Ulster squad additions

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All things relating to Ulster squad changes

geoff998rugby wrote:Rory that is my thinking

We are looking for a backrower
We have strong connections with the Sharks
They have more backrowers than they need and some are out of contract

It all fits

Notch wrote:
This is how rumours get started;

rodders wrote:Are we definitely intent on signing an NIQ backrower? Is the any reason we aren't considering an IQ player?

Ideally I think we should be looking to get an IQ and an NIQ back rower. The problem is none of the good IQ players seem keen on coming up north. What IQ would you go for rodders out of interest?

Theres loads around Rory...

In an ideal world in order: Sean O'Brien, Shane Jennings, Kevin McLauglin, Rhys Ruddock, Niall Ronan or Dom Ryan.

In the real world Muldoon or O'Conner from Connacht might be tempted to play HEC rugby.

Muldoon has turned us down before and that was long before Connacht made their Heineken Cup debut.

Jeebus is there anyone who hasn't turned us down?!

There must be some decent AIL players?

No southern would come - we have tried at least three.
If one did I don't think we would sign a NIQ player.

My assessment is we have given up trying to sign a southern based player.

I disagree about Henry to me he is a 6/7. His days as an 8 are long gone.

In other former Ulster player news David McIlwaine has just signed for Bristol for next year, had a great season with Doncaster and making the step into the AP for next year.

Might be the making of him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/17830246

Keeping the rumour mill going:

-Daniel Braid is out of contract at Blues this year.
-There's obviously comunication channels with the Blues (Afoa/Payne/Kaino)
-Braid is the captain of Auckland in the ITM cup so would have a good relationship with Anscombe

What do you think?

Ok, we'll take him!

Braid I mean, so can we get this done by the weekend please.

Notch wrote:Muldoon has turned us down before and that was long before Connacht made their Heineken Cup debut.

Sure Connacht will be in the HEC next season anyway!

ReadBetweenthePosts wrote:Keeping the rumour mill going:

-Daniel Braid is out of contract at Blues this year.
-There's obviously comunication channels with the Blues (Afoa/Payne/Kaino)
-Braid is the captain of Auckland in the ITM cup so would have a good relationship with Anscombe

What do you think?

I looked into the auckland connection before, but Braid is over 30... Is that allowed

toml wrote:

ReadBetweenthePosts wrote:Keeping the rumour mill going:

-Daniel Braid is out of contract at Blues this year.
-There's obviously comunication channels with the Blues (Afoa/Payne/Kaino)
-Braid is the captain of Auckland in the ITM cup so would have a good relationship with Anscombe

What do you think?

I looked into the auckland connection before, but Braid is over 30... Is that allowed

Hmm.. as far as I know it would allowed, but subject to the same 1 year restriction that put Pedrie off re-signing.

Anyone seen this

http://rugby-transfers.blogspot.co.uk/2011/09/ulster-2012-13.html

looks to be untresting



INS

Roger Wilson (N8, Northampton)
Tommy Bowe (WG, Ospreys)

OUTS
Niall Annett (HK, Bristol)
Andy Kyriacou (HK, Cardiff Blues)
Willie Faloon (FL, Connacht)
Pedrie Wannenburg (N8, Castres)
James McKinney (FH, Bristol)
Ian Whitten (CT, Exeter)
Simon Danielli (WG)

McKinney seems an interesting one. Fly-halves don't go on trees these days and if, as it seems, IHumph isn't deemed up to scratch these days perhaps offloading IHumph and promoting McKinney to Jacksons understudy might have been the ticket?

Jackson already seems to be on the cusp of overtaking Humphreys, with Pienaar the matchday backup 10.

I wont trust that site it just picks up rumours from places like this.

Indeed Geoff. Where else would anyone go to get the up to date info?

Anyway I can't see us losing two hookers. So if Andi is pi&&ing (sorry) off to Cardiff, then Annett will most likely be staying.

Annett is staying.

As I said Cronin and Barker are away

Rava wrote:Indeed Geoff. Where else would anyone go to get the up to date info?

Anyway I can't see us losing two hookers. So if Andi is pi&&ing (sorry) off to Cardiff, then Annett will most likely be staying.

I think it is a good move. We should always be looking to bring through the youth, and though Andi and big Nige have been good they are both old, so one needs to go.

Annett has been looking good. Bring of the bench when Rory is away we'll be sucking diesel in terms of bringing guys through.

Not a squad addition but white smoke is suggesting that Diack seems to have a bit of an epiphany (inkeeping with our religious make up ).

He has realized he needs to set up a level, his body language is better.
This can be seen in the last two games where he has outperformed Faloon.

A revitalized Diack would make our backrow options a lot better for next year

Ferris, Henry, Wilson, NIQ, Diack
cover - Birch, Joyce, McCormish

i'm glad- Diack at one stage was first choice, remember McLaughlin rejigging the backrow in Biarritz so that we could have him, Ferris and Wannenburg all on the pitch?

He's stalled but there's no doubt the talent is there. He should be pushing for a first team place next year.

geoff998rugby wrote:Not a squad addition but white smoke is suggesting that Diack seems to have a bit of an epiphany (inkeeping with our religious make up ).

He has realized he needs to set up a level, his body language is better.
This can be seen in the last two games where he has outperformed Faloon.

A revitalized Diack would make our backrow options a lot better for next year

Maybe I'm being cynical but Diacks form dipped alarmingly when we signed Pedrie and now that Pedries confirmed as moving on he refinds his Mojo....... a coincidence?

He was a big player before Wannenburg arrived and maybe now he sees and opportunity to recapture that position?

Either way there's no excuse for his poor attitude and lethargic form for the past two seasons.

I thought Diack was very good the last game. I was shocked when I saw him run through O'Brien

We have a NIQ slot to fill.

I see Warriors have just released Rob Dewey

rodders wrote: Maybe I'm being cynical but Diacks form dipped alarmingly when we signed Pedrie and now that Pedries confirmed as moving on he refinds his Mojo....... a coincidence?

He was a big player before Wannenburg arrived and maybe now he sees and opportunity to recapture that position?

Either way there's no excuse for his poor attitude and lethargic form for the past two seasons.

Given the money Wilson is on he will not be first choice 8.

However he could well become Ferris backup - a roll in which he would get plenty of game time.

geoff998rugby wrote:We have a NIQ slot to fill.

I see Warriors have just released Rob Dewey

Feic away off Geoff, that's not even funny

I am very pleased that Diack is showing a bit of form. He was well on the up before Wannenberg arrived. I am a fan, so I do hope can nail down a spot next season.

Wilson and Henry are just a little short/small for a top level 8. Henry seems to be a 7 nowadays.

Wilson got to a HC final last year as a 1st choice 8, but I think Ulster will want someone ahead of him if they want to continue to progress.

Diack is playing well, and 8 is his chosen position (I think) But again, Ulster will want someone ahead of him if they want to continue to progress.

So the new NIQ will want to be good at 8.

As I said the money Wilson is on he will be a starter - he will be one of the 10 best paid players at the club.

My money is on a Saffer 6/7

The rumour mill seems to have kicked in on various forums, just to fill the vacuum really; seems it's all more speculation than anything concrete but hoping for a good signing to help us keep pushing forward.

geoff998rugby wrote:As I said the money Wilson is on he will be a starter - he will be one of the 10 best paid players at the club.

My money is on a Saffer 6/7

The club have made their first major transfer mistake in a couple of seasons then.

Jeebus christ it wasn't so long ago how we were all saying, and I mean people from here on 606v1 how Robbie Diack was so much better and younger than Wilson.

Now its like the prodigal son returns or something ...he was a fairly good 20 someting no 8 when he left and now hes a fairly good 30 something no 8, he must have the best agent in the world if hes one of our top earners .

Rodders he was a very good player when he left us. He's still a very good player now.
I don't know if any of you watched Saints v Exeter on the weekend. His link play and ball carrying were exceptional.

He's returning a better player. He's proven himself to be a number 8 capable of performing at the highest level in European club competition over the last couple of years- I have no problem with him starting next season as first choice.

He was a good player when he left, one of our most consistant players I agree and he's improved at Saints, albeit behind a very dominant tight 5 and he hasn't been as good as last season.

I'm glad hes returning and he'll be a good player for us again no doubt about it.

However the bar has been raised considerably since he left. He's not as good as Henry, he's certainly not as good as Pedrie and if both players were on form then he isn't as good a no 8 as Diack either in my opinion.

The idea that he'll be one of our top earners and a certain starter at 8 is a step backwards for us imo.

Well, what can we do? We can't keep Pedrie, wish we could, but we can't and thats just the way it is.

If we sign another top 6/7 then we have five good players competing for three spots; he'll start the season as a starter but if others do well he'll be overhauled. We'll probably have better depth next year IF the new signing is quality.

The reality is we can only sign 1 more NIQ backrower

The reality is no southerner will move north

The reality is we only had Henry, Ferris and Diack even remotely good enough to play 6/8 - he had a good negotiating position and he knew it.

For the record I think he is a better player than when he left.
He is a better 8 than Henry, Henry is a better 6/7 than Wilson and that is where we will see them play I reckon.

Notch wrote:
If we sign another top 6/7 then we have five good players competing for three spots;

Thats just it, they won't be competing for 3 spots if we need to get our moneys worth out of Wilson. There'll be very little competition there because we've boxed ourself in by paying over the odds for a guy who wouldn't be starting for us this season.

Someone mentioned shifting iHumph on instead of Mckinney. I disagree. iHumph regardless of ability is an Ulsterman through and through now. He will remain at ulster until he retires regardless of whether he's 1st/2nd/3rd choice.

The reality is our HC backrow next year will be Ferris, Wilson, NIQ signing Bench: Henry

Don't be silly. I think he will get lots of gametime but there will be rotation of the squad and he'll have to play well to earn a start in the big games.

We don't pick on salary, we pick on merit.

Shipping Humphreys on makes no sense - he is one of the lowest paid players in the squad - cheap as chips

geoff998rugby wrote:The reality is our HC backrow next year will be Ferris, Wilson, NIQ signing Bench: Henry

Henry on the bench and Wilson starting? Sorry if I'm the only one not excited about that......

Notch wrote:We don't pick on salary, we pick on merit.

According to Geoff we select on both and I'm inclined to agree.

I seriously doubt Mark Anscombe is coming over here to look at the highest paid 15 players and put them on the pitch- he'll pick what he sees as the best team. When a new coach comes in the pecking order gets shaken up; no-one knows how he's going to call it. I imagine Wilson and Henry will play pretty much every game they are available for in the Pro12 though.

Lets get real lads, we aren't just going to toss the form book out the window when it comes to Henry. They won't be directly competing it's true; it all depends what position our new player is in.

In all honesty, with Pedrie leaving we needed an Irish qualified backrower AND a non-Irish qualified backrower. And bear in mind McLaughlin, Ruddock and Muldoon have all turned us down. Could we have done better than Roger Wilson for the Irish qualified spot? Probably not.

No Notch but if theres a 50/50 call its not stretching to say that the club will want a return on their investment.

If it's a 50/50 call I'm fine with it. That suggests there's literally nothing between the two players. If one is clearly better he'll start.

I think Geoff is right when he says Henry will likely play flanker and Wilson 8. They'll be spending a lot of time in the same backrow next season.

I wouldnt be happy if Henry was benched for the HEC (form depending of course). To be honest, Notch mentioned the rumour mill above and of all the teams we are linked too (Blues and Sharks mainly) the only backrower of all of those teams i could honestly see being an established first choice in the sense that Pienaar/Muller are is Willem Alberts. The names like Deysel, Kanko, Daniel, Braid, Coetzee etc are all very good but imo they arent that calibre to automatically command a starting place.

A Ferris, HEnry, Wilson backrow will be very useful and all IQ

Notch wrote:In all honesty, with Pedrie leaving we needed an Irish qualified backrower AND a non-Irish qualified backrower. And bear in mind McLaughlin, Ruddock and Muldoon have all turned us down. Could we have done better than Roger Wilson for the Irish qualified spot? Probably not.

BINGO who are the IQ alternatives who would come to Ulster - can anyone thing of anybody ?

My point about salary is the simple one that on the salary he is getting he is clearly seen as a starter - that does not mean he will be picked regardless of performance.

With Wannenberg going he is the best 8 we have.
If we sign a decent NIQ flanker - overall we will be stronger in the backrow next year compared to this.

Standulstermen wrote:A Ferris, HEnry, Wilson backrow will be very useful and all IQ

I think its too slow for the HEC but time will tell. I hope you are right.

geoff998rugby wrote:
BINGO who are the IQ alternatives who would come to Ulster - can anyone thing of anybody ?

Neil Best..........

.....Or you take the bolder option and offer Wilson a smaller and in my opinion more realistic contract on the basis he's not a guaranteed starter in the HEC and put the faith in Birch and Henderson and keep Faloon.

rodders wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:A Ferris, HEnry, Wilson backrow will be very useful and all IQ

I think its too slow for the HEC but time will tell. I hope you are right.

If that's your best HC back row, it will get eaten in the HC by any of the top teams. Ferris is a god, the other 2 lads are very very good players but not top drawer.