Re: 5 reasons why we will win on Saturday
Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2014 6:01 pm
If he does hes a better man than most of us having seen our predicted starting back row.tigerburnie wrote:Cockerill pretty much knows what's coming,
The Ulternative Alster Fan Club supporting Ulster Rugby!
https://www.uafc.co.uk/
If he does hes a better man than most of us having seen our predicted starting back row.tigerburnie wrote:Cockerill pretty much knows what's coming,
Best we stay and home and just give you the points tiggietigerburnie wrote:Either side can win this, they are both very capable, one thing in our favour(at home helps, but this is not the "fortress" it used to be) is planning for this weekends game. Cockerill pretty much knows what's coming, he also knows who is going to be starting in a likely to be different team/bench from the previous games. Difficult to have a plan if you don't know how the opposition will line up. Will it be Youngs or Mele at 9, two very different styles of player, I expect Flood at 10 and Allen at 12, but Williams throws a curved ball into the equation at 10 too. 13 could be Smith, or it could be Goneva and Miles Benjamin is showing the sort of pace and form to concern anyone. Tait and Nial Morris will catch any high balls coming their way all day and then there's our pack.
Ayerza and Cole will start and I am led to believe Tom Youngs was "resting" last week, one of the best front rows around and a couple of good ball carriers/winners too. Slater and Kitchener are both available along with Deacon and De Chaves, pity there's no Parling for the lineouts, but they will do the business, Slater and Kitch are probably the best two scrummaging locks in the Premiership.
Backrow with Salvi means we have our top scavenger for loose ball, Gibson is keeping Matera, the Argentinian star out, so we are barely noticing Croft is missing. Crane and Waldrom are both good at straightening the line and this is before Mafi comes on. Add Logo into the equation as well and I can see you guys asking for the lineout again, if there's a not straight throw in, as I don't think you will want to scrum. Then there's our rolling maul................so many reasons why you might not win, but who knows
And here's a few reasons why you won't win:tigerburnie wrote:Either side can win this, they are both very capable, one thing in our favour(at home helps, but this is not the "fortress" it used to be) is planning for this weekends game. Cockerill pretty much knows what's coming, he also knows who is going to be starting in a likely to be different team/bench from the previous games. Difficult to have a plan if you don't know how the opposition will line up. Will it be Youngs or Mele at 9, two very different styles of player, I expect Flood at 10 and Allen at 12, but Williams throws a curved ball into the equation at 10 too. 13 could be Smith, or it could be Goneva and Miles Benjamin is showing the sort of pace and form to concern anyone. Tait and Nial Morris will catch any high balls coming their way all day and then there's our pack.
Ayerza and Cole will start and I am led to believe Tom Youngs was "resting" last week, one of the best front rows around and a couple of good ball carriers/winners too. Slater and Kitchener are both available along with Deacon and De Chaves, pity there's no Parling for the lineouts, but they will do the business, Slater and Kitch are probably the best two scrummaging locks in the Premiership.
Backrow with Salvi means we have our top scavenger for loose ball, Gibson is keeping Matera, the Argentinian star out, so we are barely noticing Croft is missing. Crane and Waldrom are both good at straightening the line and this is before Mafi comes on. Add Logo into the equation as well and I can see you guys asking for the lineout again, if there's a not straight throw in, as I don't think you will want to scrum. Then there's our rolling maul................so many reasons why you might not win, but who knows
The Ulster forwards did let themselves be bullied by Munster who mauled over easily for two tries, then did it a third time but could not ground the ball. Leicester have one of the most hard-nosed packs in the AP and I have some worries the same thing could happen again. I am not nearly so confident of an Ulster win as most posters here. Once again - it will probably come down to Ruaan (and possibly, but I hope not, to Nigel Owens).Neil F wrote:If Ulster play the way they did against Montpellier in Montpellier, they will win. Of that I have no doubt. Leicester's defence looks porous at times; look at their performance at Welford Road against Montpellier, for example. Ulster have the backs to exploit that and a forward pack that won't be bullied the way Monpellier let themselves be at the start of that game.
I can't be the only person who has been distinctly unimpressed with Leicester, right? But for three scores in the last few moments, we'd be looking at a team with five fewer match points than they actually have. Some might say that is the sign of a great team and, in part, I agree that the ability to play with to the 80 is a hugely admirable trait and a sign of the quality Ulster will face. But, a better team would not have been in those positions, repeatedly. The simple fact is that Ulster haven't been in such perilous positions in the same group against the same teams and, certainly away to Montpellier, they beat (and beat well) a significantly better Montpellier team than the Tigers limped home against.
Past form, on the day, means nothing, of course. There are far too many variables that can influence the outcome of a rugby game to draw any meaningful inference here. That said, I think many Ulster fans are in danger of seriously over-estimating what we've observed from Leicester this season. It'll be a tough game. The outcome isn't certain but Ulster, sure as hell, can win this one. And I will say that if Ulster play as well as we've seen them play at other times this season, then they will win. If Ulster put in the kind of performance they did in Montpellier, the Tigers can no more live with Ulster than Pells could.
If I was a betting man, the Ulster shades would have a tenner on Ulster to win by a score.
As ruckover has eloquently highlighted above there are many reasons why the tigers could win this one and indeed, on paper, at home they probably should. However, the fact that we haven't really performed since Montpellier gives me great hope and indeed expectation. This side has the potential for massive performances. We don't deliver them week in, week out but I'm hopefull that the coaching staff and wider management will have us in the right place come Saturday.Setanta wrote:Most worrying thing was Against the Head being positive and optimistic. That nearly threw me.
Did I not use enough of these...................silliwilli wrote:I wasn't confident until I read TBs diatribe of utter bull testicle. I now hope we rub it right up them.
What is a scouser doing supporting Leicester ?tigerburnie wrote:Did I not use enough of these...................silliwilli wrote:I wasn't confident until I read TBs diatribe of utter bull testicle. I now hope we rub it right up them.
You boys are getting very tense..calm down........calm down(in my best scouse accent...............
This is an interesting point from Spiffers I would like to expand on.Spiffsson wrote:The Ulster forwards did let themselves be bullied by Munster who mauled over easily for two tries, then did it a third time but could not ground the ball. Leicester have one of the most hard-nosed packs in the AP and I have some worries the same thing could happen again. I am not nearly so confident of an Ulster win as most posters here. Once again - it will probably come down to Ruaan (and possibly, but I hope not, to Nigel Owens).Neil F wrote:If Ulster play the way they did against Montpellier in Montpellier, they will win. Of that I have no doubt. Leicester's defence looks porous at times; look at their performance at Welford Road against Montpellier, for example. Ulster have the backs to exploit that and a forward pack that won't be bullied the way Monpellier let themselves be at the start of that game.
I can't be the only person who has been distinctly unimpressed with Leicester, right? But for three scores in the last few moments, we'd be looking at a team with five fewer match points than they actually have. Some might say that is the sign of a great team and, in part, I agree that the ability to play with to the 80 is a hugely admirable trait and a sign of the quality Ulster will face. But, a better team would not have been in those positions, repeatedly. The simple fact is that Ulster haven't been in such perilous positions in the same group against the same teams and, certainly away to Montpellier, they beat (and beat well) a significantly better Montpellier team than the Tigers limped home against.
Past form, on the day, means nothing, of course. There are far too many variables that can influence the outcome of a rugby game to draw any meaningful inference here. That said, I think many Ulster fans are in danger of seriously over-estimating what we've observed from Leicester this season. It'll be a tough game. The outcome isn't certain but Ulster, sure as hell, can win this one. And I will say that if Ulster play as well as we've seen them play at other times this season, then they will win. If Ulster put in the kind of performance they did in Montpellier, the Tigers can no more live with Ulster than Pells could.
If I was a betting man, the Ulster shades would have a tenner on Ulster to win by a score.
I thought we were disastrous at defending the maul under McGlock too, as well as collecting restarts.bazzaj wrote:This is an interesting point from Spiffers I would like to expand on.Spiffsson wrote:The Ulster forwards did let themselves be bullied by Munster who mauled over easily for two tries, then did it a third time but could not ground the ball. Leicester have one of the most hard-nosed packs in the AP and I have some worries the same thing could happen again. I am not nearly so confident of an Ulster win as most posters here. Once again - it will probably come down to Ruaan (and possibly, but I hope not, to Nigel Owens).Neil F wrote:If Ulster play the way they did against Montpellier in Montpellier, they will win. Of that I have no doubt. Leicester's defence looks porous at times; look at their performance at Welford Road against Montpellier, for example. Ulster have the backs to exploit that and a forward pack that won't be bullied the way Monpellier let themselves be at the start of that game.
I can't be the only person who has been distinctly unimpressed with Leicester, right? But for three scores in the last few moments, we'd be looking at a team with five fewer match points than they actually have. Some might say that is the sign of a great team and, in part, I agree that the ability to play with to the 80 is a hugely admirable trait and a sign of the quality Ulster will face. But, a better team would not have been in those positions, repeatedly. The simple fact is that Ulster haven't been in such perilous positions in the same group against the same teams and, certainly away to Montpellier, they beat (and beat well) a significantly better Montpellier team than the Tigers limped home against.
Past form, on the day, means nothing, of course. There are far too many variables that can influence the outcome of a rugby game to draw any meaningful inference here. That said, I think many Ulster fans are in danger of seriously over-estimating what we've observed from Leicester this season. It'll be a tough game. The outcome isn't certain but Ulster, sure as hell, can win this one. And I will say that if Ulster play as well as we've seen them play at other times this season, then they will win. If Ulster put in the kind of performance they did in Montpellier, the Tigers can no more live with Ulster than Pells could.
If I was a betting man, the Ulster shades would have a tenner on Ulster to win by a score.
We used to be a mauling team particularly under McGlocks where we played a pressure type game into corners and armed wrestled our way over.
Our maul was a very effective weapon.
Since MA has taken over we have introduced a multiphase element to our game with width.
I wonder if we have since neglected our mauling and there is no coincidence that other sides have taken note and have mauled us of late?
The top teams can do both as and when required and I prefer the multiphase option which is also easier on the eye but there is definately a time and a place for both.
Thinking back to the Munster game I was taken aback by the lack of co-ordinated effort to repel the Munster maul as people were hitting it individually.
You can talk about bulk being a factor but this is more about physics.
We know whats coming from Leicester now as that will not be lost on them.
We have to set earlier and low as a unit and the 9 with his head up must communicate with his forwards where to hit the oppo.
None of this has happened of late.
I am not given this the biggun as this is all basic stuff as its on the top of page 1 of how to defend mauls.
I am just staggered that we did not do it but I am sure alarm bells are ringing and its being sorted as we speak.
Spaceman Spiff, whilst this is a very relevant point, I can think of a number of mediating points in Ulster's defence. Afoa, Henderson and Henry were all coming back in for the first time after spells on the sidelines (or from otherwise being away). In the case of Henry and Henderson, these spells were somewhat protracted. It was also an Ulster pack still missing Best and Muller. Missing a quarter of a first-choice pack is bad enough but Best and Muller are the two big leaders in that pack and the absence of both is, therefore, significantly more damaging than the absence of any other two players from that pack (with the potential exception of Chris Henry, whose contribution to the general performance of the Ulster team lacks comparatives at times).Spiffsson wrote:The Ulster forwards did let themselves be bullied by Munster who mauled over easily for two tries, then did it a third time but could not ground the ball. Leicester have one of the most hard-nosed packs in the AP and I have some worries the same thing could happen again. I am not nearly so confident of an Ulster win as most posters here. Once again - it will probably come down to Ruaan (and possibly, but I hope not, to Nigel Owens).