Ulster v Leicester HC Pool 4. Friday 13th Jan ko 8.00pm

First topic message reminder :

The provisional Ulster squad to face Leicester Tigers in Friday's crucial Heineken Cup match with Leicester at Ravenhill has been named...

Pedrie Wannenburg (foot) and Ian Humphreys (hamstring) were forced off the field in the win over Edinburgh at the weekend but have both been named in the 33 man panel and are in contention to play in the Pool 4 clash. Young backline trio Luke Marshall, Paddy Jackson and Nevin Spence (all ankle) have returned to training this week and are available for selection if required. Mike McComish is also available after shaking off a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile prop Declan Fitzpatrick’s neck injury was reviewed last week and he is likely to be out of action for 4-6 weeks. Paddy McAllister and Peter Nelson also miss out.

Leicester have been hit by injuries to England internationals Toby Flood, Manu Tuilagi and Louis Deacon who are all ruled out, although Flood’s replacement at flyhalf - Billy Twelvetrees - scored all of his side’s points in the 29-11 win over Wasps on Saturday.

Leicester have a formidable record in the Heineken Cup and have qualified for the knock-out stages ten times. They have contested five finals, winning back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, but losing the showpiece matches in 1997, 2007 and 2009.

Ulster are currently top of Pool 4 on 14 points, with the Tigers trailing by two going into this crunch match. Defeat for either side would almost certainly end their dreams of reaching the last eight this season. Clermont Auvergne are just one point behind Leicester in the pool standings and will travel to Aironi this weekend before hosting Ulster the following week.

Ulster Team to play Leicester, Fri 13th January, Ravenhill (kick-off 8.00pm):

ULSTER (15-9) S Terblanche; A Trimble, D Cave, P Wallace, C Gilroy; I Humphreys, R Pienaar (1-8) T Court, R Best, J Afoa, J Muller (Captain), D Tuohy, S Ferris, C Henry, P Wannenburg

Replacements (16-23): N Brady, C Black, A Macklin, L Stevenson, W Faloon, P Marshall, I Whitten, A D'Arcy

Leicester Tigers (v Ulster Rugby, Ravenhill, Friday 8pm)
15 Geordan Murphy (c)
14 Horacio Agulla
13 Matt Smith
12 Anthony Allen
11 Alesana Tuilagi
10 Billy Twelvetrees
9 Ben Youngs
1 Marcos Ayerza
2 Rob Hawkins
3 Martin Castrogiovanni
4 Steve Mafi
5 Geoff Parling
6 Tom Croft
7 Julian Salvi
8 Thomas Waldrom

Replacements
16 George Chuter
17 Boris Stankovich
18 Dan Cole
19 Ed Slater
20 Ben Woods
21 Sam Harrison
22 Jeremy Staunton
23 Scott Hamilton

Aren't you always in the pub anyway stand? ...feck this is like chinese water torture....

http://jpeghoster.com/images/05521947617706981935.jpg

Portnoy wrote:

geoff998rugby wrote:

Portnoy wrote:

Standulstermen wrote:Rodders

Should be a decent night back in the bar. Had a couple from Leicester in last night who said they would be returning with some more fans coming over today. We will have cheap pints as well when you show your match ticket and live music. Really excited about tonight.... Less so about working tomorrow morning

Should add I was trying to find something that both supporters wouldn't mind being on the screens so have dug out my Leinster DVD from last season. I figure Leicester fans might be cheered up seeing Northampton get scalped.

I'll tell that this Tigers wouldn't enjoy it. And I'd like to hope that most Tigers fans would have been supporting the Saints that day.

Thats interesting because when we went over to watch Saints v Ulster in last years QF we were also watching Leinster v Leicester and I would suggest that in a crowded pub 100% of Saints supporters and 90% of Ulster supporters were cheering for Leinster.

The Saints fans were passionate about Leicester losing

I take your word for it.

Leicester an Saints were then direct rivals for similar qualifications. And it might be influenced by the obsessive nature of traveling fans and beer and respect for the home side.

Can I ask you to take a straw poll of Tigers fans as to who they were supporting in last year's final?

That would be interesting and possibly revealing.

It was amazing at Stadium:MK how many people I spoke to were cheering for Leinster against the Tigers in the other quarter-final. Pretty much every single one.

roddersm wrote:Aren't you always in the pub anyway stand? ...feck this is like chinese water torture....

Whenever possible rodders!

Lucky for some! Two hours in 2nd gear behind a tractor and then I should be able to get my 1st .....SUFTUM!

roddersm wrote:Aren't you always in the pub anyway stand? ...feck this is like chinese water torture....

You can say that again - not been much use on the Productivity front today

For some reason this has taken on a very special significance.
I think that is because this game will go a long way to tell us whether we are ready to make the jump from being one of the best second level European teams to being a team who can take on the best with confidence.

It will be a real bench mark.

roddersm wrote: Lucky for some! Two hours in 2nd gear behind a tractor and then I should be able to get my 1st .....SUFTUM!

Spare a thought for those of us who can't drink at all at the moment

100% buzzing about this match tonight, there are going to be epic battles all over the show and what a night it is going to be too lovely crisp and cold conditions at the hills of Raven we could not ask for better weather. Lets hope the boys bring their A game tonight

T minus 4 hours 10 minutes.

Pumped.

Just interesting to look at the sides with respect to the big issue in Ireland these days regarding foreign signings to Provincial sides.

I think there are 6 foreign born players on the Ulster 22 (including Tom Court) - by all means correct me if I'm wrong. On the Leicester side, I think I count 10. That's not goading Leicester. I know they don't have the restrictions Irish provinces do and it's none of their business how the IRFU organises itself. No, the observation is moreso directed at us Irish. It just kind of puts things in perspective. Small nation - four provinces - fighting on a tough European stage - restricted by IRFU foreign player rulings - and still giving the HC a chase every year. Not bad at all.

I need those first couple of
down my neck just to calm the nerves

by all means correct me if I'm wrong. On the Leicester side, I think I count 10

Ayerza, Castro, Mafi, Salvi, Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy, Staunton, Hamilton. 9, though Stankovitch and Waldrom are EQ so I've not counted them, 11 if you include those two. There's quite a few Leicester boys though in Croft, Youngs, Twelvetrees, Smith, Harrison, Cole, Slater (originally from Leicester).

Only a couple of jars Geoff? Thats ambitious.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

by all means correct me if I'm wrong. On the Leicester side, I think I count 10

Ayerza, Castro, Mafi, Salvi, Tuilagi, Agulla, Murphy, Staunton, Hamilton. 9, though Stankovitch and Waldrom are EQ so I've not counted them, 11 if you include those two. There's quite a few Leicester boys though in Croft, Youngs, Twelvetrees, Smith, Harrison, Cole, Slater (originally from Leicester).

Thanks for that clarification Sam. So I'll knock Court off Ulster's list as he already plays for Ireland. That's 5 to Leicester's 9. And yes, I do know Leicester have a good backbone of Leicester stock.

It has always been the way, get the local boys in and where they are lacking sign up some of the 'right' players to fill the gaps. The likes of Kay and Corry weren't originally from the Leicester academy, we've always been an ethos club, those who buy in and committ do well those that don't get moved on (even the talented ones ala Varndell).

WillyGilly wrote:T minus 4 hours 10 minutes.

Pumped.

I never understood this as far as I know the T stands for time, Time minus 3 hours and 30minutes till the Enterprise expodes etc etc.

IMO it should be T plus 3 hours 30 mins untill kick off, because if it was T minus 3 hours and 30 minutes the game would be over.

anyway T+/- 3 hours 30 mins till KO

'Time' - is initiation point of mission not an event in itself.

"10, 9, 8, 7 etc... counting down to TIME of Mission commencment.

Thereafter the clock changes to plus. Shuttle Missions were timed to precise moments ending when its wheels came to a stop on the runway after landing: Example - 22 days, 15 hours, 16 mins and 24 seconds)

That's why TIME + is the mission itself, and TIME - is the build up: tests and prep

Kingshu,

Are you nervous? Is that why your jabbering?

T = the time an anticipated event will occur.

In this case, 20:00 hours.

Just now it is 16:50 and therefore it can easily be described as T (20:00) minus 3 hours and 10 mins.

Yes, I'm nervous too!!!

SUFTU

I am super nervous about this game...the weight of expectaion weighs heavily on the shoulder's of the Ulster squad. I believe they are upto it and hope for a cracking game.

MrsP wrote:Kingshu,

Are you nervous? Is that why your jabbering?

In the words of southpark

"I've learned something today.."

Thanks for letting me know, I always thought it was T = time (current time) but its T = time (of expected event)

I haven't been as excited about a game since ...ever, such a big game and against a such a good team, can't say I like tigers, but I certenally respect them. (prob not that fond of them cos I didn't like MJ, but I do like Murphy so it balances out, was at the game he broke his leg before WC was so disappointed for him, at the time I rated him as highly as BOD)

Kingshu,

You're jabbering again!!!

thats how excited I am Mrs P

need a beer at ground to calm down, finish at 6 and then straight there picking up a couple of mates along the way, SUFTUM. Yehaaa etc etc

See you there.

Let's all hope we are Yehaaing at 22:00 (or T plus 2 hours)!

Kingshu wrote:but I do like Murphy so it balances out, was at the game he broke his leg before WC was so disappointed for him, at the time I rated him as highly as BOD)

At the time, he probably was [as good at his game as O'Driscoll was at his]. That broken leg is actually in my book the division between the Murphy I marvelled at and the Murphy who returned - I think the break did a lot of damage to his self belief or perhaps to his appreciation of what an injury could do to him, and to my mind a much more tentative and cautious man reappeared.

100% buzzing about this match tonight, there are going to be epic battles all over the show and what a night it is going to be too lovely crisp and cold conditions at the hills of Raven we could not ask for better weather. Lets hope the boys bring their A game tonight

Kingshu wrote:thats how excited I am Mrs P

need a beer at ground to calm down, finish at 6 and then straight there picking up a couple of mates along the way, SUFTUM. Yehaaa etc etc

That was your 606th post on 606, on Friday the 13th. Spooky. Must be an omen.

Looking forward to this, the game of the weekend imho.

All the brest. Enjoy, and I hope you score 4 tries to 3, beating them by 8 points.

Jenifer,

If that happens I might just explode with joy!

BTW - good luck to Ulster and I hope they don't need a bit of it. Give those Leicester boys some hell...and you're not just fighting for yourselves tonight - but all of us.

But no pressure or anything from me....

Please don't explode in public, love.
It makes a mess and creates lots of paperwork for the rest of us.

Have a bang on evening.........

I'll try Dr Grey!

Genuinely, I haven't been this excited about a rugby game since the world cup.


S Flip U F T U M

I'm looking froward to this game almost as much as I looked forward to Munster v Northampton at the start of the HC. This could be like Munster's game V Gloucester (the Miracle match). It's that important. Best of luck to the Ulster lads(and the Saffas ) SUFTUM


Anyone who wants to see it but doesn't have Sky I will sort you out just post in here.

Thomond - how might that be arranged?

I call a guy who calls another guy who goes to your house and sorts you out.....


Seriously I get you about 5+ places that will show the game. You want it so Don?

Can I get in on that if Twomint is not working the usual magic?

You've got mail and not all of it is spam.

Thomond - 606 dealer

Mick, you didn't complain when you got it.

Going to miss the match. Gutted.

Ah well. Enjoy boys and girls

Will this game be on tg4 later by any chance?

Here, I'm your best customer pal!

It will accordign to Penfro's guide Rory.

The sketchy lad from Tallaght is availing of a dealer. That's never going to make news headlines, sure it's a daily occurance....

Thomond,

Thousands of miles from home, but would love to see the game.

SUFTUM.

You have mail

humphstheman wrote:Thomond,

Thousands of miles from home, but would love to see the game.

SUFTUM.

Don't worry Thomond, I'll watch for you and cheer appropriately .

[ed] er humphs, sorry

Portnoy,

no worries we all seem to be somewhat distracted today.

Thomond...thanks.

Just do it with some

Thomand you mind if I can get a link?

anyone but those pesky tigers, SUFTUM from the gardens!

Rocky, you have mail. SUFTUM!