Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Talk about the men in white, and everything Ulster!!

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Cap'n Grumpy
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

UlsterNo9 wrote: Sun Apr 24, 2022 4:05 pm A lot of speculation and generalisations to draw your argument to a conclusion that it is a moot point Cap'n. I say (adding to your generalisations) all of them would be playing rugby as their was feck all else to do on a Saturday in the 80s and 90s in comparison to the alternatives they have today.
It is a moot point in that we have no idea what our team/squad would look like today if we were simply drawing from the same pool of players as we had when the game was amateur. If we have no way of knowing, it is a moot argument.

I agree that a lot of kids and young men had feck all else to do on a Saturday morning in the 80s and 90s compared with today, but the point I'm making is that in an amateur era, a lot of those playing for their schools would have given up after school to concentrate on their careers outside of rugby because that is what puts bread on the table, or indeed pays the mortgage or rent for somewhere to even have the table. Many of our players came from academic backgrounds and not all of them were prepared to go to QUB or UUC just so they could play rugby in Ulster while doing their degree. Many went to universities elsewhere and only the dedicated few went on to rugby careers either back here, or continued on in England, Scotland or Wales.

Now if that was what was happening here, would it have been that much different south of the border? yes, more probably stayed at home to go to Trinity, UCD or any of the other Irish universities, or straight into work or whatever, but in an amateur set-up, there wouldn't have been hundreds or thousands paying big bucks to go into the big rugby schools to get all the advantages that gives, because rugby was never going to pay them back while it remained amateur. Once it's gone professional, it's a different kettle of worms - mummies and daddies with the readies who think their little (or not so little) Johnny/Seany stands a chance of playing professional rugby will happily send them to those schools in the hope or expectation that rugby will pay them back several fold if they make the grade.

As you say though, there's a lot of speculation and generalisations in my posts to render any argument moot, but by the same token, the same can be said of yours. We're comparing apples with pears and it just doesn't fit well, but hey, what's a forum for if not to talk about ifs and buts and all sorts of other rubbish anyway? :lol:
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

rumncoke wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 4:08 am I find the Half time rugby at Ravenhill to be a nightmare --- yes the kids enjoy it --a small dividend -- but none of the teams are structured they all play a form of give it to "FATTY ' and watch him run type rugby
Fatty -- is any child or pupil who is physically more mature than 60-70% of those on the field.

Passing is minimal and the development of the awareness of space to exploited,and how to exploit it none existent with a draft kick especially in the mini's.

It is basically a one or two pass game . the mindset being I have the ball and run with it till stopped

Very few if any basic skills are on show.

The kids enjoy it but -- don't claim it produces rugby players it doesn't
What do you mean those kids playing at half time don't produce rugby players? :scratch:

You mean to tell me that's not the Ulster Academy production line out there training at half-time, every match? :duh:

I'm stunned! :shock:

I suppose someone will tell me next that the following morning their coaches don't take them through a video analysis of the night's action to highlight the errors made and then concentrate on eradicating those in their training time?
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by mid ulster maestro »

Hit the nail right on the head there Rum. "Yes the kids enjoy it." That, believe it or not, is the whole point of participating in any sport. You also have to remember that these kids are starting out on a rugby journey and you are expecting them to be playing like seasoned pros. Really?
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by WestDr »

Something is usually worth doing in and of itself i.e. the kids enjoy it, but often because it serves a wider purpose i.e. it may well be a very useful stage on someone's rugby journey. It's also not proven, either way in fact, that playing at half-time at Ravenhill as a mini makes you a long term participant and supporter of the game of rugby, but it sure has value in that it might. As others have noted, I really do doubt its purpose is as a try-out for the Academy or as a sign that you will make it as a full-time professional player. The very charitable view is that your expectations are perhaps a little too high ?

The observation that it's often 'give it to the biggest player' is perhaps also a mis-representation. There is an alternative view that (a) there's little or no passing anyway, since (b) that's a taught and learnt skill and (c) when the biggest player gets the ball, at that age they are the most successful for that very reason. Kids still like the feeling of success even if they don't actually get the ball a lot. And isn't coming off second sometimes also something to consider as having value too and an integral part of any sport ?
Last edited by WestDr on Mon Apr 25, 2022 9:37 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by justinr73 »

Ffs Rum.

There’s one thing that strikes a chord with me about the half-time entertainment and that’s the way the kids’ coaches invariably name their own kids first in the match programme.

Friday night was better than usual in that only BHSFP fell into that trap entirely (although Carrickfergus were two thirds of the way there).

Well done to the fellas from Belfast Harlequins for taking the alphabetical route and the chaps from Dromore for going totally random.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by Dave »

I imagine if rum thinks Lowry is too small than these MINI players are terrifyingly far too miniscule. It isn't a viable option and could be construed as child labour.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by big mervyn »

Dave wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 11:14 am I imagine if rum thinks Lowry is too small than these MINI players are terrifyingly far too miniscule. It isn't a viable option and could be construed as child labour.
In my experience, it is invariably the "mini Lowry" who stars in these games rather than Rumn's fat kid.

Tommy will be ragin about the lack of appropriate programme etiquette
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by UlsterNo9 »

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Rum more days that not I consider blocking you, but it's comedy gold posts (and your lunacy) that make me come to my senses.

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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by Dave »

big mervyn wrote:
Dave wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 11:14 am I imagine if rum thinks Lowry is too small than these MINI players are terrifyingly far too miniscule. It isn't a viable option and could be construed as child labour.
In my experience, it is invariably the "mini Lowry" who stars in these games rather than Rumn's fat kid.

Tommy will be ragin about the lack of appropriate programme etiquette
I would love the PA staff to go rogue and play Benny Hill music during this.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by thecrouch »

A big part of our problem is mentality. We don't have the killer instinct. You get the impression that lads were feeling a bit sorry for themselves after last week, tough match, bit tired after SA etc.

We should have been going out against Munster and proving a point. We lost in Europe, but the league was always a more realistic target for us.

We just don't have the right mindset to dust ourselves off and go out and put in another big performance. Same old Ulster. When things get tough we rarely stand up to it.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by richardt84 »

thecrouch wrote: Tue Apr 26, 2022 10:10 am A big part of our problem is mentality. We don't have the killer instinct. You get the impression that lads were feeling a bit sorry for themselves after last week, tough match, bit tired after SA etc.

We should have been going out against Munster and proving a point. We lost in Europe, but the league was always a more realistic target for us.

We just don't have the right mindset to dust ourselves off and go out and put in another big performance. Same old Ulster. When things get tough we rarely stand up to it.
For me, that was summed up by Earls’ tackle on Balacoune about 2 minutes in. Marshall mentioned in commentary the ball had been shuffled on but Earls still completed a tackle and left his mark. The subsequent highlights for Earls’ try showed several tackles from Ulster players and there was no venom in any of them. I know there is more to the game than intensity but when one side is playing with a spite in so much of what they do, and the other is passive in so many collisions, there will almost always be one winner. It feels like for 2 of the 6 inter pros (Connaught away and Munster at home) we’ve been blown away in terms of physicality without firing a shot of our own.
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Re: Ulster v Munster Friday April 22 7:35pm KO BBC2NI / RTE2 / Premier Sports 2 / URC TV / Super Sport

Post by Cap'n Grumpy »

Dave wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 4:55 pm
big mervyn wrote:
Dave wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 11:14 am I imagine if rum thinks Lowry is too small than these MINI players are terrifyingly far too miniscule. It isn't a viable option and could be construed as child labour.
In my experience, it is invariably the "mini Lowry" who stars in these games rather than Rumn's fat kid.

Tommy will be ragin about the lack of appropriate programme etiquette
I would love the PA staff to go rogue and play Benny Hill music during this.
That really made me laff out loud. >appl
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