The UAFC

allezlesverres wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:33 am

Dharper wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 10:38 pm So many issues in the game came down to one thing: Mindset, those players took the pitch totally in the wrong headspace for a knockout inter pro…..how that was allowed to happen was a disgrace.

They lacked aggression, focus, accuracy, cohesion….because they weren’t in the right headspace. For an hour they were absolute brad pitt, it was an embarrassing performance. Even in the few “dust ups”….they were second best looking to calm things down. Would omahony have calmed things down?….my Brennan, he’d have revved it up to get the pack and crowd going. That pack was man shamed and lacked leadership…..moaning at the ref isn’t leadership.

Our top point scorer, most dynamic forward, had 20mins on the pitch….20 mins. One of our most abrasive impressive forwards this yr Sheridan…..wasn’t even in the 23…..bad bad mistakes.
Literally watching a 60min car crash before doing anything about it, crazy.

I would love to see the selection justification…..picking so many guys leaving because they aren’t good enough or are busted and have lacked gametime. Dreadful.

Hard to argue with any of that, save to say that we can't cite missing players as an excuse. The team we fielded should have been well able to put 7th place connacht away, particularly with home advantage. There were some poor individual performances (burns had a bad day but in his defence he was so isolated by poor back row positioning he had no real chance) but the problem was the same as it has been all year. No structure at all. The breakdown should have been fixed by the coaching staff after the first turnover. Forwards should be forming pods like every other team in the world. They shouldn't be just blasting individually into contact with no support to effect a decent clear out.

Our maul success has obscured the disastrous state of our coaching this year. Take away the maul success and we would have been around dragons levels this year, which is totally unacceptable.

richardt84 wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 2:03 pm

allezlesverres wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:33 am

Dharper wrote: ↑Mon May 08, 2023 10:38 pm So many issues in the game came down to one thing: Mindset, those players took the pitch totally in the wrong headspace for a knockout inter pro…..how that was allowed to happen was a disgrace.

They lacked aggression, focus, accuracy, cohesion….because they weren’t in the right headspace. For an hour they were absolute brad pitt, it was an embarrassing performance. Even in the few “dust ups”….they were second best looking to calm things down. Would omahony have calmed things down?….my Brennan, he’d have revved it up to get the pack and crowd going. That pack was man shamed and lacked leadership…..moaning at the ref isn’t leadership.

Our top point scorer, most dynamic forward, had 20mins on the pitch….20 mins. One of our most abrasive impressive forwards this yr Sheridan…..wasn’t even in the 23…..bad bad mistakes.
Literally watching a 60min car crash before doing anything about it, crazy.

I would love to see the selection justification…..picking so many guys leaving because they aren’t good enough or are busted and have lacked gametime. Dreadful.

Hard to argue with any of that, save to say that we can't cite missing players as an excuse. The team we fielded should have been well able to put 7th place connacht away, particularly with home advantage. There were some poor individual performances (burns had a bad day but in his defence he was so isolated by poor back row positioning he had no real chance) but the problem was the same as it has been all year. No structure at all. The breakdown should have been fixed by the coaching staff after the first turnover. Forwards should be forming pods like every other team in the world. They shouldn't be just blasting individually into contact with no support to effect a decent clear out.

Our maul success has obscured the disastrous state of our coaching this year. Take away the maul success and we would have been around dragons levels this year, which is totally unacceptable.

Your point on the forwards is supported by this breakdown of the final play and how it was approached.

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

https://twitter.com/thelooseh/status/16 ... vsz5BFsfNg

@theloosehead

Ulster's last possession lasted 2:08.

In that time, they went through 21 phases, one of which was a pick and go.

Of the remaining 20 phases, there were 21 passes.

Connacht just had to number up, square up, and front up to finish out that game and they did it very well.

Ulster started with a messy lineout (credit to Connacht for that).

They then went:
- seven passes off the ruck to a runner
- a pick-and-go
- two passes off the ruck to a runner
- a 'tips' pass from first receiver
- ten passes off the ruck to a runner

solidarity wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?

solidarity wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?

CIMANFOREVER wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 8:56 pm

solidarity wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?

Stupidity, poor coaching and lack of a cogent plan... " The Germans won't expect us to use the same plan we've used the previous 17 times, that's the beauty of it Blackadder" Lord Melchett

UlsterNo9 wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 10:28 pm

CIMANFOREVER wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 8:56 pm

solidarity wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 7:53 pm Accurate comments from McWhirter: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/65509308

Picking up the comment from Allez, why do our forward not attack in pods like everyone else does?

Stupidity, poor coaching and lack of a cogent plan... " The Germans won't expect us to use the same plan we've used the previous 17 times, that's the beauty of it Blackadder" Lord Melchett

Yep, the average poster on here after watching Ulster for a handful of games could have put together a winning game plan against Ulster this season, we are as predictable as day followed by night.

Trying to think back to any game in the past season whereby we changed tactics to get at the opposition. We played our game and to hell with what the opposition do.
Genuinely would like to be proven wrong on that. Examples anyone?

HighlandRed wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:22 pm On reflection after friday, I'm still fecking raging.

Bobbievee wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 6:29 am

HighlandRed wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 11:22 pm On reflection after friday, I'm still fecking raging.

I keep having flashbacks. Why, needing a converted try to ( undeservedly) win, did we bring in the ponderous Doak to replace Cooney on 70 minutes?

Marco wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 7:38 am One could get quite despondent really, until one remembers that Greg Jones has re-signed for next season….

BaggyTrousers wrote: ↑Wed May 10, 2023 4:13 pm I hate using refs as an excuse so I won't, however I always find rugby more enjoyable when both teams are reffed the same way.

For any hitmen reading, I'm considering a contract on Neck.