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

[One4theTeam]

State of that pitch last night , we’ve had no game for ages , with very little playing pressure so far this season. Can we not even prepare a pitch any more.
The clubs I’ve been to this season get a far greater footfall and they are in a lot better state. At least there is grass on them.

[Cockatrice]

There is a simple reason why Ulster provide so few players to theIrish set up. For ages I felt a D4 favouritism but in truth our players are no where near good enough and those we bring in from elsewhere have for a longtime now been journeymen not worth the contract…

What is the issue with our All Black prop her on a sizeable one year contract ?

[Cap'n Grumpy]

That’s very harsh on Stewart, who was a bright spot and is an exceptional player.. our lineout has always been prone to yips, back to the days of Besty..

More broadly solidarity kind of nails it, few sports are as structure-based as rugby, and the really strong sides are those where the a) the structures are good (ie well-conceived by the coaches to the advantage of the group of players) and b) the players buy in to the extent that they become second nature (think of Irelands defence under Farrell). We’re currently playing as if not only do the players not buy into whatever game plan we’re trying to impose, but they’ve never even heard of it. So not surprising that we go to pieces under any kind of pressure - and means that pointing the finger at this player or that player completely misses the point IMO..

It's not his lineout throwing I have a problem with.

Discipline and using the top 6 inches are his problems. Exciting prospect, but needs to engage his brain a bit quicker.

Maybe he's just doing what he's always done on AIL and got away with it, but playing with the big boys now, and with referees who will ping him for coming in the side, holding on to the ball a fraction of a second too long etc.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Where did all the yellow Ulster Rugby flegs appear from?
I know why some 'supporters' wave the Ulster Provincial flags but Ulster Rugby should be white.

Flegs sponsored by Bank of Ireland (#notmybank) who have their logo on them.

Thery were handing them out at the gates.

At previous matches they seemed to concentrate on distributing in the Family Stand.

I suspect trying to drum up sales of the "Saffron" away shirt.

Or maybe it's the Referees' saffron shirts ?

[Cockatrice]

Petrie is creating an Ulster Rugby brand. Colour is yellow

Yellow is both ironic and apposite

Don’t think asking why the change from white to yellow flags is in my case political unless of course those that made it in the first instance sought to bring politics into it…. Maybe we are wanting to get away from raising the white flag but the team manages that no matter what.

Interesting to see Leinster now play oh ah up the …. At the end of games

[Bewlay Bros]

Imagine they had yellow flegs because Munster wear red.

[Bewlay Bros]

Seemingly that’s the second time they’ve played Celtic Symphony at RDS, Leinster have apologized but DJ needs to be given the
https://mobile.twitter.com/RuaidhriOC/s ... 9395246080

[thecrouch]

I imagine the yellow flags were bought and supposed to be given out at the La Rochelle game when we wore the yellow jersey and there is nothing more to it than that.

Who cares anyway?

[Cap'n Grumpy]

Iircc,Bell was once a coach at Dungannon, he was asked to be DOR , his reply was “ I don’t want to be a rugby coach, fast forward, humph took him to Gloucester, got sacked , went to Glasgow and got sacked , yes he is pretty brad pitt , but Dan knows that ( yes Dan that is a control freak and surrounded by yea men ) Bell is there , inept and going to be the fall guy to save Dan, let’s not start n the CEO who makes Logan now look good ,UR Agm employing average staff

Dinger was also defence coach at Ulster under D. Humph, between his time with Dungannon and Glaws.

Most coaches (head coaches and underlings) end up gettig the sack - they have a shelf-life and after a while need to move on to pastures new. I don't hold getting sacked against a coach, but am seriously wondering what Dinger is doing at Ulster just now. Our defence within 5m is immense - as illustrated by the last plays of the first half. We potentially could have escaped with similar at end of second, but "potentially" don't cut the ice. In midfield, it appeared that some of our players were flying out of the line looking for the intercept/big hit/force a fumble, but the rest were trying to keep their shape, which was impossible with others flying forward leaving gaps to be covered.

Prime example was Stockdale. Jacob has played the hard press for a long time - when it works we can turn a defensive position into 5/7 points in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately opponents no know this and more often Jacob is left clutching thin air rather than the ball - which is possibly better for him, because he seems to be able to catch thin air. Last night he certainly couldn't catch the ball, no matter how much spray adhesive he put on his hands. Don't get me wrong, Jacob has not become a bad player overnight, but injuries and lack of game time are threatening to do that for him. He is seriously lacking in confidence at the moment and maybe just needs a run of games, and to maybe stop trying too hard, to regain the form he has shown in the past.

What Jacob did do well last night (and other matches) is to go looking for the ball. When we are attacking on the right, he's quick enough to come off his left wing and attempt to become an extra man either in midfield, or even out wide on the right. Baloucoune still looks to be our more dangerous winger, but he needs to go looking for the ball like Jacob, rather than clinging wide to his wing. I think that is something that can be learned/coached, but is probably the one reason he's not ready to be a consistent starter for Ireland yet.

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I imagine the yellow flags were bought and supposed to be given out at the La Rochelle game when we wore the yellow jersey and there is nothing more to it than that.

I believe that is the case.








As in, I believe you that you imagine that.

[UlsterNo9]

There’s a lot of talk on this thread and others about Payne in the context of the defence standards (or lack of) since his departure.. however perhaps the influence he had to our attacking structures (even though not officially responsible for them) is being as keenly felt?

Possibly goes further back to Peel departure. He hasn't set the world alight as head coach of Scarlets but then he's had little to work with there. Peels departure was the catalyst for change. Payne and Soper went head to head for Peel role, Soper got it, Payne left. Newby and Bell came in. It has meant a reshuffle across all areas of coaching team bar head coach. The sum of the parts now may not be as effective as they once were.

It has felt like for so long we've been building towards something, maybe it was false hope. We've hit a serious plateau.

[Bewlay Bros]

I imagine the yellow flags were bought and supposed to be given out at the La Rochelle game when we wore the yellow jersey and there is nothing more to it than that.

Who cares anyway?

Aye that makes more sense. I personally couldn’t care less about what flegs people wave. Will be a lot less people in the stadium waving flags in the future if changes aren’t made

[UlsterNo9]

'You don't loose, you learn' - except if you are Ulster. I am done with this rinse and repeat bullshit with this team. The problem (or solution) is that it is becoming more frequent and as a result things will come to a head sooner. Mentally weak / unfit/ uninterested / lack of squad depth / all off the above - I don't really care to analyse or guess what the issue is, but for those that get paid to do precisely that, it is clear that they have failed in their job, and for that there needs to be repurcussions.

Chris there is an underying pathology to UR which has never been addressed- the rinse and repeat cycle can only be broken by culture change and ruthless pursuit of excellence in all areas. Look at our under performance in top division of AIL, free fall of the club game, shocking lack iof support and development of the women's game in Ulster, etc etc. The DNA of " do rightly" and accepting mediocrity without sanction permeates UR.

We've systematically betrayed and dismantled the work of Jimmy D and Club Ulster ( for 10 years one of the best club sides in WR,) and this virulent strain of mediocrity and "make do" has become our signature.
Despite our large fan base and history, we are a joke in poor taste- given current financial and economic constraints, its taking the p#ss of the loyal fan base to expect us to spend hard earned cash given the squander of talent, resources and goodwill we've been witnessing. In provincial terms we are seen as a joke- spineless capitulators. Who's the Ladybois now?

The apparent lack of "give a shyte" in the Jersey, exposed tonight and over the last number of weeks, by well paid pros ( paid to play a game for our province most of us would do for free- and many did so) means they correctly should feel the furnace of criticism from the fanbase- as Pros expected to be paid as pros, this comes with the territory- sh#t or get off the pot. Clear out the mediocre and complacent.

I suspect too many at UR are still living off 99, 2006; gloriously isolated one offs in the pro era where UR have been found to be decidedly amateurish whilst others have evolved.

Good points, and only to highlight what you're saying from the ground up, we've produced one Ulster born international standard forward in Henderson in just over a decade. One international forward from our schools and club system that feeds into our academy in a 10 plus year period. Whatever the system is, it has to be set up to be actively stopping a playing progressing. No system should still be producing more than one international forward in a ten plus year period.

[Dharper]

Still 3rd in the league with a game in hand and 2 pts over the Bulls.

Going forward, TOT is going to get a serious examination of his scrummaging creditials with MMs injury. McCann needs to be trusted to be part of that backrow matchday squad. We can’t go into a match that threadbare again with 3 of 4 backrowers under par. I’m not sure how much gametime we can gamble on Doak, JC is the only game controller at UR.

If Cooney does leave UR…..we need to sign a 10 who can actually kick for territory….he needs to make a decision and we need to know where we stand from the Irfu, we need to be planning.

This incessant box kicking off 9 to compete has to stop, we don’t win the ball back.
Stockdale Moore mccloskey can all kick, but it’s a rarity. Munster lineout was tom kite last night, makeshift second row, multiple lost lineouts. I’d have made sure there were multiple Munster lineouts around their 22, and crank up the pressure on them, ridiculous to let them off the hook.
The management need to take responsibility for poor tactics, see above.

[kingofthehill]

Ulster have taken down the Facebook post with full time score.

I would never ever post on FB mainly because of the people that interact with you but that’s not a good look from Ulster.

Is Petrie now going radio silent? It’s not like him…..


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