Wednesday 21st August 2013
Tele
It's going to be even harder to win league this season, says Ulster boss Anscombe..................
Mark Anscombe believes the coming RaboDirect PRO12 season will be more competitive than ever, with clubs having recruited well.
"Glasgow had a big squad last year and they went really well. They've signed half-a-dozen new guys so they've probably the biggest squad in Europe now," he said.
"Leinster have a new coach (Australian Matt O'Connor) and he's going to be full of enthusiasm so the players will be, too. Matt did a great job at Leicester and he'll be raring to go."
With Leinster having lost Jonathan Sexton to Racing Metro plus Isa Nacewa to retirement and Leo Cullen and Brian O'Driscoll now in the twilight years of their glittering careers, there are some in Dublin who have suggested that Ulster are the best-placed of the four Irish provinces.
But Anscombe is not fooled by any such blarney, citing Leinster's awesome record to support his view that they remain the team to beat.
"In the last three years they have won two Heineken Cups. Last season they won the Amlin (Challenge) and the Rabo, so while they've lost two players out of a squad of 40-something that doesn't suggest to me that there's any crisis there!" he said.
"They justify the mantle of 'best team in Ireland'; I don't think anyone could logically take that title away from them at this moment. The evidence is in the proof and the proof is in what they have done.
"We certainly haven't done that, so I don't follow the logic of anyone saying we're the best of the provinces. Hopefully we will be – that's the aim – but we're not there yet."
Nor is he putting too much emphasis on Friday night's Ravenhill date with the defending champions. That, he reminds you, is a pre-season game for which reason it would be silly to read a lot into the outcome.
"It's a warm-up match – the real tests come later – so we won't be singing from the rooftops if we beat Leinster. We won't be in the depths of despair if they beat us, either. You just have to treat this one for what it is and winning or losing a pre-season game won't prove anything."
He also expects Munster and Connacht to pose problems.
"Munster will be tougher after a year under Rob Penney. They'll be wiser, smarter about what they want to do. Connacht have recruited well and Pat Lam's is in there now so they'll be strong, too," he forecast.
"Ospreys will be tough again and Treviso are going to be a threat. They're improving all the time. The Dragons have a lot of new guys – playing them over there is going to be a real difficult first match. And Cardiff will be strong, too.
"This is a really tough competition."
Anscombe stressed in the importance of competition and honesty, saying: "Sean Doyle, who missed most of last season through injury, is charging around like a bull at the moment and that's great to see. He's going to add competition for Chris Henry.
"Roger (Wilson) is there to keep Nick (Williams) on his toes so we've guys pushing for places in that back row. That keeps players hungry and honest.
"But that's the case right through the forwards. We've got four good locks, we've got six-seven good props and we've got three or four hookers so we have options in our pack. As coaches, that's what we want – competition for places.
"As well as that the Ravens have got a real meaningful season with a dozen games, so again that's giving guys a chance to show what they can do. With that window to give guys games, that will keep honesty within the team.
"That's the big thing for us this year – honesty in our performance. We'll maybe not always give the display we want, but if we're honest in ourselves in how we go about it, that's all we can ask for."
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 11502.html
Ulster coach: I'm not interested in short-term fixes....................
As the new rugby season looms, Niall Crozier talks to Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe about the lessons learned last time out... and his hopes for this campaign
Had the competition rules been the same as was the case up until 2010, Ulster would have been crowned RaboDirect PRO12 champions at the end of last season.
However, the introduction of play-off format cost the province the title that would have been theirs under the former first-past-the-post system.
Instead the accolade went to Leinster who, despite having finished runners-up in the race – three points behind Ulster to whom they lost home and away in the league – won the play-off final by a 24-18 margin at the RDS.
That fact, coupled with his side's Heineken Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Northampton Saints, saw Ulster coach Mark Anscombe finish his first season with no silverware to show for 10 months of usually-efficient and sometimes-excellent rugby.
That empty-handed conclusion to the campaign simply served to prove that gauging success simply in terms of trophies won is too crude a measure of success for it would indeed be a difficult to argue that 2012-13 was a failure for Ulster. There is a bigger picture to be viewed; there are questions other than 'What did you win?' to be asked. Certainly that is how Anscombe sees it.
Now, cynics will of course stress that the New Zealander has a vested interest in making that point and with his being the neck on the block there can be no disputing their logic. After all, as a man whose job is such that, ultimately, he will sink or swim dependent on his team's results, Anscombe is not going to be the Kiwi turkey voting for Christmas.
On the eve of his second campaign at the helm he is hoping that the lessons he learned in the course of the first – some of them painful –will stand him in good stead this time round. There are no rash promises, note.
"In some ways last year I was pretty happy," he says. "We had 23 wins and only seven losses. We qualified first in our pool in the Heineken Cup, we qualified first in the Rabo and the last time Ulster won that championship (2006) was under that format.
"We won the right to a home final but couldn't stage it, so we went to the toughest team in the league and played them at their home, which didn't help.
"Last year we maybe talked too much about silverware. This season, I think, we've got to be a bit more pragmatic about what we need to achieve. Because we did well – and have done well over the past couple of years – expectations rise. That's life and you've got to take that and accept what the responsibility is.
"But you're not going to maintain consistency and be a top performer if you look at short fixes. You've got to be looking at the bigger picture of development, building the depth of your squad and their knowledge and managing expectations within the group.
"At one stage last year we had 22 guys out injured or unavailable, so we used 48 players. To have achieved what we did with the number of injuries we had is a credit to the people who were here. We achieved a lot and we shouldn't lose sight of that."
Competing on the domestic and European fronts, catering with the inevitability of injuries and accommodating international demands is a tricky business. While Anscombe does not complain about such things, nevertheless he reminds you of the reality imposed by them.
"The fact is that in Ireland we're only allowed five overseas players and one of them is a 'project', so you've got to survive on the depth you can call on," he points out.
"We've got some good young kids coming through – the Stuart Oldings, the Chris Farrells, the Paddy Jacksons, the Iain Hendersons, the Craig Gilroys and now Kyle McCall's training well – but we've got to keep maintaining that and growing it."
Underlining the unpredictability of it all, he highlighted what happened at number 12 last season.
"Last year we started with Paddy Wallace, Luke Marshall and Nevin (Spence) as our potential number 12s," he says.
Spence died in a tragic accident, Wallace and Marshall were injured in the second half of the season. Enter Stuart Olding.
"Stuart was a bit like Peter Nelson in that our intention had been to get him trained up, give him a few games off the bench to get some experience and hopefully get him ready for this year," the coach points out. "As it turned out he had 15 games for us and ended up touring with the national team," he adds.
"So things can change rapidly and move on so you have to adapt to what's happening.
"I've just seen a website about the top 10 earners in rugby in Europe and about five of them are from the same club (Toulon). Now we're expected to beat those guys and so we should believe we can do that, but the thing you've got to realise is that the playing field isn't always the same for everybody. I'm not saying that we shouldn't expect not to be able to do good things, but you have to keep it in perspective."
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 11494.html
PlanetR
Anscombe optimistic for Ulster....................more
Ulster head coach Mark Anscombe insists the club are looking at long-term development as they target silverware.
2012-2013 saw Ulster finish top of the RaboDirect Pro12 table and reach the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup, but they were left without any trophies after being knocked out by Saracens in Europe and then being beaten by Leinster in the Pro12 Final.
Anscombe believes that Ulster's approach in the past few seasons has been focused too much on "short-term fixes", with the objectives now focused on developing the squad long-term.
"In some ways last year I was pretty happy. We had 23 wins and only seven losses," said Anscombe to the Belfast Telegraph.
"We qualified first in our pool in the Heineken Cup, we qualified first in the Rabo and the last time Ulster won that championship (2006) was under that format.
"We won the right to a home final but couldn't stage it, so we went to the toughest team in the league and played them at their home, which didn't help.
"Last year we maybe talked too much about silverware. This season, I think, we've got to be a bit more pragmatic about what we need to achieve. Because we did well - and have done well over the past couple of years - expectations rise. That's life and you've got to take that and accept what the responsibility is.
"But you're not going to maintain consistency and be a top performer if you look at short fixes. You've got to be looking at the bigger picture of development, building the depth of your squad and their knowledge and managing expectations within the group.
"At one stage last year we had 22 guys out injured or unavailable, so we used 48 players. To have achieved what we did with the number of injuries we had is a credit to the people who were here. We achieved a lot and we shouldn't lose sight of that."
Anscombe also drew attention to the foreign player policy placed on the Irish provinces, highlighted the unevenness in the playing field when measuring Ulster against sides such as Toulon.
"The fact is that in Ireland we're only allowed five overseas players and one of them is a 'project', so you've got to survive on the depth you can call on," added Anscombe.
"We've got some good young kids coming through - the Stuart Oldings, the Chris Farrells, the Paddy Jacksons, the Iain Hendersons, the Craig Gilroys and now Kyle McCall's training well - but we've got to keep maintaining that and growing it.
"I've just seen a website about the top 10 earners in rugby in Europe and about five of them are from the same club (Toulon). Now we're expected to beat those guys and so we should believe we can do that, but the thing you've got to realise is that the playing field isn't always the same for everybody.
"I'm not saying that we shouldn't expect not to be able to do good things, but you have to keep it in perspective."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2588 ... 96,00.html
Times
- Sean Doyle.png (213.07 KiB) Viewed 2262 times
Ulster’s Mark Anscombe to run eye over fringe players in Friday night’s friendly against Leinster..........
Two new stands constructed as part of Ravenhill’s not-yet-completed £14.7m redevelopment will be open for business for the first time.
Just as last season ended, this one begins for Ulster with Leinster providing the opposition at the new-look Ravenhill for Friday night’s friendly clash (kick-off 7.30pm).
However, there will be precious few points of reference to last May’s RaboDirect PRO12 final. That was when Joe Schmidt bowed out as Leinster coach by triumphing over fellow Kiwi Mark Anscombe at the RDS, with a host of players missing from both sides due to their places of work over the summer – with the Ireland player management programme kicking in – along with the traditional requirement of multiple rotations of enlarged squads of players in friendly games.
Nevertheless, Anscombe is hoping to give Ireland’s summer tourists Dan Tuohy and Declan Fitzpatrick, as well as Robbie Diack – the latter having been on the Emerging Ireland squad in Georgia – 40 minutes of action when the two new stands constructed as part of Ravenhill’s not-yet-completed £14.7m redevelopment will be open for business for the first time.
No such restrictions apply for overseas players Johann Muller, Nick Williams, Jared Payne and John Afoa – who underwent surgery on a torn tricep in New Zealand during the off-season – who are all believed to be available.
But there will be no Ruan Pienaar, who is with South Africa in the Championship and is not expected back until the opening Heineken Cup fixture with Leicester Tigers at Ravenhill in October.
Still, Anscombe will have ample opportunity to run his eye over a number of fringe players and one of them will be Australian flanker Seán Doyle who is in line for a first Ulster start in nearly a year after the industrious 24-year-old openside broke his leg in an AIL game for Dungannon after impressing in Ulster’s three opening PRO12 clashes.
Doyle, who is Irish qualified through parentage in Co Clare, said: “This time I’ll hopefully stay injury free and be able to put a lot of pressure on the rest of the back rowers.
“If you play well you don’t know what will happen,” he said.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/u ... -1.1499937
Newsletter
Enthusiastic Sean Doyle is keen to make up for lost time with Ulster..................
Sean Doyle arrived at Ulster from his native Australia at the start of last season and made an immediate impact starting in the first three PRO12 games but disaster struck when playing in a club game for Dungannon against Dublin University, the flanker suffered an undisplaced fracture of the fibula which virtually ended his season.
Doyle did make a brief appearance in the last regular season league game but it was a largely disappointing year for the back rower who’d come to Ulster looking a fresh start and was given some help by fellow country man Adam D’Arcy.
“I played against Adam, we’re both Sydney boys and he played for Manly while I played for Southern Districts and I played in one of his last games before he came over here,” said Doyle
“Before I came over I contacted him on Facebook to suss things out, he actually picked me up at the airport when I arrived.”
Doyle knew he had sustained an injury but didn’t realise it was as serious.
“I thought something was up and I tried to play on a bit but something didn’t feel right and I got it checked out by the physios who told me it was 100% broken and that I’d broken my fibia.”
“It didn’t go too well in the healing process and then 15 weeks into it I had surgery and I had a plate and some screws in there but it’s been grand.”
“It was a pretty quick recover after that and I got back running and though it’s a bit different now with a plate it’s fine.”
With a lack of groundhog open side flankers in the Irish game Doyle is hoping his abrasive style can help him establish a regular place in the Ulster starting line up and maybe high up but he knows there is a lot of hard work ahead.
“I’ve got Irish qualification so that’s something that may get looked at further down the road but it was tough breaking through at home.”
“I’d had a few games for the Waratahs As and Western Force As but all the seven slots at home were sewn up so it was very hard to get in even though I was playing some good footie.”
“I got the opportunity to come over here and maybe progress further.”
“I came over originally on trial so I still had a month to go on that and then it was a bit up in the air. I thought I’d done well coming over here and played some trials and managed to start three games and I thought I got better with every game.”
“I thought my form helped me but my slow recovery definitely didn’t and I didn’t get playing again until the end of the season.”
Doyle was back home in the summer and was able to take in a Lions test and after Tom Court’s call up he joked he was also looking a game for Gatland’s side.
“I actually got to the first test at Brisbane and I saw Rory (Best) there, one of my friends was playing second row for the Wallabies so I had one of his shirts on and Rory was giving me grief at the side of the pitch afterwards for wearing it, the tour was something special and it blew me away.”
Tom played his cards right, he was on holiday back home in Brisbane which is just up the road and he got the surprise call-up.”
“I put a bit of a tweet out there saying Gatland have you any other injuries and I’m here in Australia and waiting but I missed the boat there even though I thought I was a shoe-in.”
http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/rugby ... -1-5407364
UTV
Revamped Ravenhill ready for action....................... +
VIDEO
Couple of internal views..............Revised Terrace.
The home of Ulster Rugby has been undergoing a £15m facelift over the summer, but the Belfast ground is now set to reopen to the public for the first time just as the new season gets underway.
Friday night will see Ulster face visiting Leinster at the new-look Ravenhill.
Site manager Duane McCreadie told UTV that some major changes had been made,a ll aimed at improving both the facilities for the players and the experience for the fans.
"The old grandstand is now completely removed from Ravenhill," he said.
"They're building new terraces, getting ready for the steelwork to come in for the new grandstand in September. The programme at the moment is to have that completed for April 2014."
Other features of the new Ravenhill will include a memorial stand, including the Nevin Spence centre, and a state-of-the-art gym.
"The terraces to the premium stand have been completely reconfigured," Duane McCreadie added.
"The fans' experience now is much closer to the pitch and much better for them."
The first phase of the work should be complete by Friday, when around 10,000 fans are expected to turn out for Ulster's clash with Leinster.
http://www.u.tv/Sport/Revamped-Ravenhil ... 5a05a98b30
RugbySet
RaboDirect PRO12 2013/14 - Preview..................
It's same teams, new challenges in the RaboDirect PRO12 this season, with Leinster hoping to hold on to the title. There was an all-Irish finale last year and the rest of the Rabo will be looking to avoid that situation this time around. The Welsh teams have had a rough summer and will want to put these dramas behind them, meanwhile Zebre will be hoping to claim their first Rabo win ever after a winless maiden campaign. The gauntlet has been laid down so what do the teams have to do this year?
Benetton Treviso
Benetton finished in the middle of the table last season, their best result in the competition since they began in 2010. This year's campaign will be their last with coach Franco Smith, who has recently announced he will leave at the close of the 2013/14 season to return to South Africa. So Treviso will want to send him home on a high note and will be hopeful of continuing their improvements. They have shown good progress in their away fixtures but need to gain more consistency in their play if they want to move further up the standings. They clash with Ospreys at home for their first match and will need to dig deep to start off with a win.
Blues
A disappointing season for Cardiff last year means they need to make an impact this year, pushing harder than ever to take the opportunities given to them. They have taken a knock, however, losing Sam Warburton to a hamstring injury until October. But it should be remembered that the Blues have a lot of young talent amongst their ranks, as well as some British & Irish Lions stars, and there is the promise of greatness in their squad. Rhys Patchell will step further into the limelight this year and a couple of other youngsters are waiting in the wings for their chance to shine. Blues are a team to watch this time around and will set the tone with their first match against Glasgow Warriors.
Connacht Rugby
Connacht also had a fairly poor performance last year but have brought in new head coach Pat Lam in the hope of a turnaround. There have been quite a few additions to the Connacht squad too, not only from far afield but also coming up from their academy too. The club will be keen to get over the tryline more often this season and scoop up a few more bonus points. They worked better as the underdogs last year and need to be clinical in all of their games rather than trying to coast the supposedly easier matches.Connacht face Zebre first off and will be pleased with a nice, easy fixture to start the season with, or at least they hope.
Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh lost their way somewhat last season, ending tenth in the standings and leaving fans woeful over their lack of quality play throughout. However, Alan Solomons has taken over the side as head coach and is enforcing changes. He's brought in numerous players, mainly from Australia, including twin locks Alex and Ben Toolis. The young additions to the side give a greater depth to their talent pool, leaving less chance of injuries restricting the side. However, one injury has already been picked up during pre-season training, with Robin Hislop breaking his leg and being sidelined for up to six months. Edinburgh meet Munster for their first match and it will be a baptism of fire for some of the newcomers.
Warriors
Although they missed out on the final, Warriors had an excellent season in 2012 and will be keen to turn up the heat this time around. They see Richie Vernon return for across the boarder to swell their ranks, as well as a couple more fresh faces. Glasgow have been hit with injuries however, with Niko Matawalu breaking his foot and Peter Horne out of action for months with a serious ACL problem. This adds to the numerous players who are still recovering from last season's injuries, leavign the Warriors under pressure for the opening matches. But they are confident they have the ability to fill the gaps with other talented players and are ready to get going on the battle for the title. Glasgow meet Cardiff Blues in for their first fixture and should build their confidence by walking away with a win.
Leinster Rugby
Current Champions Leinster have got a new coach too, Matt O'Connor and are hoping he can push them to another win this year. However, their talisman Brian O'Driscoll is not as young as he used to be and the club have confirmed his fitness will be monitored closely throughout the season. They have also lost the superb kicking of Jonathan Sexton over to the French Top 14 and so they will need to fill this void somehow. Leinster have recently signed Mike McCarthy over from Connacht, but he has missed some pre-season training due to an elbow injury. Meanwhile, Leinster will be setting their sights on not only retaining their title but being at the top of the standings this year. This means they'll need a few more bonus points under their belts this time around so expect to see plenty of challenges to the tryline. Leinster face Scarlets in their opening match and this should be a fairly simple warm-up for them if they have gelled well with their new boss.
Munster Rugby
Munster lost their way a bit last year, finishing sixth in the overall standings and generally lacking their usual playing prowess. However, a lot of this was down to being dogged with injuries and losing players to internationals. This season they need to provide consistency throughout the year, despite the international calendar. THey have added to their depth of squad, notably bringing in Gerhard van den Heever on the wing, and this should save them a little from being injury-striken again. Their younger players have also stepped up a gear over summer, with many getting run outs in the Irish jersey and this will stand them in good sted for the competition this year. Munster face the new and improved Edinburgh for their first clash and this may be quite a battle to begin their campaign.
Newport Gwent Dragons
Despite coming second from bottom last year, Dragons are one of the few Welsh teams that have managed to hold on to a star. Toby Faletau has extended his contract with the club while many other Welsh internationals have fled the money crisis and taken up places in French or English teams. The Dragons have a lot of work to do this season to move up the table and it would be good to see them nearer the middle of the standings. They must really focus on taking their chances this time and be clinical in finishing a match off. Dragons have taken a blow losing Steffan Jones and Darren Waters for long spells due to injury though, and they face Ulster to begin the competition, which is likely to be a struggle for them.
Ospreys
After seeing a number of their side flourish in the British & Irish Lions and for Wales, Ospreys are looking confident going into this season. They narrowly missed out on a play-off place last year and will be hoping to push hard in the early stages to make sure this time they make it through. Ospreys have added to their already formidable side over the summer and should be giving the other top teams something to worry about over the next few months. They open their campaign away to Benettn Treviso, not an easy draw due to the Treviso crowd but one they should do well in if they dig deep. It is still uncertain whether their Lions players will be ready for the first week so it may be a chance for the newcomers to be initiated into Ospreys' play.
Scarlets
It's been a rough summer for Scarlets, with them recieving a lot of concern from Welsh Rugby about losing George North over to Northampton Saints. However, a bit of good news came their way recently, with Rhys Priestland being found fit to play and they have managed to retain the main bulk of their top-flight players. The Scarlets made it into the top four last season and want to show that it wasn't just luck. They need to knuckle down and focus if they are going to reach the same point again and go even further. They start with the tricky task of Leinster, a sharp shock to the system after their summer break. However, they may have what it takes this year to catch the champions napping.
Ulster Rugby
After ending top of the standings but losing out on the title, Ulster are after a rematch this year and will do everything they can to make the final again. The club has a freshly updated stadium to pull in a bigger home crowd and will hope that Ravenhill will become their fortress for the season. Meanwhile, they have had a set back with Tommy Bowe, who has had more surgery on his wrist but will be back within six weeks. Ulster have lost a few experienced players but they should still do very well this year. They face Newport Gwent Dragons first off and this should ease them into the competition nicely.
Zebre
Zebre were new in the competition last year and finished at the bottom of the table without a single win to their name. This season their aim is simple, beat someone, anyone, just get a win on the board. They have had several of their players called up into the Italian ranks and it is hoped that they have learnt a lot over the summer. Only time will tell if Zebre can step up to the mark but they are set to meet Connacht in the first round and must make a statement of intent, at least, to grow their confidence.
http://rugbyset.com/rabo13-14Preview.html
