What the Papers Say 2012/2013

[Amiga500]

http://presseye.com/assignment/jAOW0jsA ... ozzDOjA..a

I would actually have considered buying that.

But not at 65 fekkin euro for a big print!

[Wee Woman]

3 things:

Mac, great job with these as usual .

That picture from Galway is a cracker.

And finally, I can't get over the amount of typos in those last few online reports - Mr. Mulligan in particular needs to use his spell checker a bit more and read through things before he submits them - shocking

[Mac]

Monday 22nd April ...................Cont'd



Times

Zebo, Healy and Williams up for top award ....................

Leinster prop Cian Healy, Munster back Simon Zebo and Ulster number eight Nick Williams have been nominated by the Irish Rugby Union Players’ Association, (Irupa) for the Player of the Year award.

Zebo is also in contention for the try of the year with his touchdown against Wales in this year’s Six Nations Championship, pitching him against Ulster forward Iain Henderson for his effort against Saracens in the Heineken Cup and Ulster team-mate Craig Gilroy. The young winger is nominated for his score against Argentina in the Autumn Series.

Voted for by professional players across the country, the award is one of seven which will be announced at the annual ceremony on May 8th at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel.

Among the other awards is the Nevin Spence Young Player of the Year, contested this year by Connacht fullback Rob Henshaw, Leinster’s outhalf Ian Madigan and Ulster inside centre Luke Marshall.

Player Player of the Year: Cian Healy (Leinster) N Williams (Ulster) S Zebo (Munster). Nevin Spence Young Player of the Year: R Henshaw (Connacht), I Madigan (Leinster) L Marshall (Ulster).

Try of the Year: C Gilroy (Ireland v Argentina); I Henderson (Saracens v Ulster); S Zebo (Ireland v Wales).

Medal for Excellence : I Boss (Leinster), C Henry (Ulster), M Horan (Munster). Hall of Fame, Unsung Hero ,

Supporters Players of the Year – all to be announced on Wednesday, May 8th.

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/z ... -1.1368902

[Mac]

Tuesday 23rd April 2013..............just

Pro12

Bowe promises plenty more after landmark 50th try.....................

Tommy Bowe admits his historic landmark as the first player to 50 Celtic League tries has been a long time coming - but he's warned Ulster's RaboDirect PRO12 rivals there are plenty more to come.

Bowe has been edging ever closer to the milestone and after running in five tries in the 2010/11 season, he needed just four more to reach his half century.
But he managed only two tries for the Ospreys in their RaboDirect PRO12 title winning campaign last season and after an early double against Cardiff Blues for Ulster this season, he was struck down with a long-term knee injury in December, stranded on 48.

In the meantime, Edinburgh's flying winger Tim Visser has been coming up the rails and having reached double figures in each of his first three seasons, he began this year on 37.

Another blistering start to the campaign saw Visser reach ten for the season by the time Bowe's injury struck but the Scotsman has scored just one since.

And with Bowe returning from injury to score his 49th try in his comeback match against the Scarlets, he followed that up with number 50 in the 71st minute of the 34-18 victory over Connacht last time out.

"I suppose it has been a long time coming," said Bowe.

"I got a lot of tries early on in the league and the last couple of years I've maybe waned off a little bit but I'm delighted to make 50 and hopefully there are plenty more to come.

"It was fairly end to end stuff first half, great to watch for the supporter I'm sure.

"It was a little bit all over the place first half and coming into the second half it was difficult and Connacht made us work for it but in the end we were able to pull away with a couple of nice tries at the end of the game.

"Coming back from Saracens there was massive disappointment from that but we really focussed on the next two games and to come away with two five-pointers is exactly what we want."

Thanks to that victory over Connacht, Ulster are top of the RaboDirect PRO12 table and will secure a home semi-final by avoiding defeat in their last match of the season against Cardiff Blues.

Bowe's form is such that he will also be hoping he has done enough with his late charge to claim a place on the Lions tour to Australia - but for now he's purely focussed on the RaboDirect PRO12 campaign.

"We've set ourselves up for a massive game against Cardiff Blues in two weeks and hopefully we can get the result we need and get a home semi-final," he added.

"Personally I'm very happy with how I've come back from the injury, to be out for four months and then get myself back playing rugby again.

"To get a couple of tries over the last couple of weeks has been nice too. I'm happy and who knows what could happen?

"I don't know if you can ever be happy that you've done enough unfortunately.

"I'm happy that I'm back fit. It was a difficult injury to come back from but I've hit the ground running and it's out of my hands now."

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/164 ... age=fixres

Ulster have already topped one table this season........................

Two more home wins against Welsh opposition on successive weekends at Ravenhill will ensure Ulster finish the season in their first RaboDirect PRO12 Final....writes Peter Jackson.

Only Cardiff Blues, a long way adrift in the lower half of the table, can prevent last year's beaten European Cup finalists finishing the regular RaboDirect PRO12 season in first place.
That would guarantee they stay in Belfast for the play-off semi-final, probably against the Ospreys. Ulster have already finished top of another table revealed here for the first time.

In a season when attendances have gone up at the majority of the RaboDirect PRO12 teams, Ulster's have gone up most of all. Their average of 10,307 represents an increase of more than 2,000 on last season.

Before long, they will have raised capacity at Ravenhill from 11,400 to marginally more than 18,000, enabling them to meet minimum crowd levels to host European quarter-finals and RaboDirect PRO12 Grand Finals.

Government funding will help pay for three new stands at a ground which has been synonymous with rugby in Northern Ireland since the early Twenties. Work is scheduled for completion by the end of next season.

Two other teams have seen their crowds rise by four-figure sums, both in South Wales. The Ospreys are up to 9,291 compared to 7,686 last season, the Blues to 8,933 from 7,275.

Attendances have also risen at Connacht, Glasgow, Edinburgh, the Newport Gwent Dragons and Leinster. The former European champions have the highest average at 20,000 as near as makes no difference, the figure increased beyond the capacity of the RDS since they switched the Munster match to the Aviva Stadium and almost filled every seat in the international arena.

Despite their elimination from Europe's premier competition, Leinster are on track for their first double. Saturday's Amlin Cup semi-final against holders Biarritz is the first of what could be five big matches in successive weeks, every one of them on home territory in Dublin.

The Basque club won the trophy in a penalty shoot-out against Toulon at The Stoop last year, Dimitri Yachvili's seven goals beating Jonny Wilkinson's six.

Biarritz, fourth from bottom of the Top 14 after heading the table during the early weeks, qualified for the Amlin, like Leinster, as one of the three best non-qualifiers for the Heineken quarter-finals. They made the most of their reprieve with five tries against Gloucester at Kingsholm at the start of the month.

For the veteran trio of Yachvili, Damien Traille and Imanol Harinordoquy, Leinster at the RDS represents arguably as formidable a test as they have had since Peter Stringer's blindside try for Munster unhinged them during the 2006 European final in Cardiff.

Ospreys follow Biarritz to the RDS next week for the last match of the regular PRO12 season, another of those from the must-win category for both teams - Leinster to make sure of a home semi-final, Ospreys to make up the play-off numbers.

When the Welshmen were last there, they won the RaboDirect PRO12 title in sensational fashion, Shane Williams climaxing an unforgettable final with the latest of tries for Dan Biggar to clinch the trophy with his towering conversion from the touchline.

The victory itself was nothing new. Ospreys had beaten the same opposition at the same venue in the first Grand Final two years earlier but another success next week will not be enough to climb back into fourth place unless the Scarlets finish up empty-handed at home to Treviso.

If they make home advantage tell this week and next, Leinster will then be back at the RDS for a RaboDirect PRO12 semi-final and they will remain there for the Amlin final on May 17 against Perpignan or Stade Francais.

No Irish team has ever won the second European competition although one club with strong connections went very close. London Irish took Gloucester into extra time at The Stoop seven years ago before losing a thriller, 36-34.

With every prospect of a climactic finish for Leinster before Brian O'Driscoll rides off into the sunset, the finale to the RaboDirect PRO12 season will generate large numbers across the board.

On previous weekends, the six PRO12 matches have been watched by average five-figure crowds. Gates over the Christmas holiday went close to reaching 15,000 per game.

The Easter weekend, featuring the first Welsh double-header at the Millennium Stadium, brought an average of almost 12,500. The fans also came out in force more recently, the six matches in Round 20 aggregating crowds of more than 60,000.

Average Pro 12 attendances (last season's figures in brackets):

Leinster 19,791 (19,023 + 768)
Munster 14,137 (14,798 - 761)
Ulster 10,307 (8,296 + 2,011)
Ospreys 9,291 (7,686 + 1,605)
Blues 8,933 (7,275 + 1,658)
Scarlets 7,803 (9,006 - 1,203)
Dragons 6,518 (6,098 + 420)
Connacht 5,154 (4,653 + 501)
Edinburgh 4,600 (4,252 + 348)
Glasgow 4,541 (4,018 + 523)
Treviso 3,510 (3,900 - 390)
Zebre 1,977 (first season)

Top attendances:

46,280 Leinster v Munster, Aviva Stadium, Oct 6, 2012.
36,174 Blues v Ospreys/Dragons v Scarlets, Mellennium Stadium, Mar 30, 2013.
23,587 Munster v Ulster, Thomond Park, Dec 29, 2012.
23,037 Munster v Leinster, Thomond Park, Apr 13, 2013.
19,443 Ospreys v Scarlets, Liberty Stadium, Dec 26, 2013.

http://www.rabodirectpro12.com/news/16424.php

Whiff

Extract from..................

Ulster will face a similar problem replacing John Afoa – what prop will turn down a French team to play Pro12 rugby when you can have a situation where you can get more money for playing 50 minute games in a top-class league? Take Zurib Kubriashvili for example, out of favour this season and leaving Toulon in the summer - leaving aside the umbilical link between Georgian props and the Top14, if he leaves Toulon, as it reported, would Ulster even be at the table when it comes to serious offers? They would be outbid by any interested French club, and it’s hard to sell dreary Belfast as an alternate to the South of France. Rumour has it he’ll end up at Wasps, another club with some newfound financial clout behind them.

Irish provinces have had a decade of dining at the top table when it comes to world class talent, but that era is ending - Kirchner is a good player and everything, but let’s say Leinster rolled up the money and sent it in a big bag to Craig Gilroy (not currently a starter for Ulster when everyone is fit), would the fans be any less happy? Would Leinster be any worse off? And would it be worse for Irish rugby in the round? Clearly Ulster lose out, but they have a few wings and get some recompense. Just saying like.

[Disclaimer: this piece was written by Egg the Ulsterman]

Full article...........
http://whiffofcordite.com/

ConnachtSentinel

Connacht’s best is not enough......................
Elwood’s men throw everything at UIster in high quality league tie but still come up short against bogey Irish rivals

WHERE to start? Well, the best team won, no question about that. They brought punch, power and precision to Galway and withstood some early body blows to emerge clear winners after half time without ever hitting top form.

Ireland's form players are in this Ulster team and the stood out here. Stuart Olding at 12 is trending in the rugby conversations around the country and you could see why; Ian Henderson had a stunning impact from the bench; Chris Henry remains an outstanding talent in back row play.

All of them played their part and the reliable stars delivered in the shape of Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, the imperious Ruan Pienaar and more like them. Ulster are top of the pile in this league, they always show up in Galway with the right attitude making them a tough hurdle to clear.

Yet, even excepting the outcome, and understanding the gulf in class – that was clear for all to see during a totally dominant second half from the visitors – the Connacht errors, the naivety and the limitations should still rankle to some degree in a game like this.

Each season, games come along that provide Connacht with an opportunity for real honest to God progress. We're not talking beating Harlequins in the Heineken Cup, that was a win for the ages, or hammering Leinster earlier this year, that was sweet but as we all know, beating our Eastern cousins at College Road is a right of passage for Connacht teams.

No, instead we're talking about wins that are less of a boost for the marketing department, the history writers, the supporters and more of a subtle boost. Wins that mean you start the following season on square two rather than returning to square one.

Beating Ulster at home is an example of the kind of mould-breaking win we're talking, winning away to a vulnerable Biarittz is another example. No one is saying we should be demanding such results, not one Munster follower would have demanded that win in Harelquins based on the season in hand, but huge odds were overcome.

http://www.galwaynews.ie/31184-connacht ... not-enough

[Mac]

Looks like it's going to be..........

...........for a few days folks.

[jamsodonnell]

Looks like it's going to be..........

...........for a few days folks.

SLIM PICKINS I PRESUME ???

[Mac]

SLIM PICKINS I PRESUME ???

Pint for that man................

[Mac]

Monday 24th April 2013

Newsletter

Big Friday night date for semi-final if Ulster do their bit and finish top................

RABODIRECT PRO12 organisers confirmed last night that the winners of the regular league season would host their semi-final on Friday, May 10.

Ulster currently lead the table by three points from Leinster and if they win their last league fixture at Ravenhill on Friday May 3 against Cardiff Blues, then it will be back to the Belfast venue for the Championship Play-Off semi-final.

The top two finishers in the league earn the right to host the semi-finals at home.

If the league was to finish as it stood currently, Ulster would entertain Scarlets on Friday, May 10 and Glasgow Warriors would travel to Dublin to play Leinster on Saturday, May 12. Both semis have a 7.45pm kick-off.

The downside for Ulster fans is that Ravenhill is currently operating on a slightly lower spectator capacity due to redevelopment works at the ground.

Although temporary accommodation will be provided for the semi-final it will certainly not be close to the demand expected for a PRO12 semi-final.

Ravenhill, currently holding 11,000, will be able to accommodate 18,000 next season once all the revamp work is done, making it possible for them to host quarter-finals in the Heineken Cup and a PRO12 final.

Once Ulster’s season ticket holders, quota for away support, sponsor uptake and Rabo Direct ticket allocation is sorted, it will leave a small amount of tickets, if any, over.

That may disappoint some of the fans who drop in on a regular basis, but given the success of Ulster in recent seasons in reaching knock-out stages both domestically and in Europe, being a season ticket holder does pay dividends.

Meanwhile, Tommy Bowe says the side must push on now given the position they are in and grasp the chance to finish top with both hands.

“We have set ourselves up for a massive game against Cardiff Blues in less than two weeks and we want to go and get the result that gets us over the line.

“I am just glad to be back after a long lay-off to being part of it and this squad wants silverware this season.

“There is still a bit of disappointment about losing in Europe, but it happened and we are still in the mix in the PRO12 - we just to have make sure we do what we have to.”

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/big-f ... -1-5029389

[Mac]

Thursday 25th April 2013

Tele

Olding, the find of season, keeps Ulster eyes smiling....................Tyrone

Every now and again you see something in rugby which puts a smile on your face – a moment of magic, a touch of class.

You watch the replay time and time again and marvel. These moments don't come along too often but they are important. Why? They remind you why you love rugby.

For all the chat and discussion about performance, league position, team selection and tactics, we need the odd reminder about why we watch and that skill and not size can make a difference. What is rugby about? Physicality, technical expertise and aggression will come near the top of the list for most people.

Sleight of hand and vision may not necessarily come to mind – a sad indictment of the modern game – but both are invaluable.

Brian O'Driscoll provided such a moment in Ireland's opening Six Nations game against Wales. His floated pass for Simon Zebo's try oozed the most acute sense of time, space and peripheral vision – further proof (as if we didn't need any more) that O'Driscoll is a class apart from the vast majority of other professional rugby players.

Last Saturday another world class performer, Ruan Pienaar, conjured up a similar moment. His flick pass behind his back to Andrew Trimble, who was coming on an outside arc, was sublime in its vision and execution. Trimble was flat out and did not have to check stride or waste time or focus trying to grasp the ball.

To see the pass is one thing, to gauge the run of the supporting player is another, to execute under pressure and make the pass with tacklers bearing down on you takes real composure.

When you put all these aspects together and add to the mix the understanding that Trimble showed in anticipating where the space was and that the pass could be made, it was a fabulous moment of skill.

Moreover, in the lead-up to the try it was once again Darren Cave who provided the pass to release Trimble initially down the right flank.

I have said it a few times, but when Ulster play their best rugby Cave is invariably involved, whether getting width into the game or unlocking a defence through offloads. Cave's contribution in the run up to Stuart Olding's opening score was also marked and serves as a valid example to other young players about how your job is not over once you have given the pass.


Mark McCall did his homework several weeks ago, because the Saracens blitz defence snuffed Cave out of the game, his chances were limited and we hardly heard his name mentioned.

The mention of Saracens' head coach also brings another thought to mind. Surely the find of the season is Stuart Olding?

Since Paddy Wallace's injury and Luke Marshall's enforced absence through concussion, Olding has taken his chance magnificently, but the moment of clarity I had watching the game is how much Olding reminds me of McCall in his pomp.

Maybe it is the shock of blonde hair or the similar stature, although weights have contributed to a chunkier 21st century version of the inside centre.

Features of both are great pace and balance, lovely soft hands, great footwork and the ability to sidestep at pace, yet a strength and doggedness that allows both to punch above their weight in the tackle.

Like McCall, Olding's ability and experience in the outhalf shirt serve him well in his distribution and decision-making skills. He has an eye for a gap, runs good supporting lines and defensively scythes players down.

He goes low and they go down – simple.

Along with Marshall, Olding is exactly the sort of player that Ireland needs to be grabbing with both hands.

Get him on the Ireland tour and don't just have him holding bags for the 'experience'. Get him on the pitch, get him playing, and undoubtedly both Ulster and Ireland will benefit. Oh to be 20 years of age again and that good!

Five tries and five points were a good reminder that Ulster can play some sparkling rugby.

It was far from perfect but confidence and form are returning. The far bigger test is going to be producing a massive performance in a massive game against a top team.

It looks as if both players and coaches will get their chance.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 17796.html

Times

Money talks.............

There are still eight clubs involved in the race for the two trophies with Bath and Wasps among others also holding out hopes of qualification.

In addition to helping Connacht secure a back-door entry next season Leinster are also hoping to earn a share of the €6.7 million in ERC meritocracy payments, which will be distributed to the countries of clubs which progressed to the Heineken Cup knockout stage as well as the two that reach the Challenge Cup final.

French clubs, with three Heineken Cup quarter-finalists and two semi-finalists, have earned their country about €2.25 million in meritocracy payments in addition to their share of the ERC’s central distribution for 2012/’13.

Ireland will receive about €1.35 million in addition to their share of central distribution from Ulster’s quarter-final spot and Munster’s progression to the semi-finals.

As it stands, England will earn an additional €1.8 million from three clubs in the Heineken Cup quarter-finals and Saracens in the semi-final.

Each place in the Heineken Cup knockout stage will earn a club’s country close to €450,000. There is an additional meritocracy payment of €450,000 to be shared by the nations or nation of the finalists of the Challenge Cup.

Full article.....
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/c ... -1.1371645

[Mac]

Friday 26th April 2013

Tele

Ulster enjoy record-breaking support..................

Faces in the Crowd.jpg (43.94 KiB) Viewed 1278 times

Attendances at Ulster’s home games in this season's RaboDirect PRO12 have reached record levels.

So far some 103,072 have poured through the Ravenhill turnstyles for PRO12 matches, making 2012-13 the best-ever in terms of support. A further 33,368 attended Ulster’s three Heineken Cup home games

And their season is not over yet; Ulster still have one more PRO12 league-stage fixture to go — against Cardiff Blues on May 3 — with hopefully a home semi-final to follow a week later.

Surprisingly the biggest PRO12 ‘gate’ thus far was not for the dates with Leinster or Munster, but for the game against Edinburgh on November 2 when 11,078 turned up to watch the leaders register their ninth successive win of the season, crushing the Scots 45-20.

And the 10,940 attendance against Leinster four days before Christmas was eclipsed in Ulster’s next home game, with 10,977 present to witness their 47-17 demolition of Scarlets in the first versus second battle on January 4.

Some 10,886 saw Ospreys become the first visiting side to win a PRO12 game this season at Ravenhill, which was amost 500 more than the attendance against Munster (10,397).

The only PRO12 fixtures to have been watched by fewer than 10,000 this season at Ravenhill have been against Glasgow Warriors on August 31 when 8,108 attended — making that the smallest home crowd of 2012-13 — and Newport Gwent Dragons on April 12 (9,647).

Ulster’s growing support is in keeping with that for the competition overall, with this season’s figures the best ever since it changed to a home and away format in 2003.

Last weekend saw crowds break through the one million mark, a full round earlier than last season, with seven games still to go. Ticket sales amongst the 12 participating teams have increased by 4.9% compared to this point last year.

David Jordan, the RaboDirect PRO12 tournament director, said: “This is the third season in a row that ticket sales have broken the one million mark, and each year we are reaching that landmark earlier in the competition.

“We have a mouthwatering final round of games yet to come, with five teams still in with a realistic chance of making the top four, and three battling it out to try and secure home advantage in the play-offs, it will be a nerve-racking end to the regular season.”

The order of those play-offs has now been confirmed: Play-Off 1 (1st v 4th) will take place on Friday, May 10 (7.45pm). Play-off 2 (2nd v 3rd) will be the following day, Saturday, May 11 (7.35pm). Venues will be confirmed once the qualifiers are finalised.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 22289.html

[Mac]

Friday 26th April ..................Cont'd

BristolRugby

McIlwaine To Return To Ulster......................
Utility back agrees deal with Irish outfit

McIlwaine.png (220.73 KiB) Viewed 1220 times

David McIlwaine will return to Ulster ahead of the 2013/14 campaign.

The utility back - who made eight appearances for the Club - joins the Irish province after a season at the Memorial Stadium.

Bristol Rugby would like to thank David for his efforts in the blue and white hoops, and wish him well for the future.

http://www.bristolrugby.co.uk/news/8724 ... to-ulster/

SKY

Paddy Wallace agrees new one-year contract with Ulster.......................

The centre is Ulster's longest-serving player, having made his senior debut back in 2001 and he has played 188 times, scoring 439 points.

Wallace said: 'I am delighted to have agreed a new deal and I look forward to recovering from injury and playing next season.

"This Ulster squad is the strongest that I have been involved in and I have no doubt that we will be competing for silverware next year. I want to be a part of that and to hopefully to become the first player to make 200 appearances for the Province."

Ulster director of rugby David Humphreys said: 'Paddy Wallace has unrivalled experience and knowledge of the game. It was important for us to keep him, not just for his playing ability, but also for the significant role that he fulfills in mentoring the young players that we have coming through.

Meanwhile back-row forward Mike McComish has signed a two-year contract extension that will see him remain at the club until 2015.

And former Ulster players James McKinney and David McIlwaine have agreed contracts to return to Ulster.

McKinney has spent this season playing for Rotherham Titans whilst McIlwaine, 23, has spent this season at Bristol.

Humpreys said: "Mike McComish has shown a remarkable level of consistency this season and James and David will come back to us having benefitted considerably from their time in England.

"It is now more important than ever to have a strong panel of players to be able to compete in both the league and Europe. These four players will add considerably to our strength in depth for next season."

http://www1.skysports.com/rugby-union/n ... 84/8672747

[Mac]

Sunday 28th April 2013

RugbyNetwork

Hard Luck Stories: Ulster's rugby tragedies...............

The recent late-night antics of England's ex-fly half Danny Cipriani are a reminder of the fragilities of life, even for big, seemingly indestructible rugby union players. There have been at least half a dozen Ulster rugby players for whom fate proved somewhat unkind as they lost their careers [and in the case of young Nevin Spence, life itself] in accidental circumstances.

Of course, Ulster does not hold the monopoly on rugby misfortune. However, even acknowledging that other clubs and teams have had their moments of ill-fortune, it does seem extraordinary that such a small rugby-playing population as that of Ulster should find itself repeatedly on the receiving end of lady luck. Here follows a recollection of six Ulster players from the modern era who were sadly cut off in their prime.

First of all on this unenviable list is Bangor's Dick Milliken. Milliken had made such a great impression as Mike Gibson's partner in the centre of the Ireland team that when the British & Irish Lions team took to the field in South Africa in 1974, it was actually Milliken and not the famed Gibson who got the nod to partner Scotland's Ian McGeechan in the heart of the three-quarters line-up of that unequalled Lions team. Milliken's defensive capabilities shone as he ended the tour an unsung hero, save for a try in the tourists second test rout of the Springboks. By 1975 Milliken's stock was never higher, but just when he might have been reasonably expected to see out the rest of the decade in an Ireland jersey, he damaged his ankle, and in spite of an attempted comeback, Milliken's international career was over in 1975, a mere two years after it had been born.

Next comes Colin Patterson. This small scrum-half with a big, fearless Ulster ego was a scourge of opposing defences as he nipped in to record a staggering five tries in only eleven internationals. Colin would possibly have quadrupled his amount of Ireland caps were it not for a knee injury towards the end of the Lions tour of South Africa in 1980. This injury ended any hopes of further appearances for the Lions, Ireland, or Ulster. This was such a loss to all concerned.

The third 'victim' in this item is the least well-known, but his story is a particularly poignant one. Coleraine's Roger Anderson, who had already accumulated three Ireland schoolboy caps in the company of the likes of Bradley, Francis, and Mullin graduated on to play for London Irish, and in spite of fierce competition from the likes of Keith Crossan, big Roger also made a number of appearances for Ulster in the mid-eighties at the start of the province's golden era in the inter-provincial skirmishes. Then, the young man was selected to play in the 1986 Ireland trial match, alternatively known as the Probables versus Possibles fixture. Anyone watching this contest would presumably have remarked that barring catastrophe, that fellow will go on to represent Ireland. Well, catastrophe did indeed rear its ugly head as an un-helmeted Roger suffered a motorcycle accident whilst on holiday, and though lucky to escape with his life, his rugby days and promising career were well and truly over.

The next 'casualty' is Nigel Carr. Nigel had made a great impact in tandem with his Ards and Ulster team-mate Philip Matthews in the Ireland back row. Favourable comparisons were drawn with Ireland's seventies' stalwart, Fergus Slattery. Carr, touted as a future Lions flanker, then had the extreme misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as he and two Ulster colleagues, Irwin and Rainey, were travelling by car to an Ireland training session in Dublin when their vehicle was damaged in a fatal terrorist bomb attack near the Irish border. The injury sustained by Carr was far from life-threatening but it was peculiarly sufficient to end his rugby-playing career, weeks before he was due to represent Ireland in the inaugural World Cup in the southern hemisphere. Nigel at least picked himself up from his moment of misfortune and subsequently reinvented himself as a sports journalist and broadcaster on Ulster television.

The fifth hard luck story belongs to the prop forward Simon Best, brother of Ireland and Ulster hooker, Rory Best. Simon was advised several years ago by medical experts to walk away from his profession after a heart scare convinced those concerned that a prolongation of his rugby career could have tragic consequences. Best had both played for and even captained Ireland. He had much left to contribute to Ireland and especially Ulster, but he was obliged to be sensible and to take the advice.

Finally of course was the terrible tragedy of the autumn of 2012 when the outstanding prospect Nevin Spence lost his life in an agricultural accident. With his colleagues Darren Cave and Luke Marshall both playing for Ireland at centre in quick succession, the consensus of opinion is that Nevin too would have eventually been selected at centre at international level. It would be no exaggeration to state that Nevin's death cast a black cloud over British and Irish rugby in the closing months of 2012. His was the latest and most tragic in the litany of Ulster rugby's hard luck stories.

http://www.rugbynetwork.net/main/irelan ... -tragedies

[Cap'n Grumpy]

I would have thought another very obvious one for that list was Buzz Lightyear to make up a round half-dozen?

[browner]

...and David Pollock.

[Jackie Brown]

And Neil McMillan...