in a dangerous manner, Warwick had made contact with Tuilagi’s head. It then determined that the offending was at the mid-range of World Rugby’s sanctions and six weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.

As the player has a good disciplinary record, and as he admitted that he had committed an act of foul play, it was decided to grant him the full 50% mitigation and the committee therefore reduced the sanction by three weeks before imposing a three-week suspension.

Warwick is free to play on Monday, 2 January 2023, however, if he applies for and successfully completes a World Rugby Coaching Intervention, he will be free to play on Monday, 26 December 2022.

Both he and EPCR have the right to appeal the decision.

[StandUp]

Cian Healey is laughing his ballix off. Good old Ulster get fcuked over again. Very difficult to love the game of rugby atm.

[paddybrown]

Not to mention James Lowe, whose KO to Cooney was never mentioned again.

[Jetstream]

Game is stinking. I know that some people think Ulster supporters have a persecution complex. But why oh why do we always end up with the shittie end of the stick. This would not happen to a Leinster or Munster player. There is a clear bias in rugby. Connacht have suffered for decades. We have now joined them.

[rumncoke]

Because someone inferred a QCs daughter was a slut