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Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 12:52 am
by mcoty
Ards cancelling games yet again..

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 2:36 am
by Russ
mcoty wrote:Ards cancelling games yet again..
Ards are potato loving Warren Gatland

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 8:44 am
by rocky
Kofi Annan wrote:
dublane wrote:could do worse than watch queen's. When released, we have stockdale owens o hagan thompson atkinson and dow from the academy and i think 11 or 12 from the recent Ulster u20 side
Jeezus wept, how many bursaries handed out this year :roll:
I've heard that it was nine, Kofi. Could be wrong though. It does seem as though the club that does nothing to develop kids in rugby and which already has a very large pool of potential players is allowed to have the biggest number of academy players by a long way. Maybe it's all part of the grand plan for world domination. :stir:

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sat Oct 11, 2014 12:58 pm
by dublane
Haha rocky maybe we should start youth rugby and do a malone picking up players from clubs far and wide. :stir:

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:37 pm
by BuckRogers
dublane wrote:Haha rocky maybe we should start youth rugby and do a malone picking up players from clubs far and wide. :stir:
Such as?

QUB skirting around the payments issue. Stockdale, for one example, was meant to go to Ballynahinch but was given some sort of bursary I believe. I know of a few other teams that have struggled to compete with Queens' generous terms for top players.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:44 pm
by Tighty
dublane wrote:Haha rocky maybe we should start youth rugby and do a malone picking up players from clubs far and wide. :stir:
No AIL club produces all its own players and all clubs benefit from players who have been ‘developed/nurtured’ by other clubs. Queens by its very nature is the most dependent on other clubs/schools in this regard.

Dub – your comments re Malone are a tad unmerited given that the Bin- Men are at the forefront as far as youth rugby is concerned. Indeed the Bin-Men were offering rugby ‘apprenticeships’ via Malone Colts to boys from non rugby playing schools 40+ years ago long before mini rugby had been heard of. I well remember a few trips up from the sticks to Cherryvale to play Malone Colts.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 5:10 pm
by dublane
Tongue firmly in cheek. Up the binmen.

The main benefit of Queen's is to offer school leavers a good setup and good coaching out of school and exposure to high level rugby earlier than at other clubs. Eventually they filter back to their clubs as better players. Based on our current crop, armagh will be very strong over next few years.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:16 pm
by Kofi Annan
I see Ards have cancelled a third Ulster Snr game this year, due to lack of fit players, good to see that they get fit again in time for AIL games, time for UR to stamp down hard on them, bottom line is they should be a Jnr Club. Sending out their pleading defence that they are the guard done by club , should not wash and is pathetic .. I feel for hinch who organised a pre match dinner etc, including guys not getting a game of rugby.

Ards time to take a reality check

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:33 pm
by dublane
BuckRogers wrote:
dublane wrote:Haha rocky maybe we should start youth rugby and do a malone picking up players from clubs far and wide. :stir:
Such as?

QUB skirting around the payments issue. Stockdale, for one example, was meant to go to Ballynahinch but was given some sort of bursary I believe. I know of a few other teams that have struggled to compete with Queens' generous terms for top players.
Stockdale is not getting a bursary at all, that's a fact. How are we skirting around the issue? bursaries are allowed within the regulations.

"All of the above restrictions apply to university clubs in the same way that they apply to all other IRFU member clubs. The implementation of the Club Sustainability report will change this situation slightly, in that a university (body) will still be able to provide a player with a bona fide Academic bursary or scholarship as a student at that university, but it cannot be awarded by the University Sports Club. However:
 The prohibition against the payment of Signing on Money, Retention Money, match fees and win bonuses will apply equally to a university club as to any other club (although the reimbursement of vouched and reasonable expenses to an agreed maximum level will be permitted)
 Each university club will still be required to submit to the Union full details of all students receiving a bursary or scholarship before 1st November in each year
 This submission will be investigated to ensure that these bursaries / scholarships are issued for valid academic reasons and not to effect or increase payment for play to any player" IRFU regulation 6

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:48 pm
by Kofi Annan
dublane wrote:
BuckRogers wrote:
dublane wrote:Haha rocky maybe we should start youth rugby and do a malone picking up players from clubs far and wide. :stir:
Such as?

QUB skirting around the payments issue. Stockdale, for one example, was meant to go to Ballynahinch but was given some sort of bursary I believe. I know of a few other teams that have struggled to compete with Queens' generous terms for top players.
Stockdale is not getting a bursary at all, that's a fact. How are we skirting around the issue? bursaries are allowed within the regulations.

"All of the above restrictions apply to university clubs in the same way that they apply to all other IRFU member clubs. The implementation of the Club Sustainability report will change this situation slightly, in that a university (body) will still be able to provide a player with a bona fide Academic bursary or scholarship as a student at that university, but it cannot be awarded by the University Sports Club. However:
 The prohibition against the payment of Signing on Money, Retention Money, match fees and win bonuses will apply equally to a university club as to any other club (although the reimbursement of vouched and reasonable expenses to an agreed maximum level will be permitted)
 Each university club will still be required to submit to the Union full details of all students receiving a bursary or scholarship before 1st November in each year
 This submission will be investigated to ensure that these bursaries / scholarships are issued for valid academic reasons and not to effect or increase payment for play to any player" IRFU regulation 6
Dub, is it a case of Queens taking advantage of the Regs. It would appear that they are handing out more bursaries than last year' you must agree it looks that way
Dub , will you come back to us after 1st Nov and kept the group know how many bursaries you handed out

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 11:57 pm
by dublane
I understand it looks that way but there will actually be no more bursaries given out than any other year, there is a cap in place that tthe university wouldn't allow to be stretched. In fact last year 2 elite bursaries were given to lorcan dow and chris colvin, chris has since moved on and jack owens has taken his place. Each bursary winner has to compete against all the other sports at Queen's and Rugby is certainly not top of the pecking order. i know the club has worked hard on recruitment and at this stage in the season there are 80+ players at training on both a tues and thursday night (which produces its own headaches) and an adult beginners group starting soon one day a week.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 12:02 am
by Kofi Annan
I understand it looks that way but there will actually be no more bursaries given out than any other year, there is a cap in place that tthe university wouldn't allow to be stretched.
As I said let us know after 1st Nov, but I am somewhat comforted by that you can stand over that.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:33 pm
by Columbo
Tighty wrote:... And In the 2 Hinch games I have seen this year Pritchard has been the outstanding backrow player on the pitch . An ‘out and out’ 7, who, on his day, is as good as anyone. Could do with being a few inches taller tho'.
I agree, he looks like a great fetcher, also a decent footballer, as well as having a niggly aggressive streak! I wonder why he wasn't deemed to have made the grade in the academy? He isn't the tallest, but I'd say he isn't any shorter than for example Willie Faloon or Shane Jennings?

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 5:01 pm
by MARB
Have managed to catch a few Ballymena games so far this season. They're looking promising and have recorded some decent results even with being affected due to Ravens call up's.
A real stand out player for me for them has been Tim Small, returned back this year after taking a gap year in Australia where he won highest points scorer for his club and got a call up to the Brumbies U20's as far as I'm aware, quite a small chap (pardon the pun) but really looks the business- think there's a few videos on youtube of him playing for BRFC and in OZ, can't understand why he hasn't even received a Ravens call up.

Re: Ulster sides in UBL

Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 1:26 am
by Kofi Annan
MARB wrote:Have managed to catch a few Ballymena games so far this season. They're looking promising and have recorded some decent results even with being affected due to Ravens call up's.
A real stand out player for me for them has been Tim Small, returned back this year after taking a gap year in Australia where he won highest points scorer for his club and got a call up to the Brumbies U20's as far as I'm aware, quite a small chap (pardon the pun) but really looks the business- think there's a few videos on youtube of him playing for BRFC and in OZ, can't understand why he hasn't even received a Ravens call up.
Laurie Fisher rates him, sure he can now take the punt and have him at Glaws academy :roll: