Ulster return to Aironi in search of Five Points - Sat 17th December, Stadio Brianteo, Monza (kick off 1.30pm GMT)

by Rava Tue 13 Dec 2011, 12:26 pm

First topic message reminder :

Ulster Coach Brian McLaughlin has only made one change in the starting lineup, bringing back Tom Court with Paddy McAllister moving to the bench. Nevin Spence has been named having been passed fit. Adam D'Arcy retains his place at full back with Terblanche on the bench.

Elsewhere in the Pool, Clermont defeated Leicester at the Stade Marcel Michelin 30-12 on Sunday with no bonus points scored, making Pool 4 the tightest in the tournament at this stage with just 2 points separating the top three teams.

Ulster Match Day Squad to face Aironi, Saturday 17th December, Stadio Brianteo, Monza (kick-off 1.30pm GMT)
(15-9): A D'Arcy; A Trimble, D Cave, N Spence, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar;
(1-8): T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (capt), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg;
Replacements (16-23): N Brady, P McAllister, A Macklin, T Barker, R Diack, P Marshall, P Jackson, S Terblanche

The match is televised live on Sky Sports behind the red button.

by marty2086 Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:14 am

roddersm wrote:Stand yes I don't mean starting Wallace in the big games at 10 but perhaps playing him there a bit more regularly to see how he goes.

Rava Jackson seems to have plenty of gas too, he looks like one of our quickest backs.

Perhaps 12(or even 15) is the place to bring him through then move him to 10 when he has some more experience?

It worked for Dan Carter ...

Sure Kidney has him played at 10 from time to time to keep him sharp there but Jackson at 12 could be a viable option with the 6N around the corner though think Spence isnt as strong a contender for a call up as he was

by **rodders** Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:19 am

Aye but Kidneys an eejit and they were one off games. He'd need a proper run there to judge him properly.

A year ago IHumph was in fine fettle and we had less options in the centres with Cave out and Spence in his 1st season.

Moving forward we now have several options in the centres and 10 has become a bit problematic again hence I think Paddy maybe is worth another look at least until Jackson is ready.

by geoff998rugby Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:21 am

I don't think you will be seeing Jackson at 12 again - he only played as 10/12 cover and at 12 because Wallace, Marshall and Spence were all injured.

Very unlikely we will be missing all 3 going forward.

Wallace is a useful stop gap 10 - nothing more

by Backrower678 Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:25 am

Wow Kaino would be a hell of a signing if Humph Snr can work his magic, all being well and if we can keep the big guns fit, get the younger guys some meaningful experience this year then next season could really be the season for Ulster to mark themselves as a great team again.
I still have high hopes for silverware this season and believe the confidence from 11 tries in the 2 games will really spur us on against leinster and munster. But i can not wait for the Leicester coming to the Hills of Raven <drool>

by Kingshu Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:42 am

were these set to cut down on travel

2011-12 British & Irish Cup Quarter-finals

Cornish Pirates vs. Nottingham Rugby (all Engalnd)
Ulster Ravens vs. Munster A (all Ireland)
Cross Keys vs. Llanelli (all Welsh)
Leinster A vs. Pontypridd (had to combine, as no teams to pair them with).

I don't know if Payne will be first choice 15 at the start of next season, a year out it'll take time for fittness and form to come back, I see D'arcy playing an important part, at teh beginging of next season. During the Second half I him being an impactt sub

by Rava Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:47 am

Kingshu wrote:were these set to cut down on travel

2011-12 British & Irish Cup Quarter-finals

Cornish Pirates vs. Nottingham Rugby (all Engalnd)
Ulster Ravens vs. Munster A (all Ireland)
Cross Keys vs. Llanelli (all Welsh)
Leinster A vs. Pontypridd (had to combine, as no teams to pair them with).

Quarter-final qualification
The British & Irish Cup Quarter Final Draw is determined as follows:
5.2.2 The 6 Pool winners shall be ranked 1-6 and the runners up shall then be ranked 7-12, in each case based on their playing record in the Pool Stages using 5.2.1 (a)-(j). Those teams ranked 1-8 shall proceed to the quarter final.
5.3.3 The draw for the quarter-final Matches shall be made from the teams ranked 1-8 as set out in Regulation 5.2.2. Those teams ranked 1-4 in accordance with 5.2.2 will have the home advantage. The draw will be organised by the Committee and will ensure that there are no fixtures that replicate the pool matches.

by **rodders** Tue 20 Dec 2011, 11:53 am

Could we see Kaino lineout for the Ravens against Munster 'A'?..... Ulster return to Aironi in search of Five Points - Sat 17th December, Stadio Brianteo, Monza (kick off 1.30pm GMT) - Page 7 3845856932

Ulster return to Aironi in search of Five Points - Sat 17th December, Stadio Brianteo, Monza (kick off 1.30pm GMT) - Page 7 3845856932

by geoff998rugby Tue 20 Dec 2011, 12:28 pm

Payne will be training from April - by next September he will be up to speed

by marty2086 Tue 20 Dec 2011, 1:23 pm

geoff998rugby wrote:Payne will be training from April - by next September he will be up to speed

Itll be like a new signing since we seen so little of him before he got injured

by Kingshu Tue 20 Dec 2011, 1:33 pm

Anyone know when the Leicester tickets will go on sale?

by Standulstermen Tue 20 Dec 2011, 1:35 pm

Date is to be confirmed tomorrow i think so should be then.

by Rava Tue 20 Dec 2011, 1:37 pm

Kingshu wrote:Anyone know when the Leicester tickets will go on sale?

As soon as Sky/ERC decide who plays on what day and at what time. I think that is decided this week. Tickets most likely on sale after Christmas.

by red_stag Tue 20 Dec 2011, 1:42 pm

Announcement is made tomorrow by ERC.

by The Great Aukster Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:11 am

If David Humphreys lands Kaino then he will rightly be lauded, but how much credit could he realistically take?

Reputedly Kaino is interested because his best mate Afoa is at Ulster, so are we expected to believe the Doc signed John to reach Jerome? It's surprising that Filo has that much influence either as he basically wasted three years of his pro career in Ulster, despite loving the social scene. Afoa is a great signing and just right for Ulster but the PRO 12 is far more suited to him than either the T14 or the AP and that must have been a big factor. Maybe this is the Doc's way though to spread the news of Ulster through his NIQ players?

Certainly he made a fantastic signing in Muller, who presence undoubtedly convinced Pienaar and Wannenburg to come after the (questionable) deals with Peel/Blair and Rush fell through.

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:20 am

I suppose another question is how we can afford these guys? I mean we are averaging 6000 odd fans per game so how can we afford to pay the wages of 3 RWC winners + Muller? Are the rest of the squad on peanuts?Something doesn't quite add up..... Headscratch

by marty2086 Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:27 am

roddersm wrote:I suppose another question is how we can afford these guys? I mean we are averaging 6000 odd fans per game so how can we afford to pay the wages of 3 RWC winners + Muller? Are the rest of the squad on peanuts?Something doesn't quite add up.....

All branches are funded by the IRFU plus their own revenue and with the likes of Ferris centrally contracted Im sure the sums add up

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:37 am

Maybe so Marty but to have Pienaar, Muller, Afoa, Payne and possibly now Kaino on the payroll can't be cheap and seems way beyond what the other provinces have in terms of marquee NIQ's.

It all seems to good to be true to me.....

by marty2086 Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:41 am

rodders you think the bank may be paying for them then?

by geoff998rugby Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:42 am

The Great Aukster wrote: Peel/Blair and Rush fell through.

Blair was never a possible deal - that was paper talk.
Forgot about Rush though that should be added to the list.

I agree we got lucky with the reasons why the Peel and Rush deals fell through as their respective replacements are better players.

However I do think that Humphreys deserves some credit for the calibre of player who he is talking to - the
may well start negotiations because other players have said they enjoy playing here but players would still have to be convinced that the club are going in the right direction. They are not going to sign just because it is a nice place to be.

Filo was undertaking some studies I believe. He just wanted to play for us and he appreciated our support in trying to make it happen.

To me one of the big positives is players are coming here and appreciating the positive atmosphere - that is a hell of a change from 4/5 years ago when the place was rife with friction and disharmony.

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:45 am

marty2086 wrote:rodders you think the bank may be paying for them then?

No idea Marty its just an observation. I just hope the books are all balanced and we are building something sustainable at Ulster. I don't want to see us do a Leeds United if you catch my drift.

by marty2086 Wed 21 Dec 2011, 9:47 am

I do indeed but surely everything would have to go through the IRFU they wouldnt want a province going bust

If you think of the years of underspending plus we have a lot of academy produced players who probably arent on big money compared to the depth of Leinster and Munster

by geoff998rugby Wed 21 Dec 2011, 10:02 am

roddersm wrote:Maybe so Marty but to have Pienaar, Muller, Afoa, Payne and possibly now Kaino on the payroll can't be cheap and seems way beyond what the other provinces have in terms of marquee NIQ's.

It all seems to good to be true to me.....

I don't believe this is a problem. Yes we are paying out more for marquee signings but we do not have the same squad depth as Leinster or Munster

The likes of Black, Gilroy, Marshall x 2, D'Arcy. McCormish will for example not be on big wages.

the bottom line is the 20th or 30th best paid players at Munster and Leinster will be on a lot more than their Ulster equivalents. This evens out as Logan has said our total salary bills are very similar

We want to move to their model, with the youngsters coming through giving us real depth, but it will take time

by Thomond Wed 21 Dec 2011, 10:05 am

Has Kaino been confirmed lads? I know Geoff is saying it's true(which more or less confirms it) but anywhere else picked it up?

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 10:14 am

Thanks Geoff.

by Don Alfonso Wed 21 Dec 2011, 11:05 am

Thomond - it had previously been flagged up by others on another MB.

by geoff998rugby Wed 21 Dec 2011, 11:30 am

Its an enquiry where the player has indicated he is prepared to listen - nothing more nothing less - there is still a long way to go.

He could just as easily have a think over Christmas and say not for me.

However even if not Kaino it does show the ambilition of the club and the sort of player they are looking for; and it does show why Wannenberg's desire to extend has not been agreed.

by Kingshu Wed 21 Dec 2011, 11:40 am

Still at the talks stage nothing signed. Could come to nothing.

As regards to the 6000 Crowd, I recon they are bigger but reported as fewer.

get 7000 in, report it as 6000, pay tax for 6000, think this happens for a number of sports in NI.

by Standulstermen Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:08 pm

One thing i would say is that Ulster have got massively better at the corporate relationship and sponsor malarky. The amount they are bringing in on this front is more than previously so while the crowds may be slightly down the money is probably up. I know Heineken paid much more than was paid previously for the pouring rights

by Standulstermen Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:21 pm

Ulster v Leicester Friday 13th January 8pm
Clermont v Ulster Saturday 21st January 3.40pm

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:24 pm

Ulster return to Aironi in search of Five Points - Sat 17th December, Stadio Brianteo, Monza (kick off 1.30pm GMT) - Page 7 3754190863

flip not friday the 13th!...bollix will have to take the day off steam

....

Terrace or Promenade?

by Standulstermen Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:25 pm

roddersm wrote: flip not friday the 13th!...bollix will have to take the day off ....

Terrace or Promenade?

Would you not have time to make it down for 8 rodders. leave work an hour early if possible

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:29 pm

I'll find a way stand! No way I'm missing this one! SUFTUM!

by Rava Wed 21 Dec 2011, 12:35 pm

Standulstermen wrote:Ulster v Leicester Friday 13th January 8pm
Clermont v Ulster Saturday 21st January 3.40pm

Don't you just love Friday nights at Ravenhill!! I think I'm with the prawn sandwich brigade for this one. Great place to watch the game. SUFTUM

by geoff998rugby Wed 21 Dec 2011, 1:03 pm

Rava is that the cheap Prawn sandwiches with the likes of me in the Old stand or the fancy, expensive, ones in the New Stand ?

by Kingshu Wed 21 Dec 2011, 1:14 pm

Terrace for me, always terrace,

Got a ticket in the stands once for a Wolfhounds, game, just to treat myself and see what they were like for a change. Your not allowed beer up in the stands, so watched the game from the promenade, didn't go near the seats.

Need to get there early enough as have watched games from the end of the pitch, because they have over sold the terrace before. I'll say the same will happen here again.

by **rodders** Wed 21 Dec 2011, 1:26 pm

Went for the promenade....Ulster always seem to win when I'm there and lose when I'm in the terrace so I thought I better not risk it....plus its easier to get to the bar from the promenade I think..... Whistle

SUFTUM!

by Standulstermen Wed 21 Dec 2011, 1:30 pm

I love the Terrace. as long as you can avoid being behind the flags its great.

by Don Alfonso Wed 21 Dec 2011, 2:02 pm

Terrace. No question.

by geoff998rugby Wed 21 Dec 2011, 2:05 pm

Kingshu wrote: Your not allowed beer up in the stands.

The've changed the rules you are now

by Rava Wed 21 Dec 2011, 3:54 pm

geoff998rugby wrote:Rava is that the cheap Prawn sandwiches with the likes of me in the Old stand or the fancy, expensive, ones in the New Stand ?

Smurfit Kappa - Third from the left top row. My son-in-law gets invited through business contacts. I have a season ticket for the Prom. Used to be in the stand but almost always stood for the second half of games so decided a couple of years ago to just buy the Prom ticket.

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