Ulster v Leicester team news

Reading between the lines my guess is the team will be

Court
Best
Fitzpatrick
Tuohy
Muller
HendersonWilliams
Wilson
Henry
Marshall
Jackson
Trimble
Marshall
Cave
Bowe
Payne

Bench:
Black
Herring
Afoa (doubt)Lutton
Diack/Stevenson
WilliamsHenderson
Pienaer
Olding
Allen

You don't think Diack will get the nod over Hendo at 6?

No I dont the select of Wilson at 8 means we need a game line breaker in the backrow and that is Henderson.

It is a close call though.
For what it is worth I reckon Diack will get the nod over Stevenson for the bench

Blinkin heck Geoff it's good to see you posting again.

Is Afoa injured at the moment as well as escaping to NZ all the time? What's the story there?

How long into the match will we see Tuohy running at Flood ball in hand. The Englishman will not be looking forward to that.

Struggling with injury.

Gilroy looks to be almost certainly out.
Even if he made it I dont think they would risk him given the other players available

If Afoa is missing it is a huge worry.
Lutton not fit and Ross isn't ready.
My guess is a partially fit Afoa will be on the bench but only used if absolutely necessary.

Shame about Gilroy. I would have liked to have seen Payne at 13 but no complaints with Cave starting.

Tigers will probably go with:

Mulipola, T Youngs, Cole
Deacon, Parling
Salvi, Crane, Slater
Mele, Flood
Allen, Goneva
Thompstone, Morris, Scully

Bench: Briggs, Stankovitch, Balmain, Kitchener, Gibson, B Youngs, Williams, Bowden.

Ayerza, Camacho and Matera are away on international duty (Camacho is also crocked). Mafi and Benjamin are outside bets to return. Hawkins, Croft, Lamb, Manu, Smith, Tait, Hamilton and Waldrom are all out injured.

It will be good to see a real match this week for a change, rather than the dissinterested/training pitch/second string games we've been watching so far this season....

 

formerly known as Sam wrote:Ayerza, Camacho and Matera are away on international duty (Camacho is also crocked).

Would these guys not be available just like Pienaer? - although as you may note I think Pienaer will be on the bench

Unsure Geoff. Depends on agreed rest periods and what condition they return in. Last season Ayerza came back unfit and required a month to recover and get back up to speed. Matera is new to the club so I doubt he will be able to fly in and go straight to the bench.

I am looking forward to this game as it is going to be a close call.Ulster to edge it by 3 points.

Taffineastbourne wrote:I am looking forward to this game as it is going to be a close call.Ulster to edge it by 3 points.

i think i agree with you, we're just missing some ball carriers at the moment. Manu being out is a huge loss.

Manu is a big loss, especially combined to the Smith injury. Means our midfield lacks go forward.

Parling definitely fit to start and Mafi out. Seems our pack will be up for the set piece and power play but may struggle getting around the park as they aren't the quickest.

This is a hard one to call, with neither side having a great deal of form.

Ulster looked good against Connacht and did well to win away at Ospreys but with injury and internationals being away/rested we haven't seen anything like a settled side.

Pienaar is only back from boks duty, Bowe and Trimble have played one game a piece, Best 2. Williams isn't fit. Problems at TH. Payne has been playing 13 and now drops back to 15.

On the plus side Diack, Wilson and Henry have a few games under their belts. Both Marshalls are in form and Jackson has refound his confidence.

I think this will be a close affair and the side who gets a good forward platform and nails their placekicks will nick it.

Place kicking cost us the game at the weekend and as a team we have looked dodgey in that department. Set piece looks good, we dominated Saints there at the weekend which is no mean feat.

If Ulster can get ball wide and attack the channels with numbers they could make yards and tire our forwards which may help win the set piece battle later.

Ravenhill has just sold out, not that it ever wasn't going to. 14,000 in Ravenhill on a friday night in the Heineken Cup. So wish I was going.

Checked the odds and Tigers are favourite to win the group.

Some here are confident of an Ulster win, I'm not, but believe that we deserve to be favourites, but only because we are at home.

Tigers are still English champs, and even with injuries are a top top quality team.

I know Tigers drew ospreys a few times in the h-cup and they built up a bit of a heated rivalry, I think the Ulster V Tigers rivalry is built more on respect.

It's set up as you win and home and we win at home, and we're both happy but as soon as one of us gets an away win over the other, will the friendliness be changed?

Really looking forward to this game, and tigers fans and among the best, two teams and supporters among the best in Europe battle it out.

Think that bonus points will decide this group from an Ulster point of view the Aim is win, and deny LT a LBP
Tigers aim will be to win, or at least get a LBP.

I think that the aims will be reversed for the away game.

Not quite sold out. I still have a few left for our bus trip from the pub  .Had been hoping to sell the bus trip package but if someone just wants a ticket at this stage I don't mind just selling for face value if anyone knows of someone looking tickets

Parling should be fit for Tigers, but non of our Argies will play. Ayerza is still in Argentina o family grounds, Matera has paperwork to process and Camacho is injured. So same side for Tigers as against Saints, but Mele could start at 9, and Bowden possibly at 12, with Allen and Goneva moving out one.

Hard to call this one. Home advantage will be big, but I have high hopes for our setpiece. Probably won't have a another chance to play an unsettled Ulster team. Tigers need to look after the ball better and pick up the pace in attack if they want to win. Took us too long to get rolling against Saints.

Taffineastbourne wrote:I am looking forward to this game as it is going to be a close call.Ulster to edge it by 3 points.

To be honest I can't see past an Ulster win. I think a tonking is on the cards as we are just missing too many players out injured. Justfor once I wish we could start the HEC with a fully fit team. its no less than Ulster deserve.

maverickmak wrote:Parling should be fit for Tigers, but non of our Argies will play. Ayerza is still in Argentina o family grounds, Matera has paperwork to process and Camacho is injured. So same side for Tigers as against Saints, but Mele could start at 9, and Bowden possibly at 12, with Allen and Goneva moving out one.

Hard to call this one. Home advantage will be big, but I have high hopes for our setpiece. Probably won't have a another chance to play an unsettled Ulster team. Tigers need to look after the ball better and pick up the pace in attack if they want to win. Took us too long to get rolling against Saints.

No doubt the Tigers set piece is very strong. But against the Ospreys the Ulster scrum had the upper hand and that was against an Ospreys tight 5 which included 4 Lions, including Adam Jones at tighthead. Our lineout functioned well as well. Scrum battles will be key and I wouldn't like call it either way.

 

Metal Tiger wrote:

Taffineastbourne wrote:I am looking forward to this game as it is going to be a close call.Ulster to edge it by 3 points.

To be honest I can't see past an Ulster win. I think a tonking is on the cards as we are just missing too many players out injured. Justfor once I wish we could start the HEC with a fully fit team. its no less than Ulster deserve.

Well Pienaer will not start, Afoa will (almost certaintly) be missing, as will Wallace, as will Gilroy, as will McAllister, as will Lutton and of course Ferris.
We are particularly short in the Prop department.
Same as last year - Leicester do not have a monopoly on players missing.

Getting your excuses in early eh

It is the necessary requirement to build ourselves up as the deserved underdogs, so the Rugby Gods may look upon us favourably.

maverickmak wrote:It is the necessary requirement to build ourselves up as the deserved underdogs, so the Rugby Gods may look upon us favourably.

The Dragons have tried this approach, it does not work! 

Taffineastbourne wrote:

maverickmak wrote:It is the necessary requirement to build ourselves up as the deserved underdogs, so the Rugby Gods may look upon us favourably.

The Dragons have tried this approach,               it does not work! 

It did at the start of the season against Ulster

 Exactly we are not going to fall for that one again !

Artful_Dodger wrote:Ravenhill has just sold out, not that it ever wasn't going to.  14,000 in Ravenhill on a friday night in the Heineken Cup.  So wish I was going.

That's good. Capacity up. Did they re open the prom? They said they were going to.

Do Leicester really have that many injuries?

Take out Ayerza (which is similar with Pienaar) surely just Croft and Tuilagi are missing from a full strength side?

Yep Prom open - somehow we have an extra 800 or 1000 or so on that side.

Be interesting to see what they have done

VietGwentRevisited wrote:Do Leicester really have that many injuries?

Take out Ayerza (which is similar with Pienaar) surely just Croft and Tuilagi are missing from a full strength side?

Mafi would play 6, Hawkins replacement 2, Smith would probably play 13 in place of Manu, Hamilton/Camacho/Benjamin would all likely play ahead of Scully with now Goneva having to play 13, Tait would probably be in the back 3. Its not too bad at the moment, as we have good depth, but we pretty stretched in some areas and have been stretched further this season than we are currently, meaning he don't have a a really settled side.

I think that missing 2 Lions & a Puma would weaken most teams without those listed by maverickmak

But you have to expect 2 or 3 missing from any team.

You could argue that Ulster are missing a Lion (ferris - or has he retired?), an All Black (Afoa) and a Saffer lynchpin (Pienaar). Then like Leicester they have had key players only just returning to fitness.

Sadly that is the way of modern rugby.

Ferris has been injuired a long time, he isn't retired, there was talk of him moving to Japan in the summer as IRFU weren't prepared to offer him a long term contract due to his injury record, but he was given a six moth one, even though he will be out injuried until the last month of it.

When he comes back in december (i think it will be) how fit he is will determine if he has a future in top flight rugby or if his body has given in, (may still be able to play in Japan).

Why isn't Afoa available?

Word is he has a calf injury notch and it still isn't right. Some suggestion he might make the bench though. Honestly don't know

The problem for Tigers is that we are missing not just key players but their backups as well. There's no Manu and no Smith, no Croft and no Mafi. This has led to the team looking slightly unbalanced that is only going to be noticeable against big teams like Saints at the weekend or Ulster on Friday. We will in effect be playing three locks and three wingers.

Given Ulster's strength in the lineout and scrum the losses of Croft and Ayerza are particularly bad timing.

I just love that this thread is couched in terms of,

"Which team had more reason to lose?"

rather than our usual,

"You're going DOWN!"

Nervous?

Its the battle for the underdog title!

I feel like Ulster can/should win this game MrsP but there are always nerves before a game like this; if we lose, we have a massive amount to do to even have a chance of qualifying. It's like a knockout game. You simply have to win these home games.

I can't see us losing, but I'm wary of our opponents and nervous.

Given our previous at Ravenhill plus early season casualties I fail to see where our "you're going down" attitude is likely to stem from.

Missing players team:

1. Ayerza
2. Hawkins
3.4.
5. Mafi
6. Croft
7. Matera
8. Waldrom
9. Camacho
10. Lamb
11 Benjamin
12. Smith
13. Manu
14. Hamilton
15. Tait

formerly known as Sam wrote:
Missing players team:

9. Camacho

!!!!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/24461008

Is this pretty much a carbon copy of what Ruan Pienaar said were his reasons for staying at Ulster? And is the timing significant?

 

Notch wrote:I feel like Ulster can/should win this game MrsP but there are always nerves before a game like this; if we lose, we have a massive amount to do to even have a chance of qualifying. It's like a knockout game. You simply have to win these home games.

I can't see us losing, but I'm wary of our opponents and nervous.

Task has to be to win in the effective head to head.  So really this needs to be at least 5-1 or 4-0 in points after this fixture.  Get the win, keep them 8 points behind and that way you can aim to get through at the end of the group with a LBP away in the final game.

Hope Leicester realise what they will be missing this time next year, instead of having a tough away game to Ulster it could be a poor biarritz side in the franglo cup.

formerly known as Sam wrote:Given our previous at Ravenhill plus early season casualties I fail to see where our "you're going down" attitude is likely to stem from.

Ah now you see you've got this whole,

"Yer Goin Down!"

thing all wrong!

It is most likely to be heard when we don't fancy our chances too much. It was a bit of a favorite a few seasons back when we couldn't beat our way out of a wet paper bag. And to be fair, any paper bags around Ravenhill on a Friday night are quite likely to be wet!

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Hope Leicester realise what they will be missing this time next year, instead of having a tough away game to Ulster it could be a poor biarritz side in the franglo cup.

Yeah, they will hate having a weekend break in Biarritz...

thebandwagonsociety wrote:Hope Leicester realise what they will be missing this time next year, instead of having a tough away game to Ulster it could be a poor biarritz side in the franglo cup.

Perhaps they will.

Perhaps also Ulster will realise what they will be missing. Instead of a game that right now the fans are approaching with some trepidation (not sure why in my opinion as they should win easily) - they could be playing the Dragons for the fourth time in the season

Artful_Dodger wrote:Ravenhill has just sold out, not that it ever wasn't going to.  14,000 in Ravenhill on a friday night in the Heineken Cup.  So wish I was going.

The roar when Pienaar comes on, regardless of the score at the time, will be utterly bone shuddering. Can't wait.

Guys can we save the future Euro competition stuff for other threads. The same tired arguments can be debated there.

Mrs P, Tigers always believe they can win It's the fans that are rational (mainly). No point winding yourself up for the game before it happens. If we were playing better you'd hear us all a lot more confident.

Biarritz aren't going to be in the Top Tier of whatever tournament there is next year. Maybe not even the top tier of French domestic rugby the way they're playing.

They are honestly pretty bad.