The future's bright, so give us a Kiss

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Jesus. I looked in on this with 20 to go and we were leading. Wtf happened?!

[whatisthejava]

Bloody harsh, you basically gave up the ball for 30 mins and trusted youe defense and to be honest it was working ,

I think the ref did help you but them the breaks.

Then the fatboy scored in the corner, you kicked off, cocked up the restart and then that was it.

You guys still have the same problem as you can hold onto the ball endlessly but you dont have the strike runners to do anything good with it, you just batter the opposition and wait for a gap but sometimes that doesnt happen if the defending team dont commit to the rtucks as Beadeaux didnt do

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Bloody harsh, you basically gave up the ball for 30 mins and trusted youe defense and to be honest it was working ,

I think the ref did help you but them the breaks.

Then the fatboy scored in the corner, you kicked off, cocked up the restart and then that was it.

You guys still have the same problem as you can hold onto the ball endlessly but you dont have the strike runners to do anything good with it, you just batter the opposition and wait for a gap but sometimes that doesnt happen if the defending team dont commit to the rtucks as Beadeaux didnt do

Really? You think a squad with Bowe, Gilroy, Trimble, Olding and Payne lack strike runners? I didn't see Saturday's game but that's never been our issue.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

And it wasn't the issue on Sunday, Eugene. Tommy, Andrew, Stuart and Jarlath were all on excellent form going forward in the 1st heff; Ulster might easily have been further ahead at the interval. It was quite clear that Bordeaux changed their tactics in the 2nd period and came out with the intent of bludgeoning Ulster into submission - which they did. Take away the break-away at the end and you have a score that far better reflects how close Ulster came to withstanding the onslaught.

[Peat]

We've got a lot of runners who utilise space but not many guys who make it. I am personally now convinced that a fit McCloskey starts every big match for Ulster. Olding might be twice, ten times more talented, the most talented guy to ever play the game, but the reality is this team has very few bludgeons and the ones they have available must be used. Henderson can't do it all by himself.

I am beyond livid that two games in a row a winger's been allowed to slip around the kick chase and set off for try time.

Also, the accuracy right now is not good enough. A bit more accuracy and we win the last two but so sloppy.

[whatisthejava]

Bloody harsh, you basically gave up the ball for 30 mins and trusted youe defense and to be honest it was working ,

I think the ref did help you but them the breaks.

Then the fatboy scored in the corner, you kicked off, cocked up the restart and then that was it.

You guys still have the same problem as you can hold onto the ball endlessly but you dont have the strike runners to do anything good with it, you just batter the opposition and wait for a gap but sometimes that doesnt happen if the defending team dont commit to the rtucks as Beadeaux didnt do

Really? You think a squad with Bowe, Gilroy, Trimble, Olding and Payne lack strike runners? I didn't see Saturday's game but that's never been our issue.

Yup, I stand by it, under Kiss you guys hold onto the ball very well but can do 20 phases and achieve 5m. It happens far to often, your a big physical team but your strike rate is poor compared to how much possession you have.

Against beardeau u dominated the first half but had a single try for the effort and the vast amount of possession

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Bloody harsh, you basically gave up the ball for 30 mins and trusted youe defense and to be honest it was working ,

I think the ref did help you but them the breaks.

Then the fatboy scored in the corner, you kicked off, cocked up the restart and then that was it.

You guys still have the same problem as you can hold onto the ball endlessly but you dont have the strike runners to do anything good with it, you just batter the opposition and wait for a gap but sometimes that doesnt happen if the defending team dont commit to the rtucks as Beadeaux didnt do

Really? You think a squad with Bowe, Gilroy, Trimble, Olding and Payne lack strike runners? I didn't see Saturday's game but that's never been our issue.

Yup, I stand by it, under Kiss you guys hold onto the ball very well but can do 20 phases and achieve 5m. It happens far to often, your a big physical team but your strike rate is poor compared to how much possession you have.

Against beardeau u dominated the first half but had a single try for the effort and the vast amount of possession

I'm afraid that you're plain wrong.

[Spiffy]

And it wasn't the issue on Sunday, Eugene. Tommy, Andrew, Stuart and Jarlath were all on excellent form going forward in the 1st heff; Ulster might easily have been further ahead at the interval. It was quite clear that Bordeaux changed their tactics in the 2nd period and came out with the intent of bludgeoning Ulster into submission - which they did. Take away the break-away at the end and you have a score that far better reflects how close Ulster came to withstanding the onslaught.

Spot on - Ulster needs more nasty fat boys up front.
Also, a few of the big name backs are not playing up to snuff. There was little spark or invention behind the scrum (except for good old Andy Trimble).
Olding's being used as a bosher, Gilroy has not kicked on from two years ago and is now more show than go, Marshall looks rusty. As a unit they are not gelling.
Don't be surprised to see Schmidferbrains pick the old steadys, Henshaw and Payne, in midfield for the AB tests with Kearney at FB (though O'Halloran is by far the better FB at the moment.)
For the moment Ulster can only pick who they have and you have to think another humping is on the cards from the big Clermont team.

[whatisthejava]

Really? You think a squad with Bowe, Gilroy, Trimble, Olding and Payne lack strike runners? I didn't see Saturday's game but that's never been our issue.

Yup, I stand by it, under Kiss you guys hold onto the ball very well but can do 20 phases and achieve 5m. It happens far to often, your a big physical team but your strike rate is poor compared to how much possession you have.

Against beardeau u dominated the first half but had a single try for the effort and the vast amount of possession

I'm afraid that you're plain wrong.

Thats ok, its a free world, but i watch Ulster quite alot perhaps they are just better at holding it and refusing to kick away which squints it but i stand by my statement

Lots and lots of posession, not nearly enough tries for the possession they have , id say its a desire to run over the top of teams rather than around them

[Adder]

Bloody harsh, you basically gave up the ball for 30 mins and trusted youe defense and to be honest it was working ,

I think the ref did help you but them the breaks.

Then the fatboy scored in the corner, you kicked off, cocked up the restart and then that was it.

You guys still have the same problem as you can hold onto the ball endlessly but you dont have the strike runners to do anything good with it, you just batter the opposition and wait for a gap but sometimes that doesnt happen if the defending team dont commit to the rtucks as Beadeaux didnt do

Really? You think a squad with Bowe, Gilroy, Trimble, Olding and Payne lack strike runners? I didn't see Saturday's game but that's never been our issue.

Yup, I stand by it, under Kiss you guys hold onto the ball very well but can do 20 phases and achieve 5m. It happens far to often, your a big physical team but your strike rate is poor compared to how much possession you have.

Against beardeau u dominated the first half but had a single try for the effort and the vast amount of possession

How did you come up with Beardeau? (autocorrect ?) Were you going for Beaurdeau?

It's Bordeaux.

[whatisthejava]

I cant spell at the best of time so i pretty much give up

A bit like Eugenes argument

Boom

/giphy drop the mic

[SerjeantWildgoose]

I tend to spell like that when I've had a couple of bottles of Bord Ó.

[Adder]

I tend to spell like that when I've had a couple of bottles of Bord Ó.

Friday morning thought:

Bored Ho' ...

taxi

[hellovating]

awesome rendition of the the fields... hat doffed. pints owed.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Jaysus but yer wild idle. Here's a link.



Spine tingling stuff, indeed.

[Peat]

Yup, I stand by it, under Kiss you guys hold onto the ball very well but can do 20 phases and achieve 5m. It happens far to often, your a big physical team but your strike rate is poor compared to how much possession you have.

Against beardeau u dominated the first half but had a single try for the effort and the vast amount of possession

I'm afraid that you're plain wrong.

Thats ok, its a free world, but i watch Ulster quite alot perhaps they are just better at holding it and refusing to kick away which squints it but i stand by my statement

Lots and lots of posession, not nearly enough tries for the possession they have , id say its a desire to run over the top of teams rather than around them

That's almost the opposite of what I'm seeing. Ulster aren't big and physical, they're constantly trying to go around teams than over the top of them, and everyone knows it so there's not enough space out there. We create half-opportunities but aren't accurate enough to take most of them.

Strike runners aren't an issue. Big physical runners to create holes for them are.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

I was grabbing lunch in The Coffee Merchant today. There's 1 or 2 of the Ulster lads are pretty regular in the place (Jarlath virtually lives there), but Rodders Ahhh Ye! was in there today all knee-brace and huge. I asked him how he was getting on and when he'd be running out again and he said the end of the week. "Make it next week", says me, "sure an' we wouldn't want to be having to run all the way round ye on Friday".

[Eugene Wrayburn]

That's about the worst half of rugby from Ulster in a decade. No redeeming features. Thoroughly awful.

[SerjeantWildgoose]

Worse than the 2nd half last week?

[Eugene Wrayburn]

Worse than the 2nd half last week?

Much much much worse.

[hellovating]

touhy joining bristol will immediate effect...what's that about?

[SerjeantWildgoose]

He wants to get there and be bedded in before Pakkie Lam arrives

[Eugene Wrayburn]

touhy joining bristol will immediate effect...what's that about?

He's a sicknote who seems to have forgotten how to carry the ball without losing it in contact. I have no problem with him being let go. I'd have him as 4th choice lock at best. If that's the view of the coaches as well then letting him go off elsewhere is probably the decent thing to do, particularly if Bristol are stupid enough to pay a transfer fee.

[mcshinnertheligind]

Wow some 1st half !

[Spiffy]

Wow some 1st half !

Some second half too. Thought Ulster had let it go there but they hung on. Great games from Hederson and Jackson.