Ulster v Munster Sunday 1 January 5:15pm KO TG4 / Viaplay Sports 1 / URC TV / Super Sport

[Bart S]

Ulster really need to get the backline going this season. It has been poor in general.

Some of that may be down to Baloucoune and Hume being innured, but the likes of Lowry and Mcilroy haven’t been an effective. Lowry especially.

I think Tom otoole is now our best TH also. So long as he doesn’t give away penalties at scrum time.

That is the main issue though Al, the scrummaging. I'd still start Marty and bring TOT on for the last 30

[SUFTUM_19]

Hopefully we get a squad update soon as there’s a lot of uncertainties.

Is Herring back? Moore seemed pick up a bit of a knock last week, hopefully he’s grand, and maybe we’ll see TOT or JTA, or we will be in trouble at scrum time . And we should have Warwick, Treadwell and Daune to bolster the pack/bench.

In the backs, we’re missing Burns, Madigan, Curtis, Hume, Postlethwaite, Stockdale, Baloucoune and Addison and then Marshall and Lowry also injured last week, hopefully nothing too serious tho. Fingers crossed at least a couple of them will be fit or our bench will be quite threadbare!

However it is testament to Ulster’s squad depth that we could still put out a backline of Cooney, Doak, Lyttle, McCloskey, Moore, Gilroy, McIlroy and you’d still expect us to be competitive. Missing that many key players a couple of years back and we’d fall apart.

[SparkyClarky]

[quote=Big-al post_id=721241 time=<a href="tel:1672238675">1672238675</a> user_id=953]
Ulster really need to get the backline going this season. It has been poor in general.

Some of that may be down to Baloucoune and Hume being innured, but the likes of Lowry and Mcilroy haven’t been an effective. Lowry especially.

I think Tom otoole is now our best TH also. So long as he doesn’t give away penalties at scrum time.

That is the main issue though Al, the scrummaging. I'd still start Marty and bring TOT on for the last 30
[/quote]

Thing is with Lowry after last season teams are more switched on to his attacking threat, that said his support players haven’t been anywhere near switched on either to give him his options to offload. Over running him or getting two close or not close enough. I’m hoping when RB gets back they will work better together.

TOT not No1 yet and certainly not if injury prevents him getting back this week.

SUFTUM

[CIMANFOREVER]

Ulster really need to get the backline going this season. It has been poor in general.

Some of that may be down to Baloucoune and Hume being innured, but the likes of Lowry and Mcilroy haven’t been an effective. Lowry especially.

I think Tom otoole is now our best TH also. So long as he doesn’t give away penalties at scrum time.

That is the main issue though Al, the scrummaging. I'd still start Marty and bring TOT on for the last 30

Guys, the principle function of a TH is to lock the scrum, something which TOT struggles with. Mobile and quick around the park is one thing- if he can't scrum we may as well play another flanker- he's a luxury... TOT would seriously benefit from some coaching from a scrum guru in the Feek mode.

[kingofthehill]

Ulster really need to get the backline going this season. It has been poor in general.

Some of that may be down to Baloucoune and Hume being innured, but the likes of Lowry and Mcilroy haven’t been an effective. Lowry especially.

I think Tom otoole is now our best TH also. So long as he doesn’t give away penalties at scrum time.

That is the main issue though Al, the scrummaging. I'd still start Marty and bring TOT on for the last 30

Guys, the principle function of a TH is to lock the scrum, something which TOT struggles with. Mobile and quick around the park is one thing- if he can't scrum we may as well play another flanker- he's a luxury... TOT would seriously benefit from some coaching from a scrum guru in the Feek mode.

+1
Can’t hold a scrum up then he will never be number 1. Moore is miles ahead of him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[UlsterNo9]

Will continue to say it again and again Marty Moore is our most important player.

Only tight head we have had in the last eight years since Afoa departure that can lock a scrum.

[Dave]

Will continue to say it again and again Marty Moore is our most important player.

Only tight head we have had in the last eight years since Afoa departure that can lock a scrum.

There appears to be a suggestion at times that he's somehow not good in the loose. I don't see it. He tackles powerfully and makes ground when carrying. He gets through a lot of work.

[UlsterNo9]

Will continue to say it again and again Marty Moore is our most important player.

Only tight head we have had in the last eight years since Afoa departure that can lock a scrum.

There appears to be a suggestion at times that he's somehow not good in the loose. I don't see it. He tackles powerfully and makes ground when carrying. He gets through a lot of work.

Yep much more to him than scrummaging.
And what about those soft subtle handles, some lovely tip passes. He has rugby smarts, a proper footballer, can play what's in front of him.

The main point though is that none of the rest matter if his scrummaging is not on point.

#SUFTUM

[CIMANFOREVER]

Will continue to say it again and again Marty Moore is our most important player.

Only tight head we have had in the last eight years since Afoa departure that can lock a scrum.

There appears to be a suggestion at times that he's somehow not good in the loose. I don't see it. He tackles powerfully and makes ground when carrying. He gets through a lot of work.

100%. Very smart player who makes the most of his ability. Unsung and gets on with the core duties IE dirty work. Unlike some our "stars" he is no show pony. Close to MVP for me.

[StandUp]

Ulster really need to get the backline going this season. It has been poor in general.

Some of that may be down to Baloucoune and Hume being innured, but the likes of Lowry and Mcilroy haven’t been an effective. Lowry especially.

I think Tom otoole is now our best TH also. So long as he doesn’t give away penalties at scrum time.

That is the main issue though Al, the scrummaging. I'd still start Marty and bring TOT on for the last 30

Guys, the principle function of a TH is to lock the scrum, something which TOT struggles with. Mobile and quick around the park is one thing- if he can't scrum we may as well play another flanker- he's a luxury... TOT would seriously benefit from some coaching from a scrum guru in the Feek mode.

+1
Can’t hold a scrum up then he will never be number 1. Moore is miles ahead of him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Agreed.

[StandUp]

Will continue to say it again and again Marty Moore is our most important player.

Only tight head we have had in the last eight years since Afoa departure that can lock a scrum.

There appears to be a suggestion at times that he's somehow not good in the loose. I don't see it. He tackles powerfully and makes ground when carrying. He gets through a lot of work.

+1

[Bobbievee]

Don't you just love it when a bunch of old props get together for a yarn and a love in?!

[Dharper]

100% MM is our best TH by a country mile. A lazy assumption would be his body composition is that of an old style prop rather than the “new breed”, and he somehow offers less around the park because of it.

I genuinely couldn’t believe how good he was in those other facets, as detailed above. How valuable is he to UR? …..play against a top French team you’ll soon see.

Really good engine for a big lad, effective tight carrier, high tackle count, great hands…..and extremely reliable scrum time. Super bit of business to get him to UR. When our backline clicks with decent ball, MM is a big part of it.

I’m surprised Ire haven’t been more interested in him to be honest. Whether his engine stats don’t match what they want with a high tempo game, or they think his scrummaging isn’t quite top international standard-I don’t know and would be interested to hear. I hope the fact he went to England isn’t an issue. I’d say an obvious lazy narrative would be his conditioning back from injury has occasionally been poor, but to be fair, he soon gets back into “shape”.

Ire strike me as long term investors-prob hence TOT continued involvement etc. I hope he comes good, certainly his scrum education still has far to go.

[rumncoke]

The only reason tight-heads are important is because loose heads are allowed to pull down or bore down on the neck of the tight head.

Similarly on the opposition put in tights heads are allowed to Bore into the hooker..

Both actions are illegal and worth of a penalty as both are deemed dangerous play but to frequently referees award the penalty to the side either pulling down or boring thus rewarding the side who are disrupting the scrum -- which will ensure every scrum is disrupted.

The only way to actually avoid disruption is to insist that all outside elbows tight -head and loose-head are level with the shoulder.

It avoids props pulling down their opponent and or bending the arm of his opponent while boring and collapsing the scrum.

[CIMANFOREVER]

Don't you just love it when a bunch of old props get together for a yarn and a love in?!

Someone has to keep the backs in line all this fancy Dan talk of "passes" and linking up and such like