Do we have a problem??

[ColinM]

Rum that is balderdash. If you think Leinsters backs did nothing but defend then you clearly did not watch the match but viewed the scoreboard.

For your benefit and for anyone else unfortunate not to see the game, Leinster's backs did creat a lot, an awful lot. They created gaps by drawing players and offloading to big ball carrying forwards in SOB, Strauss, Healy to name a few who were in the mood to exploit everything. Even the much maligned DArcy was at it.

[Snipe Watson]

Colin's correct. Leinster were superb 1-15 a great team. Our players are almost as good as theirs, but in terms of getting the job done and playing as a team, we were given a lesson.
Hats off to the Mexicans..........

[Snipe Watson]

There are times when you just have to take you hat off to the opposition and say fair play, the best team won and deserved to do so........

This is not such an occasion, I want to bitch and bellyache

[BaggyTrousers]

No we do not.

PJ was thrown in far too late in the season. A young guy who is only finding his feet in the team was a rabbit in the headlights yesterday. He is young, talented, brave and he will move on. The senior players and coaches will be inside his head already in prep for August. It was just too steep a curve that's all.

Correct Sniper but I'd be even less worried than you. There seems to be a notion that he may be a fragile wee character who will be destroyed by his experience yesterday - utter bullshit of course. This strikes me as invalid as the notion that school sport should be all about participation & not about excellence & success. Experiences in life don't always have to be positive to be valuable.

PJ will be none the worse for having played a major final at the age of 20. He wasn't great against the most successful team the HC has ever seen but he isn't alone in that, fair to say he didn't have a great game but there is a reason he was picked and it was shown in the short period of time iHumph was not the pitch before retiring with another bang on the head.

Come August he is numero uno & he will learn fast.

[shamalicious]

I hear he's a cocky wee so and so- I wouldn't worry about yesterday knocking his confidence. He'll be all the stronger for it.

[Snipe Watson]

I hear he's a cocky wee so and so- I wouldn't worry about yesterday knocking his confidence. He'll be all the stronger for it.

Excellent. Cocky wee so and so is good.

[BaggyTrousers]

God Almighty, I've just read the rest of this thread. Some utter spacers ranting about the square root of sweet FA. I worry less about Paddy than I do about some chubes on here.

Paddy is replacing a player of occasional sublime inspiration but one who has in the balance of affairs had a very disappointing season with one or two memorable exceptions. Better judges than I or most of you doubters are happy that he has the ability, its also an ideal time for him to develop from within the team

The young man will now have 2 years to mature not only with the highly talented Ruan inside him but also at least another season with the magnificent guiding influence of Paddy Wallace outside him & our smartest young back Darren Cave outside of that. What better way for a young player to learn his trade, sometimes I despair at some of the crass stupidity of some chubes hereabouts.

If you think that we should wait for a couple of years until Ruan is almost certainly gone & Paddy Wallace possibly retired I feel sorry that you believe yourself fit to comment on rugby at all. In other words you are a numpty. Fortunately there can't be many who genuinely believe that bullshit.

[Snipe Watson]

We do have a problem and it just came to me in a horrible flash of reality......................... No rugby except for that flamin fool’s errand of a summer tour, until August.

Into the bargain, a haze of insanity, , and will descend upon this board

[Mac]

Into the bargain, a haze of insanity, , and will descend upon this board

+1
Had already thought of this. Some were already well on thier way before
seasons end....."Ravers" Rumours. Can only surmise where some of them
will take us!!

[ronk]

Jackson had nothing to do with the reasons for the loss. He didn't play badly. He looked unhappy because he's an ambitious young player who holds himself to a very high standard and he didn't like making those errors.

But he's also a cool head who didn't try to force the game and just make things worse. I have no worries about him. Regular gametime will stand to him, but he certainly didn't look like he didn't belong in a Heineken Cup final.

I wouldn't sign an outhalf as anything more than just someone to take over on away Rabo matches There's 2 international outhalves available. PJ is a risk, but a sensible one and no-risk, no reward.

[Nightsoil]

Lurgan lad This is not personal but you highlight a problem on the board

you are picking backs due to your belief in the their attacking ability . Wrong wrong wrong

Why did ulster lose yesterday because the leinsters backline defence was better than Ulsters

All the trys were scored by forwards not backs even the penalty try was a forward 's try Ulsters try in the end was scored by a forward.

What is Ulsters best defensive backline ? Backs exist to keep forwards going forward and claim the glory if they score a try .

I can't remember a break made by O Driscoll or D'Arcy but both organised the defence

You memory's dodgy then. for it was O'Driscoll's break and offload that sent SOB on the run that led to their second try. O'Driscoll would have probably set up one for Nacewa as well if Ferris hadn't smashed him off the park.

That said, I agree about the importance of defence - and happily Jackson measures up well, and is in our best defensive backline.

We do have a problem and it just came to me in a horrible flash of reality......................... No rugby except for that flamin fool’s errand of a summer tour, until August.

Into the bargain, a haze of insanity, , and will descend upon this board

Junior World Cup should be watchable. Will give Paddy the Younger a chance to put things behind him, that's for sure.

[Loki]

I think it could be the making of him. One of the Leinster fans in another thread mentioned ROG's struggles in 2000; that seems pertinent. I think for PJ to be picked in this situation shows what the higher-ups think of him and a good bit of personal coaching over the summer should have him back raring to prove himself.

Difficult game for both him and iHumph Saturday but one way or the other I'm glad they both played. Circumstances were fairly grim and I haven't watched the game back; however I think in a few years we could see this as necessary pain for long term gain.

a Connacht lad was telling us late Saturday night that he'd been chatting to Dr Dave in the directors area post match and the message re Jackson was close to he'll come good - no fear.

[mikkii6]

]
I wasn't giving you an English lesson, just pointing out what I though was obvious.
Anyway now that we have clarified that point. Let's have a go at clarifying RP at 10.

RP is our scrum half (I think he's in the top 5 in the world in that shirt)
If he didn't play 9 every week he would quickly drop out of that top 5. However he could still mentor a young scrum half even if he was playing 10 for us every week, because he knows what to do.

For reasons previously given I'm not with you as regards the first point, although it is good to see that you have moved beyond attempted semantics and are beginning to deal with part of the substance of my prior argument. However you have unfortunately missed what the argument was actually getting at, albeit indirectly. Thankfully other posters have picked up on it: We' re a wee bit light at FH, what happens if PJ gets injured? Would it not do PJ's development good to have someone to compete with for the shirt? If we need to play RP at 10 then it's Marshall at 9 and what happens if Marshall gets injured? Another FH could also help with mentoring etc etc etc

I think you damn DH with faint praise there Snipe. He knows "A thing or two" about playing in the 10 shirt? I think he knows at the very least three things about playing in the 10 shirt. Therefore your argument fails (sound familiar?).

Honestly some of the comments on this web site about DH being just decent are utter horse manure. Maybe it's old age and excessive postings that have blunted the posters' analysis skills.

[Lurgan Lad]

Lurgan lad This is not personal but you highlight a problem on the board

you are picking backs due to your belief in the their attacking ability . Wrong wrong wrong

Why did ulster lose yesterday because the leinsters backline defence was better than Ulsters

All the trys were scored by forwards not backs even the penalty try was a forward 's try Ulsters try in the end was scored by a forward.

What is Ulsters best defensive backline ? Backs exist to keep forwards going forward and claim the glory if they score a try .

I can't remember a break made by O Driscoll or D'Arcy but both organised the defence

To be fair Rum that is an awful post, total nonsense from the 2nd line down.

[WJ McBride]

Just have to settle for being the 2nd best team in Europe and Ireland

Tremendous pride in the performance.

Can only be optimistic. With an injection of pace in the backs (The Boweman and House of Payne) and an ability to play more than one type of game (and hopefully know when to tactically vary this) we're on an upward swing.
Mexicans will still be the team to beat tho.