Connacht vs Ulster, 21st September

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Connacht

15. Gavin Duffy
14. Fionn Carr
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Eoin Griffin
11. Matt Healy
10. Dan Parks
9. Kieran Marmion

1. Brett Wilkinson
2. Jason Harris-Wright
3. Nathan White
4. Michael Swift (captain)
5. Craig Clarke
6. Jake Heenan
7. Willie Faloon
8. John Muldoon

Replacements:

16. Sean Henry
17. Rodney Ah You
18. Ronan Loughney
19. Aly Muldowney
20. George Naoupu*
21. Paul O’Donohoe
22. Craig Ronaldson
23. Danie Poolman

Ulster

15. Jared Payne
14. David McIlwaine
13. Darren Cave
12. Luke Marshall
11. Michael Allen
10. Paddy Jackson
9. Ian Porter

1. Tom Court
2. Rob Herring
3. Declan Fitzpatrick
4. Johann Muller (c)
5. Iain Henderson
6. Roger Wilson
7. Chris Henry
8. Nick Williams

16. Niall Annett
17. Kyle McCall
18. Ricky Lutton
19. Lewis Stevenson
20. Robbie Diack
21. Paul Marshall
22. James McKinney
23. Craig Gilroy

I think cave scored a win tonight over Henshaw but that's weighed against one lad being 19 and one 27 odd. The potential is there in henshaw. Marshall answered some questions mind you. Needs to learn how to keep focus for the full 80 though

Heenan is looking like a great prospect, he was the one given the tough ask tackling big Nick Williams and i haven't seen him miss a tackle, he carried well himself too.

What happenned to Clarke? there was a huge drop in quality when Muldowney came on.

To be honest I thought muldowney was more conspicuous ball In hand than Clarke who I barely noticed. The former did knock on too much though. First start so no issue. I agree Heenan was good but he is a 7 essentially and reverted to that when Faloon went off and Connacht were beat at the breakdown. Not sure what Maurice Field was watching in that regard

Poor first half from Ulster, much better in the second half- pleased with the spirit to hold them out at the end. And pleased when we got that major line break we finished it well.

Iain Henderson, Michael Allen and Roger Wilson all impressed me this week. And of course Jared Payne who is one of the classiest operators in Europe. Too good to ignore once he becomes Irish qualified. Gilroy looked sharp and hungry for work and with Tommy Bowe due back next week we'll be getting stronger out wide... Rory Best coming back too.

Yeah Faloon going off was the turning point. Thought there was more power at scrum time with Clarke on, i noticed Muldowney only twice and he lost the ball in contact both time!

Good games from Allen, Hendo and Paul Marshall ... Payne looked class as usual and Herring played very well. Wilson and Henry were solid too. For Connacht Marmion and Swift stood out. Jackson showed character too in the second half after a shambolic first 40 min.

Just catching up on things after missing the 1st two rounds of the Rabo but Irish rugby looks in dire straights right now so this wasn't too bad a contest quality wise compared to Leinster and Munsters performances this weekend.

rodders wrote:Good games from Allen, Hendo and Paul Marshall ... Payne looked class as usual and Herring played very well. Wilson and Henry were solid too. For Connacht Marmion and Swift stood out. Jackson showed character too in the second half after a shambolic first 40 min.

Just catching up on things after missing the 1st two rounds of the Rabo but Irish rugby looks in dire straights right now so this wasn't too bad a contest quality wise compared to Leinster and Munsters performances this weekend.  

Everyone in Irish rugby is in transition phase. Ulster perhaps least of all. Leinster and Connacht new coaches in their first season with a lot of player changes and Munster still adapting to Penney's style of game. Even the national team is in transition with Schmidt taking over. It may be a season or 2 of hard lessons for Irish rugby but it has to happen.

Munster can't have any excuses. Penney and Anscombe have been in the job as long As each other. I don't think we Are in trouble though. Everyone else is fielding their lions and we are still mixing and matching with 3 teams in the top 6 .

Standulstermen wrote:Munster can't have any excuses. Penney and Anscombe have been in the job as long As each other. I don't think we Are in trouble though. Everyone else is fielding their lions and we are still mixing and matching with 3 teams in the top 6 .

Yep thats true, although I suppose you could say that Munster under Penney are going through a more radical change of game than Ulster and Anscombe.

I'm yet to be convinced by Allen, as he doesn't have the pace for wing nor the size for centre. Honest endeavour will only get him so far, and it's hard to see him progressing beyond being a squad filler. However he reminds me a lot of Ian Dowling, so if he makes the most of what he has - who knows he could still end up a HEC winner and have a couple of Ireland shirts.

I don't think anyone expects much more of Allen than that. He was excellent last night though and bar one glaring spilt ball against Glasgow was good

The Great Aukster wrote:I'm yet to be convinced by Allen, as he doesn't have the pace for wing nor the size for centre. Honest endeavour will only get him so far, and it's hard to see him progressing beyond being a squad filler. However he reminds me a lot of Ian Dowling, so if he makes the most of what he has - who knows he could still end up a HEC winner and have a couple of Ireland shirts.

He may not look all that big, but he is extremely physical. I would love to see him get a shot at 13.

rodders wrote:Good games from Allen, Hendo and Paul Marshall ... Payne looked class as usual and Herring played very well. Wilson and Henry were solid too. For Connacht Marmion and Swift stood out. Jackson showed character too in the second half after a shambolic first 40 min.

Just catching up on things after missing the 1st two rounds of the Rabo but Irish rugby looks in dire straights right now so this wasn't too bad a contest quality wise compared to Leinster and Munsters performances this weekend.  

Yeah I was thinking the same after the Munster and Leinster games and after Ulster's poor start to the season, I was starting to get worried. However I agree with Artful, all of the teams are in a transition phase and also due to the ridiculous IRFU player welfare system, we are often underpowered. A lot of younger players are given a chance and while many have great potential, it is harder for them to settle when they are all starting together at the same time. Especially against experienced campaigners.

However, last night again shown the quality we have in the youth. Hendy and Luke were absolutely fantastic. We have the likes of Olding to come back also. There are plenty of young talented players in Munster, Leinster and Connacht too. I just hope that Schmidt will be able to bring the best out of each of the 4 provinces. He seems to be getting himself involved in the provincial games anyway, which is good.

When's Dave McAllister back?

Paddy?

Was wondering who Dave was. Yeah what about Paddy the new loose tight head.

Pretty soon I think, on Paddy McAllister. The way Lutton and Fitzpatrick are going should be taken as a sign; two Irish tightheads in a scrum that has been performing very well indicate we don't need to move him away from his best position. If there's a weak link in our scrummaging in Ulster right now it's on the loosehead side were the new rules mean Tom Court has to bind long and the hit isn't as important, hence he's noticeably struggled this season with his height... you can see he's struggling to keep his arm straight and get the same power he used to. Or rather he's struggling to use his power in the same way. He's always been a bit on the tall side for a prop. We missed Callum Black last night tbh. Nuggety fella, Callum Black. Not flash but very effective and reliable.

As for Allen, all we really need for him to be is solid and reliable in the Pro12. I'm happy he's a solid squad player but he's not going to be ousting Gilroy, Trimble or Bowe when the big games come around. Injuries and IRFU player management schemes mean that the Michael Allens of this world are very important in games like this so don't knock them!

Thing is he's still quite youn so he isn't totally there yet.

I reckon he will continue to improve so who knows how good he will end up.

Ye I meant Paddy. I'm trying now to think where the hell I got Dave from.

? Were you getting his name muddled with the Munster LH Dave Kilcoyne?

Glasgow v Ulster final if you ask me.