Ulster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors, 13 September

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Ulster Rugby v Glasgow Warriors
 
Friday 13th September 2013, KO 19:05
Ravenhill Stadium, Belfast
 
Referee: Ian Davies (WRU, 9th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Gary Conway, Kevin Beggs (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: John West (IRFU)
TMO: Peter Ferguson (IRFU)

Live on BBC NI and BBC ALBA
 
A. Teams:
 
1. Ulster  
 
15 J Payne
14 D McIlwaine
13 D Cave
12 L Marshall
11 M Allen
10 P Jackson
09 I Porter
 
01. C Black
02 R Herring
03 D Fitzpatrick
04 J Muller (Captain)
05 D Tuohy
06 R Wilson
07 S Doyle
08 N Williams
 
16. N Annett
17. T Court
18. R Lutton
19. I Henderson
20. C Henry
21. P Marshall
22. J McKinney
23.  R Andrew

 
2. Glasgow  
 
15. Stuart Hogg
14. Tommy Seymour
13. Sean Lamont
12. Mark Bennett
11. DTH van der Merwe
10. Ruaridh Jackson
9. Henry Pyrgos (Captain)
 
01. Ryan Grant  
02. Pat MacArthur
03. Ed Kalman
04. Tim Swinson
05. Jonny Gray
06. Rob Harley
07. Tyrone Holmes
08. Josh Strauss
 
16. Dougie Hall
17. Gordon Reid
18. Moray Low
19. James Eddie  
20. Chris Fusaro
21. Richie Vernon
22. Chris Cusiter
23. Gabriel Ascarate
 
B. Form - head to head:
 
27 Played 27
15 Wins 11
11 Losses 15
1 Draws 1
49 Tries 43
31 Conversions 29
71 Penalties 64
2 Drop Goals 7
526 Points 486
26 Avg. Age 26
 
C. Form - last season:
 
Friday 31 August 2012, 19:05: Ravenhill
Ulster Rugby 18 - 10 Glasgow Warriors
 
Friday 22 February 2013, 19:35: Scotstoun
Glasgow Warriors 20 - 14 Ulster Rugby
 
D. Glasgow fans lexicon:
 
Time on these boards has demonstrated that Glasgow fans use an uncommonly broad selection of nicknames and slang to describe the various members of their team.
 
For those unfamiliar with this gibberish:
 
Alphabetty Spaghetti - D.T.H. van der Merwe, wing
Angel - Gabriel Ascarate, centre
Angela - Jon Welsh, prop
Barry - Byron McGuigan, wing
Big Boab - (see Ginger Tackle Monster, the)
Big Mike - (see Coo, the)
Big Naka - Leone Nakarawa, lock/loosie
Bluto - Josh Strauss, loosie/no.8
Centre, the - (see Lesser Messiah, the)
Coo, the - Michael Cusack, prop
Cooseetah - (see Cus)
Cus - Chris Cusiter, scrum half
DTH - (see Alphabetty Spaghetti)
Flippy - (see Toonie)
Fozzy - Christopher Fusaro, loosie
Furra Lineeeee - Peter Horne, centre
Ginger Tackle Monster, the - Rob Harley, loosie
Guns - Tim Swinson, lock
Henners - Henry Pyrgos, scrum half
Hoggy - Stuart Hogg, full back/wing/centre
Ickle Jon - Jonny Gray, lock
Jedi - James Eddie, loosie
Lesser Messiah, the - Richie Vernon, loosie/no.8
Mark of Nazareth - (see Messiah, the)
Meatball, the - Duncan Weir, fly half
Messiah, the/   - Mark Bennett, centre
Niko - Nikola Matawalu, scrum half
Niko's Mate - Jerry Yanuyanutawa, prop
No Maits - Sean Maitland, wing
Rhubarb - Ruaridh Jackson, fly half
Ruck Inspector, the - Alastair Kellock, lock
Schlong - Sean Lamont, centre/wing
Sherlock - Tyrone Holmes, loosie
Shrek - Gordon Reid, prop
Toonie - Gregor Peter John Townsend MBE, head coach
Wee P - Pat MacArthur, hooker
Weegie from Fiji, the - (see Niko)

allyt2k wrote:Was at the Edinburgh game so couldn't watch the Glasgow v Ulster game, got it recorded is it worth watching?

Well done Glasgow    

Depends, if you're looking for a tackling masterclass then yes. Otherwise the last 5 minutes should do you nicely.

GLove39 wrote:

allyt2k wrote:Was at the Edinburgh game so couldn't watch the Glasgow v Ulster game, got it recorded is it worth watching?

Well done Glasgow    

Depends, if you're looking for a tackling masterclass then yes. Otherwise the last 5 minutes should do you nicely.

I'll probably watch it all then, see how far Edinburgh still need to go (where getting better it's just gonna take time).

Ally, it was unbelievable from an Ulster perspective. Still shaking with anger at the way we failed to close out the game.

We must have had upwards of 70% possession and probably more territory and we didn't score a single point in the second half!! Knocked the ball on with the tryline begging twice- held up over the line as well. Butchered try chances where it seemed easier to score than to not score.

I still do not know how we didn't win. As a game it's worth watching, but Glasgow were second best for 75 minutes then we let them back into the game with some soft tackling.

How we were in that position of being within a score, I do not know. On the balance of play, on another night we would be bemoaning not picking up the try bonus point. Tonight we didn't even score a try!

Freakish stuff.

Glasgow's second half defence was top drawer and they were clinical with the single chance they had.

Worked really hard to stop Ulster's big carriers from getting momentum and the scramble in wider channels was well organised.

Set-piece was the major issue all night, constantly inviting pressure on themselves with poor execution or game management.

Impressed by Swinson, Gray, Harley in the pack and thought the   showed up well in defence.

Townsend was smart with his bench; Reid, Fusaro, Cusiter and Eddie all played a big part in the great escape.

To come away with a win from Ravenhill and play that poorly is a major result for Glasgow.

I don;t know why we keep picking Michael Allen on the wing. In the Pro12 final he cost us a try because he had a clear run-in but didn't have the confidence to go for the corner. So, he cut back inside and got caught by the cover. Tonight he did the same thing- and there was the moment when he knocked the ball on with the tryline begging.

In his last two games for Ulster he's butchered three tries that should have been simple run-ins and we've lost both games by less than 7 points.

One to fifteen Ulster shaded the opposition, yet lost, Glasgow didn't do anything to deserve the win but OTOH Ulster deserved to lose. There was a serious lack of leadership at crucial times in the game. Ulster had so much dominance in the SH that all they needed was a DG when they were right in front of the posts on the 45 mark. They stupidly didn't take those crucial points and paid for it. The penalty Jackson missed should have been a scrum and would have been if the score had read 15-6. It was schoolboy errors and Glasgow must have thought Christmas was very early, but fair play to them they sniffed the opportunity and hung in to take it.

Humphreys/Anscombe can shout to the dressing room all they like but if they had recruited a Gopperth rather than an O'Connor or McKinney, Jackson wouldn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders and Ulster would be seriously competing for silverware.

No Ruan no win

Firstly I'd like to say it was an enjoyable game to watch with great intensity in that second half especially. It annoys me to hear the 'rabo isn't taken seriously' crowd talking the league down 24/7.


Both teams looked a little rusty but thats to be expected at this early stage of the season. Glasgow really put their bodies on the line and were really stretched on many occasions but Ulster couldn't break them down. Ulster were very sloppy at times in finishing but they did control the game very well.


Glasgow stole that match but they are a tough team and put their bodies on the line to get the win.

Great win for the Warriors.   Rhuaridh, Jedi and Harley all performed. Thought the line out and scrum gave Ulster no problems whatsoever. Hogg looked seriously undercooked. Despite all that this win speaks volumes for the character of the squad. Winning ugly at places like Ravenhill is what makes good teams champions. A fantastic result which in its own way is as satisfying as putting 51pts on Munster.

Apologies again to non Weegie readers.
Have spent the week wondering whether I looked good against a weak side or if Bigson's training is making a difference. Have managed not to train at all this week and am feeling very Bridget Jones, overweight and self-loathing. Our "easy win" came at the cost of two first team regulars "doing" knee ligaments. As a result Bigson is in the Firsts, his first full game in the second row and it's a cup match so should be full on. Will I be able to concentrate on my own game? We're playing London Lithuanians so I expect 15 Jim Hamilton/Waggas and a lot of smashing it up the middle. The Firsts will probably nick at least three forwards to cover the injuries so we'll have a makeshift pack at best. Bigson might be in the best place after all. Oh, and it's the club Funday so Smallson, who has just joined the under 11's, and MrsPip, who hasn't, will probably be watching. What could go wrong?

Morning all, last night's win looks even better now that I'm slightly more sober. The big positive for me, apart from winning, is the constant desire to run the ball and play rugby; Toonie certainly had his eyes open when he played in France. The big negative is how little threat we presented at set pieces on their ball. In very poor throwing conditions we never looked like stealing one on their throw. I've got a sneaky feeling this season will be better than last, ditto MFL where Mother Superior seems to be nudging them in the right direction.
Spotted Stuart Hogg on the club web site saying, "I'm young and I've got balls of energy on the training pitch" Perhaps Ian Bru would like to contextualise that one for us.

Poor throwing conditions?

MrsP wrote:Poor throwing conditions?

Dry night, no wind...  

Is the reception going on my telly? I thought it was raining. Mind you it was after midnight and a rather nice Tempranillo, jeez I've come over all MFL.

Raining????

It NEVER rains at Ravenhill on a Friday night!!!!

Stats make for interesting reading from last night. Got them off ESPN (cheers Mrs P).
Glasgow made a whopping 145 tackles! Although according to ESPN we also has 100% possession! So not sure quite how accurate those stats are...

I thought Ruaridh Jackson had a good game last night. Great wee pass for the try and seemed pretty solid all round. Surprised that Hoggy was taking the kicking duties as Jacko seems to have found his kicking boots over the last few months.

Also, the impact that Cusiter and Jackson had last week was the difference against Cardiff although Cusiter had a few dodgy moments this week.

MrsP wrote:Raining????

It NEVER rains at Ravenhill on a Friday night!!!!

watching quins v nh last night also. was mad to see ravenhill dry for the 1st time in a decade while the stoop in sunny London was washed out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24092250?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook

Not a very happy coach. Not very happy at all. Training will be interesting for the lads this week.

This game is frustrating because it wasn't like we were battering away at them without breaking down the Glasgow defence. We did break down their defence. Seven clean line breaks, two occasions were we did all the hard work and all Marshall/Allen had to do was catch the blydi ball and flop over the line to score the simple try. We should have scored at least three and won easily. I don't know why we couldn't finish those gilt-edged chances off. We were presented with the rugby equivalent of open goals on several occasions.

Ooooooh!

There may be a few bad words used in training in the next week.

 

We need Stuart Olding or Paddy Wallace back at 12 too, Luke Marshall is whole-hearted but all he's offering right now is bosh.

Yeah. Pretty gutting but thats sport. we know how zebre and treviso felt last season what we mugged them.

Fair play to glasgow they hung in there and took their chance. Some good defence and some good fortune/poor execution went for them.

Reading between the lines i would expect to see Olding and Gilroy come in for Marshall and Allen. Depends who is available i suppose. Positive is that Glasgow are a top side and we dominated them more than i thought we would. On another night we put a score up.

Just on the mention of booing there was some at the end of the first half when Hogg was kicking. I dont think it was for the kick itself. Anyone any idea? Have to say i was disappointed in my fellow terrace dwellers last night. Very little support coming from that part of the ground

What's the crack with paddy wallace? Is he still on the books or is he still injured?

Injured.

Notch wrote:We need Stuart Olding or Paddy Wallace back at 12 too, Luke Marshall is whole-hearted but all he's offering right now is bosh.

On the performance last night I agree (though he did actually got over the gain line each time) but honestly he had little opportunities to create anything. Our tactics in general seemed to be bosh tactics.

I would like to see Stuart start at 12 for the next game though if he is available, to show what he can do.

MrsP wrote:Ooooooh!

There may be a few bad words used in training in the next week.

 

Unfortunately MrsP from what I know that is the usual coaching method from Anscombe. Shouting and yelling seems to be his coaching method rather than siding with his players (which Brian McLaughlin seemed to do very well) and I am not sure his communication with the players is working. He is not the most constructive coach.

In other words, I am not that impressed at the minute.

For me Marshalls general play was ok but apart from the dropped ball there was an instance in the first half when we had a massive overlap in their 22 and all the ball needed to be was shipped on and he got caught.

The glasgow player did really well but watching the replay Marshall had ample time to get the pass off and didnt. I actually dont mind Anscombe and i certainly dont mind dishing out a bollicking as it has been deserved this season. I certainly wouldnt side with the players after the first two games. There are certain standards to be met and they themselves have set them. Time to live up to them.

Anscombe wont get another contract if our fortunes dont turn around but on the basis of last night i dont think he should take any blame. These guys should know how to catch a ball or when to execute basic numbers. Didnt realise that about the glasgow kick at the first half. Agree with everything you say there Notch. If fit olding deserves his shot and in fairness we look an awful lot better with Darren Cave in our backline too

Standulstermen wrote:Just on the mention of booing there was some at the end of the first half when Hogg was kicking. I dont think it was for the kick itself. Anyone any idea? Have to say i was disappointed in my fellow terrace dwellers last night. Very little support coming from that part of the ground

It was because the referee turned around to talk to someone and he marched the ball forward five yards from the mark. Got away with it too- booing for that and more specifically the Assistant Referee who sat and watched him do it  

I like Michael Allen, but the guy is not a winger. He tries hard, he's solid defensively and his all round game is good but he has no instinct for the tryline. His first instinct is to cut back inside- he doesn't have the confidence to back his pace. Every time he has a sniff of the tryline he goes to bits. You need to have some killer instinct to be a good winger at this level. 2 or 3 times you were left thinking if we had Trimble, Gilroy or Bowe on instead of him it would have been a certain try. But he butchered every chance that came his way. The rest of his game was good.

Standulstermen wrote:For me Marshalls general play was ok but apart from the dropped ball there was an instance in the first half when we had a massive overlap in their 22 and all the ball needed to be was shipped on and he got caught.

The glasgow player did really well but watching the replay Marshall had ample time to get the pass off and didnt.

He didn't do very well there either, agreed. He does seem to lack a bit of confidence with his playmaking skills at the minute.

Standulstermen wrote:The glasgow player did really well but watching the replay Marshall had ample time to get the pass off and didnt.

He doesn't think enough. He takes the ball on himself almost always. He has all the skills in terms of his passing and off-loading, but he just doesn't yet have the rugby brain to put it all together. Thats where we miss Wallace and indeed Olding. They take the right option more often than not.

Notch wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:The glasgow player did really well but watching the replay Marshall had ample time to get the pass off and didnt.

He doesn't think enough. He takes the ball on himself almost always. He has all the skills in terms of his passing and off-loading, but he just doesn't yet have the rugby brain to put it all together. Thats where we miss Wallace and indeed Olding. They take the right option more often than not.

For me it seems to be the opposite Notch. I think he overthinks and panics. He needs to calm down a bit. Maybe with the added pressure of Olding now he is trying too hard. He just needs to compose himself a bit better.

Watching Castres-Toulon, Matawalu, Maitland, DTH and co should run havoc through these tired mercenaries.

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

MrsP wrote:Ooooooh!

There may be a few bad words used in training in the next week.

 

Unfortunately MrsP from what I know that is the usual coaching method from Anscombe.  Shouting and yelling seems to be his coaching method rather than siding with his players (which Brian McLaughlin seemed to do very well) and I am not sure his communication with the players is working.  He is not the most constructive coach.

In other words, I am not that impressed at the minute.

Don't think it's a problem if we have someone else to play Good Cop.

The things we got wrong last night are the difference between a team that wins trophies and a team that wins nothing. If the players are talking about silverware and still making these errors after a season where we shot ourselves in the foot when we had two great chances to win a trophy, they need a reality check.

Whether they respond by upping their game or if the same failings continue will show whether this group of players have what it takes mentally, I think it will take us a few more years to mature enough to be the team we think we are.

Notch wrote:

Rory_Gallagher wrote:

MrsP wrote:Ooooooh!

There may be a few bad words used in training in the next week.

 

Unfortunately MrsP from what I know that is the usual coaching method from Anscombe.  Shouting and yelling seems to be his coaching method rather than siding with his players (which Brian McLaughlin seemed to do very well) and I am not sure his communication with the players is working.  He is not the most constructive coach.

In other words, I am not that impressed at the minute.

Don't think it's a problem if we have someone else to play Good Cop.

The things we got wrong last night are the difference between a team that wins trophies and a team that wins nothing. If the players are talking about silverware and still making these errors after a season where we shot ourselves in the foot when we had two great chances to win a trophy, they need a reality check.

Whether they respond by upping their game or if the same failings continue will show whether this group of players have what it takes mentally, I think it will take us a few more years to mature enough to be the team we think we are.

Not every player responds the same way though, and sometimes encouragement rather than criticism is needed.  Constant criticism and yelling is just going to destroy some players mentally.  You may say that this proves they do not have what it takes, but the reality is there are some very talented players who do not respond well to those sort of coaching methods.

What McLaughlin did right was build good relationships between both the coaching staff and the players, build an effective team, and he gained a lot of respect from his players.  He was on their side.  He got results, and was immediately dropped.

I'm not sure Anscombe is building nearly the same respect from his team that McLaughlin had built.  His methods are a world apart.

Yes Allen and Marshall made mistakes but the real problem is Ulster's game management - Ulster haven't learned to win boring. Not to score a single point in the second half was just criminal. It was up to the pack to force penalties the way they had in the first half to build a lead, but suddenly everyone was running with the ball rather than focused on their job.

Running with the ball in the opponents 22- whatever next. I think we could have used more composure, but if the opposition side aren't conceding penalties they aren't conceding penalties.

I think that's were you have to credit Glasgows defence aukster. They kept their shape even when we got in behind them and made yards and when we were picking and going they stood up and were counted.

The flip side of that is the space opens up out wide and we exploited it until the final pass on 3 occasions. If we took two or three of those opportunities we are talking about a good performance. If Jackson had kicked the last penalty we are talking about a good win.

Small margins and being clinical is the issue. Yes we rely on our Gilroys,trimbles and bowes but what we saw was guys not doing the simple things in the end. It was kind of like ireland v Scotland in the 6N

It was insane how many opportunities we created in the first 35 minutes of the second half. Enough to bury the game. And the pack was essential in doing that- but the whole team from 1-15 switched off in the last 5 minutes and thats what Anscombe will drag them over hot coals for.

Evening all. After disgracing myself by being unable to focus on the T.V. and discern the meteorological conditions let me say Ulster were damned unlucky. Although you do make your own luck to a large extent. I'll disagree with Vince; on an off day Toulon are beatable but when they are on song they are close to unbeatable. Just like the Ulstermen at fortress Ravenhill.

Now the italics bit. London Lithuanians were an eye-opener. I had expected big lumps but they had not one ounce of body fat between them. They were big and aggressive and ran straight. Like 15 kiwi flankers, but the accents were easier on the ear.( about three of them spoke English) They were a tight-knit team and well worth their win. After the game and handshakes we made a tunnel and cheered them off. They made a tunnel and as we walked through instead of handshakes and pats on the back gave us shoulder charges. It was very funny and affectionate in a rough and manly sort of way! Bigson made his debut for the Firsts and I don't think we'll see him in the Seconds for some time. On the one hand I'm chuffed for him, but on the other...
I thought I did very little in the 40 minutes I played, but then over a pint three of the youngsters who debuted said when an early hospital pass floated lazily out to me they watched my opposite number launch himself at me while the ball was mid air and some distance away, " He's dead, he'll never get up from that". Seemed to sum it up. But when the Baltic missile bounced of me and the ref blew for an early tackle not only was I still standing but I applauded him back to his feet. I'm not sure he understood, "Is that the best ye'v got pal?" But it certainly helped those callow youths overlook an otherwise indifferent performance. You can fool some of the people some of the time... Next week it's our local derby/grudge match and if I don't put in some extra training I'll get found out. Can I lose two stone by then?

jimbopip wrote:I'll disagree with Vince; on an off day Toulon are beatable but when they are on song they are close to unbeatable. Just like the Ulstermen at fortress Ravenhill.
 [/i]

Near the end of last season Glasgow were close to unbeatable too! Toulon didn't impress me at all i know they can be brutal but i got the feeling Glasgow are a bad matchup for them.

On yesterday, thought Jonny Gray looks the real deal, seems to me more suited to 2nd row than 'show pony' Richie! Give him 2-3 years and i can see him starting for Scotland.
Holmes is a very good signing he was a tackling machine, and those were some good hits, him and Harley form a great defensive backrow.
Hogg was terrible, one of his worst performance ever i guess.

Does anyone remember the huge tackle Harley put in on Williams? He went high, at his chest, and stopped him in his tracks. It was fantastic, I had never seen anyone do that before (at least not without some assistance). I rate Harley a lot.

I remember that tackle, yes! He did a similar one on big Nick on exactly the same fixture last year!
He is a cracking player to have in your team when the opposition has the ball, he seems to be improving his ball carrying too, which is great.

Watched the whole match last night and whilst it was lacking in control and skills at times, I found it completely compelling. Ulster didn't need an opposition - they did pretty well all by themselves. Couple of things:
 
1. Nobody is disputing that the Ulster side of the end of last season would, all other things being equal, have put that game away by half time.
 
2. But then again, the Glasgow side of the end of last season would not have been in that position. Both teams were missing a number of key players - Ulster probably more so without Pienaar, Trimble, Afoa, Best or Bowe - but neither side could be said to be approaching full strength. I counted arguably seven first XXIII players for Glasgow who weren't there, including very influential guys like Horne, Cusack, Maitland and Niko.
 
3. It has been well reported above that Glasgow didn't win this so much as Ulster lost it. I think that's fair comment. The thing is, though, well organised defences bring lack of time and space to execute and the pressure that the Glasgow defensive line brought was evident in every single play of the game.
 
4. Last season was long and hard and I don't think I've ever seen so many players on both sides off colour at this stage of the new season. I include Stuart Hogg in that, who was as anonymous as I have ever seen him since he started for Glasgow.
 
5. Ulster don't need to do anything different (apart from bring Olding in, whom I really rate). They just need to start gelling again. I expect this to happen in the next 1-2 games. I'm certainly glad that we played them now.

Notch wrote:Running with the ball in the opponents 22- whatever next. I think we could have used more composure, but if the opposition side aren't conceding penalties they aren't conceding penalties.

Penalties come with pressure, and full credit to Glasgow for maintaining their discipline. However there were times when Ulster took their foot off the Glasgow neck by trying to exploit gaps that simply weren't there, resulting in lost territory or turnover. My main gripe is that just after halftime when Ulster had been battering away for a few minutes in front of the Glasgow posts and not getting anywhere they should have gone for a drop goal. Extending their lead to nine points at such a crucial time would have sapped the Warriors' will and allowed them to build a lead. Even if they had missed with the kick it would have shown the intent to the Weegie backrowers, who then would have something else to think about other than tackling.

The drop goal is a scoring mechanism that Ulster don't use, even when the game is crying out for it, and ignoring that particular points stream is poor game management.