Glasgow v Ulster - Play Off Semi Final

[Rovi Snave]

I really don't get it - putting aside personalities, why can't each game in the playoffs be refereed by an official who is not from one of the Unions represented (same applies to the assistants)

Can someone help me out here? At a loss!!!

[Rooster]

I really don't get it - putting aside personalities, why can't each game in the playoffs be refereed by an official who is not from one of the Unions represented (same applies to the assistants)

Can someone help me out here? At a loss!!!

Not sure you could count Clancy as one of us

[bazzaj]

Anyone else get a sinking feeling about Friday?

To win need to hold scrum win set piece and give our star performers a platform to play
Above all else discipline is the issue.

The question is can we actually produce that away from home especially with the loss of two of oir most consistent performers.
The evidence says not as it would be bucking the trend over the entire season.

Can we turn it all around in the space of one game?
Its a massive ask but stranger things have happened I suppose though I will not be putting my mortgage on it

[rorybestsbigbaldnoggin]

Anyone else get a sinking feeling about Friday?

To win need to hold scrum win set piece and give our star performers a platform to play
Above all else discipline is the issue.

The question is can we actually produce that away from home especially with the loss of two of oir most consistent performers.
The evidence says not as it would be bucking the trend over the entire season.

Can we turn it all around in the space of one game?
Its a massive ask but stranger things have happened I suppose though I will not be putting my mortgage on it

I must say, I'm exactly the same mindset as I was in before Thomond Park in Easter 2012. It will be a huge ask but I'm quietly confident that there is a first 15 there who are more than capable of doing it. Any knock out match away from home is statistically difficult but I think both these semi-finals are closely matched and the Glasgow v Ulster one is the closest. If the team we are putting out performs close to their ability I think we will do it but it will be close. I don't see a blow out one way or the other.

Doubt we're gonna win, happy to be proven wrong.

[Russ]

We're tom kite but could pull a performance out of the bag

[LUMBERJACK]

Feel entirely the opposite

Scoutstoun running track is not Thomand away or Welford Road away. Despite the best efforts of the Sleekit Beasties at SFU to decimate our team by removing the second choice hooker to Cardiff for tommorrow morning I can't see any position other than one of the props where I would have any of their players over ours . The reward of a home final and our experience over the last few years in semi-finals and finals rugby will I think make the difference. If we can avoid too many (any) scrums don't think we can lose.

[OneMore]

On the scrum thing. Munster stuffed our front rows' heads fairly well up their backside, we were generally sans ball for about 80% of the game, and we made unforced errors, and still manage to get away with a draw.

If we're as clinical on Friday as we were then, we can get plenty of scoring done.

[Snipe Watson]

Anyone else get a sinking feeling about Friday?

To win need to hold scrum win set piece and give our star performers a platform to play
Above all else discipline is the issue.

The question is can we actually produce that away from home especially with the loss of two of oir most consistent performers.
The evidence says not as it would be bucking the trend over the entire season.

Can we turn it all around in the space of one game?
Its a massive ask but stranger things have happened I suppose though I will not be putting my mortgage on it

I must say, I'm exactly the same mindset as I was in before Thomond Park in Easter 2012. It will be a huge ask but I'm quietly confident that there is a first 15 there who are more than capable of doing it. Any knock out match away from home is statistically difficult but I think both these semi-finals are closely matched and the Glasgow v Ulster one is the closest. If the team we are putting out performs close to their ability I think we will do it but it will be close. I don't see a blow out one way or the other.

Doubt we're gonna win, happy to be proven wrong.

Knock out rugby is a totally different kettle of fish to regular season rugby. This is what Munster and Leinster have proven time and again. We have been to the well often enough to now know what it takes to win at the business end. It's about character and experience as much as skill. Strangle the life out of the Glasgow wide game and grind a result out of a tight fixture.

[Rooster]

Strangle the life out of the Glasgow wide game and grind a result out of a tight fixture.

Clancy will strangle anyone trying to play an open game anyway so that is a start.

[Snipe Watson]

Strangle the life out of the Glasgow wide game and grind a result out of a tight fixture.

Clancy will strangle anyone trying to play an open game anyway so that is a start.

He will and we should exploit this to the full. We don't want to be playing any more than the minimum amount of rugby, pure attrition.

[Tazz #15]

Strangle the life out of the Glasgow wide game and grind a result out of a tight fixture.

Clancy will strangle anyone trying to play an open game anyway so that is a start.

He will and we should exploit this to the full. We don't want to be playing any more than the minimum amount of rugby, pure attrition.

Too true, think to some of our better games this season, Glasgow, Tigers, Leinster, feck they were far from pretty, but on each occasion we well and truly put them to the sword. Attrition is something we do well, in fact we do it very well.

[bazzaj]

Thats all well and good but we have lost two of our most attritional players in VDM and Herbst.
Plan b?

[Amiga500]

Thats all well and good but we have lost two of our most attritional players in VDM and Herbst.
Plan b?

Dunno.

If Alan O'Connor had played in 'the row last week, I'd have been more optimistic. Lewis Stevenson is an honest plugger, but doesn't have the cut needed for Friday night.


Bronson Ross will do all right, quite a few times in the scrums last week he was straight of back and engaged throughout - despite being marched backward - he just wasn't the help needed from our back 5 - perhaps because they were biasing onto Callum Black's side due to the injury.

[Tazz #15]

We still have the other 13 players that can implement it so well? We have a 9 and 10 more than capable of putting us in the right areas, you watch those Scots try and shift our boys.

Herbst's thunderous hits will be missed, no doubt they're momentum killers, but whoever comes in will not have a backward step in them.

I also believe that in terms of attrition we aren't losing an awful lot in Robbie coming in for VDM, Robbie is growing increasingly more aggressive and if we can get Tuohy back to his ball carrying, back splattering best then all is well. Don't get me wrong I'm a massive VDM fan, and his leadership and line out work will be missed, but I just don't think we'll lose that much in the loose with Robbie, he's good at the 'unseen' stuff too.

Plan B? We could always try and play a bit? Nothing stupid, get the friggin thing in their half, and a little bit more accuracy from the backs, coupled with the intensity from the Munster game and we might just have Mr Hogg et al chasing shadows.

[MARB]

I'm confident we'll put in a performance on Friday night.Whether or not it's sufficient enough to win will depend on a lot of smart play and a bit of luck.
The way I see it we have one mega performance in us per season as has been the trend recently. Whether that be Thomond 2012, beating a Fibber Joe XV in their own back yard in 2013, or being one of the select few teams who have went to Welford Road in a European game and came away with the win.
We have the spine of the team, Rory, Tommy, Manchild, and Jihad who now have that know how of what is required mentally and physically to win the big games. Added to Paddy's recent form and the sheer brilliance of a 75 time capped Springbok who is one of the finest players ever to wear the White of Ulster, and even when under-performing, is head and shoulders above most scrum halfs in Europe.
Glasgow will want this badly, and we need to want it just as much, but couple that will to win with sticking to a gameplan and produce one of those performances we're overdue. Feck, we can win this bloody thing!