Ulster v Leinster Sat 27th December 7.30pm

[Jackass]

Leinster Rugby wrote:

Gordon D’Arcy starts on the right wing in a side that shows a number of changes from the team that defeated the Dragons 29-13 in the last round of Magners League matches.

Felipe Contepomi lines up alongside Luke Fitzgerald at centre, with Isa Nacewa partnering skipper Chris Whitaker at half-back.

In the pack, John Fogarty comes into the front row alongside Cian Healy and Stan Wright, with Sean O’Brien a starter in a back-row that includes Rocky Elsom and Jamie Heaslip.

Trevor Hogan is rewarded with a place in the second row after a series of impressive displays for the Leinster ‘A’ team.

The replacements bench will be confirmed an hour before kick off.

ULSTER: (15-9) Bryn Cunningham, Timoci Nagusa, Darren Cave, Paddy Wallace, Andrew Trimble, Ian Humphreys, Isaac Boss; (1-8) Justin Fitzpatrick, Rory Best, Brendon Botha, Ed O'Donoghue, Matt McCullough, Stephen Ferris David Pollock, Robbie Diack

REPLACEMENTS FROM: (16-22) Nigel Brady, Tom Court, Thomas Anderson, Kieron Dawson, Paul Marshall, Paul Steinmetz, Clinton Schifcofske

LEINSTER:

15: Girvan Dempsey
14: Gordon D’Arcy
13: Luke Fitzgerald
12: Felipe Contepomi
11: Rob Kearney
10: Isa Nacewa
9: Chris Whitaker CAPTAIN

1: Cian Healy
2: John Fogarty
3: Stan Wright
4: Trevor Hogan
5: Devin Toner
6: Rocky Elsom
7: Sean O’Brien
8: Jamie Heaslip

REPLACEMENTS FROM: Brian Blaney, Ronan McCormack, Malcolm O’Kelly, Stephen Keogh, Cameron Jowitt, Chris Keane, Jonathan Sexton, Simon Keogh

Big game for Leinster to get the title challange back on track, and to bring back some pride with losing the last 2 inter-pro games. Great to see D'Arcy starting, all be it on the wing, but hope he omes through unscathed more than anything.

The injury crisis seems to be easing up with Contepomi and Nacewa coming back too with Leinster looking like they will have a full back line compliment to pick from pending fitness in the next week or two.

Great to see O'Brien getting a start as well as Healy, and good to see a few players getting a rest assuming Leinster can win with the weakend pack.

Jackman and Cullen being the only long termish injuries remaining, with Jackman getting surgery on his knee and Cullen hopefully back in the near future.

It's a good Ulster side though and will be far from a pushover in in Ravenhill and it will take a big performance from the lads to come away with 4 points. Cave the danger man imo. A win will put Leinster 4th and only 5 points off first place, overnight at least, but it's very tight on the table at the top.

Should be a good game anyway and hopefully we will see a win for Leinster with good performances from the young lads getting their shot and from the guys coming back also. And please, for christmas, no injuries!!!

Stev_o

Its a iffy pack that Leinster have selected dew to injuries, will be a big task for O'Brien and it will be a great battle between him and Pollock! Cave vs Fitzgerald is huge battle and if he and Wallace come out on top surely it will be a all Ulster midfield come 6N!

Cant wait! Hopefully it ll be a thrilling game!

RugbyFanatic

I'm looking forward to seeing D'arcy back and of course its great to see the likes of Healy and O'Brien starting.

Where is CJ and Jennings by the way are they injured or just being rested or what?

Would of preferred if Whiteaker was benched to be honest hes been atrocious.

Don't know what I'm more excited about tonight seeing D'arcy return or UFC 92 :pac:

ch2008

trying to get the setanta/eircom stream up but it aint working. Anyone else having difficulties/success??

dreamer_ire

ch2008 wrote: »

trying to get the setanta/eircom stream up but it aint working. Anyone else having difficulties/success??

Setanta is ok for me

Stev_o

D'Arcy looks like he's lost LOADS of weight

Stev_o

1-0 to Pollock at the turn over stakes

juvenal

Any streams of this? I'm in western Massachusetts and trying to follow it!

remus808

juvenal wrote: »

Any streams of this? I'm in western Massachusetts and trying to follow it!

Think it's being shown here:

http://www.justin.tv/sportstime

Stev_o

Lovely stuff there Girve left for dead there, great try

Stev_o

Someone shut up the Leinster fans singing infront of the mic its driving my head it they cant sing for their lives

Stev_o

Awful pass by Fitzgerald forward and into touch , really doesnt look like a OC

RuggieBear

pollack is killing us but leinster are the much better team. the try was due to crossing imo

RugbyFanatic

<mod edit.>

Anyway I think Rocky has been excellent and Kearney's kicking has been superb but other than that no one has really stood out. For Ulster really the same though Pollock has been excellent.

[Jackass]

Half time.

1st half dominated by Leinster yet trailing 7 - 3.

Backs again look VERY laclusture and with absolutely no idea of what to do with the ball when they have it. I don't know what Gaffney has been doing all year, but he hasn't earned a cent of his significant wages it would appear.

The usual kick it away after running side ways a couple of times.

Rocky is having an absolute stormer of a game and Healy looks great at the breakdown.

Hopefully a much more focused and direct second half to follow from Leinster.

Stev_o

Think the commentators summed it up with the fact that if Leinster want to win they gotta keep it in their hands. Im just annoyed they'v gotten great chances to counter attack and decided to kick instead of take contact yet when they are in their own half and there's nothing on they keep going through hands to no avail.

There just seems to be a lack of direction whats the point of Elsom making hard yards if no one is going to exploit it? I dunno its a hard one to judge either they play dirty and win it by shots at goal or they start taking risks and start creating chances

Stev_o

Big blow for Leinster as Wright is one of their key ball carriers and has been scrummaging well.

RuggieBear

nice little try that.

shame about wright..vital ball carrier for us.

Stev_o

Good try but surely Girve should of passed it the first time??

RuggieBear

and girve is hurt too now:(

Stev_o

RuggieBear wrote: »

and girve is hurt too now:(

Shame but at least Kearney has a shot at FB now

RuggieBear

some handoff by ferris:eek:

Stev_o

RuggieBear wrote: »

some handoff by ferris:eek:

And a lovely penalty from the far left, thats pretty impressive from a left footed kicker

Stev_o

Eslom has been everywhere tonight

RuggieBear

\o/

remus808

Wooooooo!!! Great play from D'arcy and Healy to set up that try.

Stev_o

Good sustained pressure by Leinster leads to a try, finally got the gameplan sorted and making their travels into the Ulster 22 come back with points.

RuggieBear

good work to force a pen there....

(I don't think there is any decent gameplan to be sorted sadly)

Stev_o

RuggieBear wrote: »

good work to force a pen there....

(I don't think there is any decent gameplan to be sorted sadly)

Well at least the whole lets just kick alot when we badly need to score has been sorta sorted

Stev_o

Cave has looked lively all night, great prospect.

RuggieBear

Stev_o wrote: »

Well at least the whole lets just kick alot when we badly need to score has been sorta sorted

yeah it's pretty tedious tbh.

RuggieBear

i'll take it.

RugbyFanatic

All things considered a very good win away to Ulster.

Nice little nostalgic moment from D'arcy as he jigged his way towards the try line!

I would really like to see Keogh starting as he seems to be the only winger with the ability to finish that we have.

9.Whitaker/Keane - I really dont rate either atm
10.Nacewa
11.Keogh
12.Contepomi
13.O'Driscoll
14.Fitzgerald
15.Kearney

is what I want to see next week very unlikely to happen though

remus808

I'm thinking..

10. Nacewa/Contepomi
11. Fitzgerald
12. O'Driscoll
13. D'Arcy
14. Keogh
15. Kearney

Could be a runner.

[Jackass]

That'll do, but Leinster lived off Ulster mistakes, not a luxury afforded to you against the top level teams.

There are problems here that need sorting out. That problem being lack of game plan and poor execution in the backs, even though the "moves" being tried are very predictable and telegraphed. No depth to the running and no origionality about it.

It's points though so I wont complain too much!!

RugbyFanatic

[Jackass] wrote: »

and poor execution in the backs, even though the "moves" being tried are very predictable and telegraphed. No depth to the running and no origionality about it.

I swear most of the backline moves ran by Leinster tonight we did at schools level.

Gaffney seems to rely solely on decoy runners and nothing else its a joke.

barnesd

[Jackass] wrote: »

That'll do, but Leinster lived off Ulster mistakes, not a luxury afforded to you against the top level teams.

There are problems here that need sorting out. That problem being lack of game plan and poor execution in the backs, even though the "moves" being tried are very predictable and telegraphed. No depth to the running and no origionality about it.

It's points though so I wont complain too much!!

I don't agree really, Leinster dominated posession and territory. They were the better team and deserved to win. The backs are way too flat though imo and often not coming onto the ball at pace. The Ulster try was a prime example of what backs running from depth can do, however it simply would not have been scored if BOD was on the field.

EdgarAllenPoo

Someone needs to teach fitzgerald how to pass a ball and not throw it into touch he does it in ever game, that's either impatience or lack of skill.

anonymous_joe

Haven't been too impressed with Fitzgerald his last couple of games. The guy's clearly very very good, but he seems to be a little bit off form.

[Jackass]

It doesn't help that he's a winger playing in the centre though.

Hickie wouldn't have been great at 12 or 13 I reckon. Although a class winger. It's where Fitz made his name, but with the return of D'Arcy, and particularly the injury to Dempsey, I would expect Fitz to be on the left with Kearney at FB and a midfield from Contepomi, D'Arcy & BO'D.

Barnsed, that was kind of my point though about living off Ulster mistakes. The winning try came from a reckless chip and chase from Wallace (iirc) that went 4 yards into the greatful bread basket of a Leinster player.

Ulster had a scramble defence and 2 or 3 phases later Keogh was touching down in the corner. Good teams wont have players doing that, Leinster wouldn't have gotten that winning try.

The other major concern is the complete domination of terretory and possesion that Lesinter had and we couldn't do anything with it. Each move eventually broke down with some improve flicks in midfield not going to hand or silly errors cause plan A wasn't working.

Not a team that will come within an ass's roar of silverware this year unless something is done soon. Cost us against Castres too the complete lack of penetration. If you can't get a team onto the back foot they will drift and cover skip pass moves all night, while we hang around and wait for a missed tackle rather than inovation and forcing space to run through.

Fishtits

Leinster were lucky to take a win, and they know it.

Ulster are several levels below them in terms of squad level, yet it still took mistakes on their part to allow Leinster through.

EG. Trimble slipped multiple tackles (had a bad night...?)

Leinster passed to the touch judge on several occasions.

But what about the Ulster try? yoohoo defence? where are you?

In terms of who performed better, pound for pound, Ulster hands down. Leinster should have walked this one.

Derby's me arse, get the job done or bugger off. Yez are all pros.

ps... same goes for Munster vs Connacht.

anonymous_joe

Getting bored of the Ulster slating.

Ulster are currently putting together a very good team, despite a rake of established stars fúcking off on them.

A backline of:

15. I can't spell the Aussie's name while drunk, so I apologise
14. Nagusa
13. Cave
12. Wallace
11. Trimble

10. Humphreys
9. Boss

That's nearly on a par with Leinster's or Munster's. They don't quite have the superstar appeal of a Howlett or an O'Driscoll or Contepomi, but that's a very decent back line.

Some superb forwards as well, Best, Ferris, Pollock and a few others... Ulster are not at all a bad team. Munster's 'a little bit better than second string' team, the one that played so well against New Zealand were put the swords with ease by that Ulster side, and they've done respectably if not spectacularly in the HC. Matt Williams has stabilised a sinking ship and is leading them onwards and upwards.

I fully expect the Ulster team to be providing a good few players to Ireland sides, and challenging the Leinster/Munster stranglehold on the international side.

RugbyFanatic

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Getting bored of the Ulster slating.

Ulster are currently putting together a very good team, despite a rake of established stars fúcking off on them.

A backline of:

15. I can't spell the Aussie's name while drunk, so I apologise
14. Nagusa
13. Cave
12. Wallace
11. Trimble

10. Humphreys
9. Boss

That's nearly on a par with Leinster's or Munster's. They don't quite have the superstar appeal of a Howlett or an O'Driscoll or Contepomi, but that's a very decent back line.

Some superb forwards as well, Best, Ferris, Pollock and a few others... Ulster are not at all a bad team. Munster's 'a little bit better than second string' team, the one that played so well against New Zealand were put the swords with ease by that Ulster side, and they've done respectably if not spectacularly in the HC. Matt Williams has stabilised a sinking ship and is leading them onwards and upwards.

I fully expect the Ulster team to be providing a good few players to Ireland sides, and challenging the Leinster/Munster stranglehold on the international side.

And the big thing is most of Ulster players are in very good form as well

anonymous_joe

Indeed. A rarity in Irish players. :P

Stev_o

Ulster are hopefully turning into the Harlequin's of Ireland, got multiple hammers and have thickened their skin from these experiences. They have a very young squad and are playing quality rugby hopefully they will keep improving.

Fishtits

And at 15 bucks a ticket they're worth supporting. My local AIL team charges a tenner...

...pity about the anthem though

Digifriendly

Fishtits wrote: »

And at 15 bucks a ticket they're worth supporting. My local AIL team charges a tenner...

...pity about the anthem though

A tenner is quite expensive. Dungannon charge £7 and Ballynahinch £5.