The UAFC

I think our worst scrum was just after Black went off and McCall came on. McCall completely crumpled, but steadied up a bit after that.

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Post by Cracker » Mon Jan 15, 2018 12:12 am

An explanation please. Clearly if Ulster are beaten next week but get a bonus point Wasps cannot get above them in the table. However if Wasps get 5 points and Ulster none the commentators are saying they will go above Ulster even if on the same points and Ulster have a greater points difference. Is the correct?

Cracker, here are the rules:

(b) If two clubs in the same pool are equal on match points at the end of the pool stage, their ranking will be determined by the results of the two matches played between the relevant clubs as follows:
(i) the club with the greater number of match points from the two matches; or
(ii) if equal, the club with the best aggregate points difference from the two matches; or
(iii) if equal, the club that scored the most tries in the two matches.

If Wasps get 5 and we fail to get a LBP, then they will have accrued 5 points in total from our meetings, whereas we will have only 4, since neither took a bonus point from the first round. I doubt either would progress in this scenario as 17 points is unlikely to help a team through.

Sorry - don't seem to be able to edit properly, but I don't think even a LBP will do us any good at all. Our failure to get some BPs earlier on has left us unable to get through without a win or perhaps if there was some kind of try-fest where we pulled in two BPs then maybe.

I feel that Exeter (Glasgow clearly given up and should be expelled from the competition next season, if not Planet Earth), Racing (Leicester also given up but at least bearable as human beings) and Toulon (surely good for a BP of some description against Scarlets) are all likely to reach 19. Scarlets could of course lose to Toulon but even then, Saracens and Bath have every chance of reaching 18 and it would come down to aggregate points, then tries scored, neither of which place us in a good position:

Ulster +33 and 14 TF
Saracens +11 and 17 TF (at home to Northampton)
Bath +11 and 9 TF (away to Treviso)

We are the only one of those three facing a team with something to play for. However, the schedule is the one thing in our favour as we're in the last two games to play in the round. We should know (as will Wasps) what there is to play for.

I can't see anything other than a BP win for Saracens and even just a win for Exeter, both of which put them out of Wasps' reach. Scarlets could of course lose to Toulon and get stuck on 17 points, but they are +36 and only one behind Wasps on 16 TF. In any case Bath should come away from Treviso with a BP win despite the Italians' improvement.

All in all, by kick-off I don't think Wasps will have anything to play for except pride, which may of course be enough to down us, but we can simplify all of the above by just winning, preferably with a BP.

Interesting to see if the lads can put in a performance away from home. Doesn't get much bigger than this game and with Rory leading the charge you\'d like to think we'll turn up. Who's likely to play at 10?

againstthehead wrote:Interesting to see if the lads can put in a performance away from home. Doesn't get much bigger than this game and with Rory leading the charge you\'d like to think we'll turn up. Who's likely to play at 10?

Is leli injured?

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Many thanks Crusoe for a very clear explanation of the rules. I think what you have said will come as a shock to quite a few

Wasps have back to back games into March after us. It will be TBP city for the Ulstermen. Stockdale hatrick. 30+ points for Cooney. Lele MOTM. Ulster by 40/50.

I think Wasps are back at Harlequins the week after they play us so hopefully they target that match for revenge against their old rivals.

thecrouch wrote:I think Wasps are back at Harlequins the week after they play us so hopefully they target that match for revenge against their old rivals.

No AP games till weekend of Feb 9/10/11, Coventry have 2 matches in the Anglo-Welsh (Not Nots and Tigers) after Europe wraps up.

We did see Glasgow and Tigers "phone one in" at the weekend, but they were away from home. Quins and Saints put a shift in and got home wins, despite being out themselves. I expect them to give Ulster a game and not lie down in front of their own fans.

Doak reckons Quins still have a shot.

I don't think Glasgow or Leicester will lie down at home. They sent forlorn hopes to their respective away games at the weekend. I therefore assume they will play full strength teams.

Wasps have a huge injury list, realistically they will have to play whomever they have registered for Europe and fit to play which could mean a tidy enough team by default. Hopefully Marty Moore to start wearing his Ulster pyjamas underneath his kit.

Dave wrote:Doak reckons Quins still have a shot.

Queens. His accent is ropey but he meant Queens will give the rest of the season a shot

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Realistically you need to win at Wasps to continue due to the way the results panned out.

Up to now I have been justifiably optimistic about Ulster winning key matches but this is a hard one to call. Assuming Wasps don't care and are weighed down with injuries, and being the last game of the weekend where everyone knows what they have to do, or in Wasps' case know it's a forlorn cause, then I can see you, just about, getting home with a win.

5 points though and winning the group seems a bridge too far. Rochelle will steam roll the quins over there.
It would be marvelous to have all four provinces still playing in Europe at Easter.

Wasps' fans are suspicious of their team's defensive capabilities. They reckon "we'll score more tries than you will" is not a sound defensive plan.

Haskell's red card departure is also seen as a loss.

Just before the Quins' match that wee Shitland pony, Austin Healey, was praising Haskell's pre-match warm-up swagger to Ian Robertson.

Young adament his players are lazy in defence

Assume he's spending all week working on that

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