Can we expect to beat the Titans??

ballpark · Post by **ballpark** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:32 am

I note that Munster with an understrength team and Connaught both won against better ZP opposition than Ulster. Can we beat the Titans on Friday night, English division one oppostition.?

My own opinion is we'll struggle to impose any kind of authority on them and predict we will ultimately lose. The reason is a lack of fundamental game plan to underpin our tactics. The coach does not appear to know after one season in charge what our gane plan should be, thus the continued experimentation with players and the continued expression being used of 'positives from the game'.

True the forwards did pick and drive successfully round the fringes before the ball was shipped to the backs and from there it was either kicked away under pressure or simply shipped wide to die a death.

When you see the other provinces results I think we're being sold a lemon in terms of outpourings from the players and coaches about the result not being important. If that's the case it would appear Ulster are the only Province subscribing to this theory and there's not much point in turning up to see the game on Friday. Why?, because personally I like to see a team winning not going through the motions of pretending they're playing to win when in fact they are apparently practising moves.

There is a culture of excuses at Ulster which has spread from the management and players down to the fans to the extent that after Friday night we're grasping at straws when we say the first half forward performance was promising. All it proved was take away a few key players and we're even shafted up front. A near Munster second team beat ZP opposition last weekend for crying out loud. Don't imagine they'd bemoan a missing near international pack if they'd lost.

The very least the supporters could do here is get the fingers out and demand results and a desire to win whatever the circumstances, not slap Harrisons back and have him play to gallery with a few biffs and bongs on the opposition or excuse McCall and give him a fool's pardon.

Just consider, if we lose Friday's game, where do we go from there with an away competitive fixture against Cardiff.??? Blame Eddie O'sullivan????

Cockatrice · Post by **Cockatrice** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 8:23 am

One good performance and one good result would change it all. Wouldn't it??

Looking at the first 6 games of the season before the HEC starts the four away games could be critical. We will hopefully have 2 home wins against Edinburgh & Connacht but can we take something from the away games.

In truth we would need to or else we could be playing catch up for the rest of the season. The game against Borders should be a win although we haven't made it easy for ourselves in the past. Can we take anything from our other away games against Cardiff, Gwent & Leinster in truth if we do then the confidence we lacked last year might return to some degree.

I could see us at that point sitting with 3 wins and 3 loses anything more would be a bonus.

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 9:38 am

Re the results of meaningless friendlies - Leicester must be in serious trouble this season. However, did that friendly result make any difference whatsoever to their chances of winning the league? Of course not!
May I refer you all to an article by Danny Baker in Monday's Times about soccer friendlies. It could equally be about pointless rugby friendlies as well.
Ulster's chances of a good season have neither been improved or worsened by the LI result. Nor will they be by a 100-0 hammering of Rotherham. The next game, against Cardiff, is a different matter however.

pwrmoore · Post by **pwrmoore** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:22 am

In essence that is true Gaz, and the point about a 100-0 thrashing of Rotherham is an interesting one. A 100-0 thrashing would mean nothing - but a loss or anything less that a substantial win with TRYS will be a severe embarrassment at minimum and a raise significant worries for our CL and HEC seasons to come.

Freddie Benson · Post by **Freddie Benson** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:23 am

agree with that Gaz
(what's wrong with you? you're becoming all sensible this season

_

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:29 am

Need to win with a few trys on Friday as McCall said last years friendlys left the team down in morale and look what happened for remainder of season

Freddie Benson · Post by **Freddie Benson** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:33 am

I believe (and did last week) that it would have been more beneficial to give that starting XV (strongest available given injuries/EO'S) a full-game run-out, and then giving a few others a game this week.

Not ideal I know - but surely better than the magic roundabout last Friday and which will presumably happen again this week.

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 10:59 am

We made the mistake ,as all teams seem to do, of equating a friendly with a practice - hence all the changes. It would definitely be better to have played the full team, as far as possible against LI. and the "second" choice against Rotherham - but this isn't the way coaches approach friendlies. Until they do, results don't really carry any weight one way or the other.

Freddie, don't worry, I'm away to see the doctor - have to get this common sense cured!

BR · Post by BR » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:23 am

Gaz wrote: It would definitely be better to have played the full team, as far as possible against LI. and the "second" choice against Rotherham -

This doesn't allow different combinations to play together - something that is essential in a 20 match league season. Or are you suggesting we dopt a Munster attitude and play our 1st team for the ERC matches and the 2nd XV in the CL?

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:44 am

Never mentioned playing different teams in the two competitions. Point is that in 2 friendlies, you can't play all the combinations anyway. Surely would it not be better trying to get your team settled for the real games. We did this in for the first half and then experimented in the second half. But what did the second half prove? There were too many changes (11 I think) for there to be any real benefit. I can't imagine our coach learnt too much about any of the "fringe" players.

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:48 am

He is bound to have seen that Trimble is a class above Bell and Maggs and that Head could be usefull in the pack

cjp · Post by **cjp** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 11:56 am

We could be without alot of players which could give most a look at Ferris for the first time. Hopefully a few more youngsters will get a game.

I expect a win, and if not alot of questions have to be asked.

Gaz · Post by **Gaz** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:01 pm

True Rooster, but the point is that Trimble was on from the start. Head looked the part, but I don't think he could be picked just because he showed up well in the short time he was on amid all the other changes. The match had ,to a certain extent, become an irrelevant farce by that time - just a practice run-out.

I just wish we hadn't to pay a tenner for it!!

Rooster · Post by **Rooster** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:07 pm

Agree with what you say Gaz, but Head was probably the only one of the new replacements who did not look out of his depth in the second half.

ding dong2u · Post by **ding dong2u** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 12:15 pm

I can understand McCall wanting to give as many players a run out in these games as possible but the downside is that if we were to lose again on Friday then confidence would be dented as he admitted it was after two friendly defeats. I for one don't think that we can afford to lose Friday's game for exactly that reason. There is no way on earth we should accept the possibility of a Div 1 team from England coming here and winning at Ravenhill