Ulster v Cardiff Blues 23rd October 2015 19:35 Kingspan Stadium

Ulster's last six matches have all been won by the home side on the day whilst they are unbeaten at Kingspan Stadium in the Guinness PRO12 in their last 13 fixtures since Leinster were the visitors in May 2014.

If they avoid defeat this weekend Ulster will equal their best ever home unbeaten run in the PRO12 set over a decade ago.

Should Cardiff Blues lose this game they will complete a clean sweep of losses away to Irish Provinces over the last four rounds.

The Blues most recent victory outside Wales in the PRO12 came when they visited Zebre in the opening round last season.

Ulster's solo defeat to Blues in their last six fixtures was 23-28 at BT Sport Cardiff Arms Park in March 2014 whilst the Welshmen have not been victorious in Belfast since April 2010.

At Kingspan Stadium, 7.35pm. Live on BBC Sport NI
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (WRU, 11th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Nigel Correll, Paul Haycock (both IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Eddie Walsh (IRFU)
TMO: Brian MacNeice (IRFU)

Previous Meetings

27/3/15 Ulster Rugby 36 - 17 Cardiff Blues 16,413
19/9/14 Cardiff Blues 9 - 26 Ulster Rugby 7,041
29/3/14 Cardiff Blues 28 - 23 Ulster Rugby 7,084

Read more at http://www.pro12rugby.com/matchcentre/18127.php#x2VW6viAHeWM4be1.99

Spoke to my Ulsterman "mate" this week. Nice kid, but a right dime bar. He swore this game was on Saturday and not Friday. How we all laughed.

Surely the game will be televised on Saturday at 4pm to offer an alternative to proper rugby connoisseurs?

Cardiff Dave wrote:Spoke to my Ulsterman "mate" this week. Nice kid, but a right dime bar. He swore this game was on Saturday and not Friday. How we all laughed.

Ulster play all their home games on a Friday night.

Ulster demanding to play on a Friday evening???
IRFU employed assistant officials???
Worst of all ULSTER HAVE HOME ADVANTAGE....

It a conspiracy against the whinge.....I mean Welsh. The Irish sides have these game stacked in their favour as usual.

Hold it, a Welsh referee? This is a conspiracy against Ulster, how can this happen, he's obviously going to favour Cardiff. Hos can this be fair

Pete330v2 wrote:Ulster demanding to play on a Friday evening???
IRFU employed assistant officials???
Worst of all ULSTER HAVE HOME ADVANTAGE....

It a conspiracy against the whinge.....I mean Welsh. The Irish sides have these game stacked in their favour as usual.

Hold it, a Welsh referee? This is a conspiracy against Ulster, how can this happen, he's obviously going to favour Cardiff. Hos can this be fair

Grow up sweetheart.

LordDowlais wrote:

Pete330v2 wrote:Ulster demanding to play on a Friday evening???
IRFU employed assistant officials???
Worst of all ULSTER HAVE HOME ADVANTAGE....

It a conspiracy against the whinge.....I mean Welsh. The Irish sides have these game stacked in their favour as usual.

Hold it, a Welsh referee? This is a conspiracy against Ulster, how can this happen, he's obviously going to favour Cardiff. Hos can this be fair

Grow up sweetheart.

Pot - Kettle etc

Infathomable!!!!

Ulster: Louis Ludik; Andrew Trimble, Sammy Arnold, Stuart McCloskey, Craig Gilroy; Ian Humphreys, Paul Marshall; (1-8): Callum Black, Rob Herring (captain), Wiehahn Herbst, Lewis Stevenson, Franco van der Merwe, Roger Wilson, Sean Reidy, Nick Williams;


Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Ricky Lutton, Peter Browne, Willie Faloon, David Shanahan, Paddy Jackson, Darren Cave.

Why Humphreys? Nelson pushed out because Humphreys is recovered from injury? Hope not.

Tuohy and L Marshall both injured. No Diack...

Another glorious win for Ulster at home, before we get stuffed by Munster away...or will Kiss have arrived by then to save us from this dross?

Referee Ben Whitehouse has reffed four games this year - all home wins. He has awarded 5 yellow cards, four to the away team.

His sole home yellow card came in the 78th minute for Connacht whilst they already had the game won.

Cardiff Blues: 15 Dan Fish, 14 Aled Summerhill, 13 Tom Isaacs, 12 Adam Thomas, 11 Richard Smith, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Tavis Knoyle; 1 Sam Hobbs, 2 Matthew Rees, 3 Craig Mitchell, 4 Lou Reed, 5 James Down, 6 Cam Dolan, 7 Josh Turnbull, 8 Josh Navidi (c)

Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Thomas Davies, 18 Taufa'ao Filise, 19 Chris Dicomidis, 20 Macauley Cook, 21 Lewis Jones, 22 Jarrod Evans, 23 Garyn Smith

I'd say that's a Cardiff team containing only 4 or 5 first choice players.

That, with Ulster being a tidy team, and with Whitehouse's record, it should be a 5-0 tomorrow.

I would think so. The way we have been playing away we really need the extra point. I'm hoping anyway.

If things become too heated during the game, Cardiff can always take half a lock and half a blindside off and get everyone to Cam Down?

The Great Aukster wrote:If things become too heated during the game, Cardiff can always take half a lock and half a blindside off and get everyone to Cam Down?

A swing and a miss!

LordDowlais wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:Spoke to my Ulsterman "mate" this week. Nice kid, but a right dime bar. He swore this game was on Saturday and not Friday. How we all laughed.

Ulster play all their home games on a Friday night.

I tried telling him, but he wasn't having any of it. Maybe his memory was off.
Remembered the Nick Williams/Rhys Patchell incident however.

The Great Aukster wrote:If things become too heated during the game, Cardiff can always take half a lock and half a blindside off and get everyone to Cam Down?

Must try harder - C minus.

PhilBB wrote:Referee Ben Whitehouse has reffed four games this year - all home wins. He has awarded 5 yellow cards, four to the away team.

His sole home yellow card came in the 78th minute for Connacht whilst they already had the game won.

Not the filth again. Haven't they got something better to do?

PhilBB wrote:I'd say that's a Cardiff team containing only 4 or 5 first choice players.

That, with Ulster being a tidy team, and with Whitehouse's record, it should be a 5-0 tomorrow.

Think I need reminding who is "first choice" at Cardiff these days.

Cardiff Dave wrote:

PhilBB wrote:I'd say that's a Cardiff team containing only 4 or 5 first choice players.

That, with Ulster being a tidy team, and with Whitehouse's record, it should be a 5-0 tomorrow.

Think I need reminding who is "first choice" at Cardiff these days.

Anscombe, Cuthbert, Allen, Lee Lo, James, Patchell, Williams
Vosawai, Warburton, Dolan, Hoeata, Down, Mitchell, Dacey, Jenkins

Knoyle, Isaacs, Scully
Hobbs, Rees, Andrews, Reed, Navidi

Is Scully injured, or on holiday?

Thank fiec we have some fly halves this week - I couldn't bear to watch Nelson at 10 a minute longer... hopefully the ABs will KO the boks so we can have Pienar back...

Yeah, Humphs is a real step up from Nelson

Hmmmm, Ian Humps isn't anything I thank feic for but hey, who knows, perhaps he'll have a great game and even make a few tackles. I mean who ever knows

More chance of wee Marshall becoming a prop

mikey_dragon wrote:Is Scully injured, or on holiday?

Holiday

Munchkin wrote:More chance of wee Marshall becoming a prop

Sadly true

Munchkin wrote:Yeah, Humphs is a real step up from Nelson

Humphs can pass in one direction (sorry hope no Belfast giant fans on here ) at least...

PhilBB wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:Is Scully injured, or on holiday?

Holiday

With Mitchell staying fit (touch wood) would it be fair to say you finally have a competent front-row?

mikey_dragon wrote:

With Mitchell staying fit (touch wood) would it be fair to say you finally have a competent front-row?

Hmmm, not sure. There's supposed to be a prop arriving to replace Filise, too.

Scrummaging is very much a front five thing and I'm not sure of the necessary bulk being there in the second row. Rees is well beyond his sell by date, Dacey is not a good scrummager, Gethin is on one arthritic hip and Hoeata isn't a strong scrummager.

PhilBB wrote:I'd say that's a Cardiff team containing only 4 or 5 first choice players.

That, with Ulster being a tidy team, and with Whitehouse's record, it should be a 5-0 tomorrow.

Ulster are missing Best, Tuohy, Henderson, Henry, Pienaer, Jackson, Payne, Cave, Olding, Bowe - 8, possibly 9 would make our best XV.
McCloskey is the one who makes the 9th spot debateable so both teams are way below full strength not just Cardiff

Well at least we have Jackson and Cave on the bench. Could be worse. And Olding, Cave and Payne can't all be first choice! Unless Payne moves back to 15. But yeah, it is an Ulster team without the guts of our pack, our first choice halfbacks and some other very important, senior players in the backs.

I don't like this whole we're missing more players than you game we tend to play. It is normal to miss frontline players throughout the season. Trying to come out on top in the Pro12 is very much a squad game, so you know- of course both teams are weakened just a week after their respective teams went out of the RWC.

rodders wrote:

Munchkin wrote:Yeah, Humphs is a real step up from Nelson

Humphs can pass in one direction (sorry hope no Belfast giant fans on here ) at least...

Humphs belongs in one direction

Notch wrote:Well at least we have Jackson and Cave on the bench. Could be worse. And Olding, Cave and Payne can't all be first choice! Unless Payne moves back to 15. .

If Ulster were in a European final tomorrow and every player was available - Payne would be 15.
The only doubt would be Olding or McCloskey at 12

Interesting.

I thing Payne's status is interesting.

He was developed as 13 because Joe saw him as the best replacement for BOD.
Now the World Cup is over is he still the 13 of choice for Ireland or will Joe move Henshaw to 13 and play Olding or McCloskey at 12.
If the latter Ulster will have a freer hand where to play him.
If that is the case it makes the signing of Piatau even more bizarre

geoff999rugby wrote:

Notch wrote:Well at least we have Jackson and Cave on the bench. Could be worse. And Olding, Cave and Payne can't all be first choice! Unless Payne moves back to 15. .

If Ulster were in a European final tomorrow and every player was available - Payne would be 15.
The only doubt would be Olding or McCloskey at 12

Geoff - a bit off topic on this thread but are the powers that be hopeful that Stuart Olding will fully recover? Two mediate ligament injuries is not good for any professional.

I don't think Ireland are ready to move on from Payne at 13 just yet though. Hopefully we'll see McCloskey involved in the Irish squad, I do think Luke Marshalls loss of form and Oldings injuries have really delayed Henshaws transition to 13 and he'll be needed at 12 for a while longer.

Dolan looks as if he could be a great signing. I thought he was a lock though. Is he strictly a blind-side?

Got to be yellow? Glad the TMO asked to show him that again.

Unlucky for Cardiff - thought Patchell was taken out off the ball - but the try was coming for Ulster.

Annoying. Everything going so well until the clock turned red :/

Strange the ref didn't give the pen straight away though, even if he missed the boot, as he said to leave the 9?

Good to see a bit of sense.

mikey_dragon wrote:Dolan looks as if he could be a great signing. I thought he was a lock though. Is he strictly a blind-side?

Think he was signed as a potential lock, though maybe Wilson sees him more as a backrower (though we have lots of them)

PhilBB wrote:

Cardiff Dave wrote:

PhilBB wrote:I'd say that's a Cardiff team containing only 4 or 5 first choice players.

That, with Ulster being a tidy team, and with Whitehouse's record, it should be a 5-0 tomorrow.

Think I need reminding who is "first choice" at Cardiff these days.

Anscombe, Cuthbert, Allen, Lee Lo, James, Patchell, Williams
Vosawai, Warburton, Dolan, Hoeata, Down, Mitchell, Dacey, Jenkins

Knoyle, Isaacs, Scully
Hobbs, Rees, Andrews, Reed, Navidi

Not quite right for me,

Scully over Cuthbert at the moment,

Vosawai is nowhere near first choice. Best backrow is probably 6. Turnball 7. Warburton 8. Navidi

rodders wrote:Thank fiec we have some fly halves this week - I couldn't bear to watch Nelson at 10 a minute longer... hopefully the ABs will KO the boks so we can have Pienar back...

Rodders - still happy to see Humphreys back?

Mistake after mistake now at the setpiece,

I assume Kristian Dacey is injured, we are missing him

Urrrrggg,

Other that our backrow we have no chance of stopping Ulster in possession, our centres our getting run over and our forwards are too slow

We need some fit centres, Isaacs is okay, but we need someone decent at 12,

Lee-Lo, Cory Allen, even Gavin Evans would be an improvement.

Surprised Richard Smith hasn't been given a lot there, although he is doing well on wing.

That was red! no care in what he did, just flipped Gilroy over could have ended so badly for craig

Well we got the win and the bonus point but it was hardly a performance for the ages from us. Cardiff did well never gave up so credit to you guys. Our back rows justa re no where, time to drop wilson, williams has some sort of value but wilson is awful, like the invisible man surely time has come to give taggart, dow etc a chance while our internationals are gone