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

Leicester have been so bad this half, and barely above average in the first half. Very disappointing.

WillyGilly wrote:Ravenhill jumping now! Who went off there and why?

it was cole, think it was for back chat.

Dan Cole went off Willy - told the ref f off I think.

why was that reset when the ulster number 1 hit the deck?

Clearly the prem isn't good enough to make teams ready for this level.

Clearly? Based on one game? English teams have contested two of the last three finals. So they can't be that bad at this level.

that is a joke!

pathetic.

Not sure which is worse. our play or the refs!

Gilroooooooooooyyyyyy!!!!!!

God Ulster are good to watch when they click.

great kick!

That's neat, that's neat, that's neat, that's neat I love our Ruan's feet...

Artful_Dodger wrote:Dan Cole went off Willy - told the ref f off I think.

foolish. You can see why, but foolish.

Maaaaaaarrrrshhhhhaaalllllll!!!!!


Boom!

nathan wrote:pathetic.

Not sure which is worse. our play or the refs!

The ref is the same for both teams, tigers are getting away with the same things Ulster are. Ulster are just dealing with it better.

Feckless Rogue wrote:

Clearly the prem isn't good enough to make teams ready for this level.

Clearly? Based on one game? English teams have contested two of the last three finals. So they can't be that bad at this level.

#

and been badly outclassed by a much smaller country that simply has their number. Lots of work needed... and money probably/

Feckless Rogue wrote:

Clearly the prem isn't good enough to make teams ready for this level.

Clearly? Based on one game? English teams have contested two of the last three finals. So they can't be that bad at this level.

Guys, just ignore trebellbobaggins, he's clearly a bit of an unpleasant character trying to incite on national lines.

Excellent performance by Ulster tonight, much sharper than Tigers in all areas.

what are you doing tigers!

WillyGilly wrote:Maaaaaaarrrrshhhhhaaalllllll!!!!!


Boom!

Cheeky little fe*ker isn't he

I'll come clean, i'm just utterly fed up with the state of english rugby.

supporter for years but sick and tired of the decline and want to see it change but all i see is us fail against these teams every year. They just have it sorted and we need to.

and no i'm not. I generally try to be nice but i'm peed right off with these stuffings and they're getting worse and more often. sorry chaps.

Unbelievable.

34 points at the minute - could be Tigers biggest ever loss in the HC.

Not like Tigers to give up. But they have. Shockingly bad. Well done Ulster.

Fantastic performance by Ulster .

Brilliant play. I never saw that coming.

Hats off to the Ulstermen. You can have the Swing Low as a present.

#marshallandpienaarforpermanenthalfbackpartnership

so he's just told an ulster player to be quite, why hasn't he sent him off!

nathan wrote:so he's just told an ulster player to be quite, why hasn't he sent him off!

Maybe because the Ulster player didn't tell him to f off?

valjester wrote:

nathan wrote:so he's just told an ulster player to be quite, why hasn't he sent him off!

Maybe because the Ulster player didn't tell him to f off?

Did Cole really do that!! lol

I haven't got the sound on!

Not sure - if it was f off exactly, but back chat would be 10 metres, so would swearing, sin bin he must of swore at the ref.

Super Super display by Ulster. Premiership shown up again.

Didnt realise Swing Low Sweet Chariot was an Ulster anthem.

Right, it's now possible that Clermont and Ulster will finish on the same pool points. Who'll top the group? Is it decided on points difference, or trys scored, or the results between the teams or what?

Feckless Rogue wrote:Right, it's now possible that Clermont and Ulster will finish on the same pool points. Who'll top the group? Is it decided on points difference, or trys scored, or the results between the teams or what?

I think its try scored first.

Well.... well played Ulster. Certainly the better team.

Poite had a pretty bad game with Ulster laying on the wrong side all second half and some other bizarre decisions. But i still think Ulster would have won, we just didn't turn up.

Again, well done Ulster and good look for the rest of the competition. Enjoy it lads!

Wonderful stuff. And it was the manner of the win. Not letting a struggling side off the hook. Killer instinct.

Awesome
Just awesome

Well done ulster. It's going to be a big night in Belfast tonight.

Would it be really bad form of me to give a ridiculous and unsportsmanlike laugh? Tough. Mwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwahmwah. On my phone here on the terrace and half cut so a jolly two fingers to the moaning Leicester players who were a disgrace to the shirt. If they put half as much effort into playing as they did at whinging then they might not have been horribly embarrassed. Dear Richard Cockrill, so long and thanks for all the fish

Leicester was well and truly thumped tonight.

How many Ulster players will be in the Ireland squad for the 6ns.

Wow!
Didn't even expect an Ulster win, but you have to say well done, well deserved, but Leicester; where were you?

Out of that team - Trimble, Cave, Wallace, Ferris, Best and Court.

Marshall, Henry and Tuohy possibilities.

Jenifer McLadyboy wrote:I hope you score 4 tries to 3 1, beating them by 8 34 points.

MrsP wrote:Jenifer,

If that happens I might just explode with joy!

Can I watch?

valjester wrote:

Feckless Rogue wrote:Right, it's now possible that Clermont and Ulster will finish on the same pool points. Who'll top the group? Is it decided on points difference, or trys scored, or the results between the teams or what?

I think its try scored first.

No, it's head to head first.



Under ERC rules, tiebreakers within each pool are as follows

Competition points earned in head-to-head matches
Total tries scored in head-to-head matches
Point differential in head-to-head matches

So gutted I missed that, in bed sick so sold me ticket and bought sky sports for month! Have barely been on my feet all week but was jumping up and down on my own in my living room! What a result! Tigers worst ever HC defeat! SUFTUM!!

neutral here. If I were a Leicester fan I'd be embarrassed by that performance. Sure Poite let Ulster get away with falling over the wrong side of rucks and not moving, but how many Leicester players were pinged for not rolling away? NONE! So adapt and do the same thing, instead of constantly moaning and annoying the ref by doing so. Also, where was the passion? They just seemed to give up midway through the second half!

Ulster were superb and very good value for their win, magnificent effort from them

Ulster won 16-11 in Ravenhill didn't they? So they'll have to get within 5 points of them in France? Very very tough ask. Leinster just about got out of there last year with a 7 point defeat.

Another point would seal it for Ulster, but 19 could be enough on its own.

Are Ulster guaranteed an Amlin spot?

3 Provinces in the quarters would be fantastic by the way and its looking not unlikely.

BlueMuff wrote:Super Super display by Ulster. Premiership shown up again.

Didnt realise Swing Low Sweet Chariot was an Ulster anthem.

That's it. My comments were not on "national" gounds. I bloody admire the way Ireland has become a serious force and outgrown us,a much bigger nation. I was just saying the same thing, the prem is a farce and way behind the French and Irish. Is it a matter of money, do they simply not have enough to compete now?

I can't believe people are complaining about the ref. A lack of invention in attack and poor defence can't be blamed on the ref. Ulster played like Munster did back in the day. Great forward play,some decent backline moves fantastic defence and playing smart with Andrew Trimble(i.e. John Kelly for Munster) always grabbing a try in the corner.

Mad for Chelsea wrote:neutral here. If I were a Leicester fan I'd be embarrassed by that performance. Sure Poite let Ulster get away with falling over the wrong side of rucks and not moving, but how many Leicester players were pinged for not rolling away? NONE! So adapt and do the same thing, instead of constantly moaning and annoying the ref by doing so. Also, where was the passion? They just seemed to give up midway through the second half!

Ulster were superb and very good value for their win, magnificent effort from them

i don't think they gave up, they looked knackered! Leicester did try get away with things but Poite didnt let them get away with it. Not that i think it would of mattered, still think ulster would of won.

Made me laugh when an ulster player (think it was 8) fell on our side of the ruck sealing it off then held onto Tuilagi's leg. Result = Penalty to Ulster.

But having said before, well done Ulster!

Thomond wrote:I can't believe people are complaining about the ref. A lack of invention in attack and poor defence can't be blamed on the ref. Ulster played like Munster did back in the day. Great forward play,some decent backline moves fantastic defence and playing smart with Andrew Trimble(i.e. John Kelly for Munster) always grabbing a try in the corner.

I think it's right for people to moan about the ref, i don't think it's fair to blame the loss on the ref though.