Ulster Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread.

bilston

Pitch inspection this afternoon ahead of tonight's game with the Scarlets. I'm only a mile away from the ground and the weather is horrendous, I reckon we may have a postponement.

ssaye2

Pitch inspection at 4pm apparently

Pitch not in great shape at Ravenhill. Inspection at 4pm. Ulster v Scarlets may be postponed until tomorrow. Still ON tonight at the moment.

https://twitter.com/winkerwatson1

ssaye2

Ugo Monye spacecraft experience

Lads, Chris Corchrane. Where is he? Looked really good last season

ssaye2

4:30 decision now - travelling fans absolutely fuming on their message board that they are leaving it this late it seems

bilston

ssaye2 wrote: »

4:30 decision now - travelling fans absolutely fuming on their message board that they are leaving it this late it seems

Think how the poor Scarlets fan feels.

awec

bilston wrote: »

Think how the poor Scarlets fan feels.

To be fair I'd say any travelling Scarlets will already be in Belfast. They can just go on the piss.

ssaye2

MATCH OFF

Ulster’s RaboDirect PRO12 match against Scarlets at Ravenhill, scheduled for 19:15 this evening, has been postponed.

https://twitter.com/UlsterRugby/status/434364015142121472

SITE CRASHED TOO

awec

CatFromHue

I wonder what'll BBC show now?

Is it conceivable that Leinster will be the first "home" team other than Ulster to have a game shown on BBCNI??? :pac::pac:

ssaye2

https://www.facebook.com/ulsterrugby

ssaye2

1. 
   Ulster Rugby
   Any tickets purchased for tonight will be valid for the rescheduled game..
   
   
   
   
2. Ulster Rugby
   The 2 teams are now exploring the possibility of playing the game tomorrow at Ravenhill. A further update will be issued asap.
   
   

ssaye2

Rumour from a few people match tomorrow at 5:30 - NOT CONFIRMED

CatFromHue

From looking at your second pic a few posts back there's alot of surface water on that pitch. Dunno how they'll get rid of that as there is scattered showers forecast for tonight and tomorrow in Ulster.

duckysauce

Ulster’s RaboDirect PRO12 match against Scarlets at Ravenhill, scheduled for 19:15 this evening, has been postponed after the referee, Leighton Hodges, deemed the pitch unplayable.

Zzippy

Nice pair of boots on Leighton!

On the bright side, I'd say a few male Ulster fans are relieved they don't have to make a choice that will upset the missus on Valentine's night...

justsomebloke

Zzippy wrote: »

Nice pair of boots on Leighton!

On the bright side, I'd say a few male Ulster fans are relieved they don't have to make a choice that will upset the missus on Valentine's night...

or there will be a lot of men lying to the OH's saying that they decide to pick them over the match cause that's how 'special' they are

Logie-1

Zzippy wrote: »

Nice pair of boots on Leighton!

On the bright side, I'd say a few male Ulster fans are relieved they don't have to make a choice that will upset the missus on Valentine's night...

Its a bit late in the day for that, I already told her this morning that I was going:mad:

Ah well, a bottle of Bailys and she will love me again:)

CatFromHue

CatFromHue wrote: »

I wonder what'll BBC show now?

Is it conceivable that Leinster will be the first "home" team other than Ulster to have a game shown on BBCNI??? :pac::pac:

Ulster says NO!

ssaye2

Ulster v Scarlets likely to be rescheduled for the weekend of 7th or 14th March http://tinyurl.com/nl87v4e

shuffol

I see Oldings back running on one of those zero gravity threadmills, I wonder what sort of timescale that would put his return at. hopefully he makes a full recovery anyway. Most talented back in the country by a distance.

http://youtu.be/0FoOJhgQnqE

http://youtu.be/i1m8D-d2448

thomond2006

Ruaidhri Murphy is a done deal: http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestNews/TabId/149/ArtMID/793/ArticleID/1216/Prop-Ruaidhri-Murphy-to-join-Ulster-Rugby-from-the-Brumbies-.aspx

awec

Great stuff.

Hopefully a few more to be announced.

awec

Seats going in.

tempted to fly in for the Leinster game tbh

Swan Curry

So much for Murphy wanting to play for Australia.

Kayless

Swan Curry wrote: »

So much for Murphy wanting to play for Australia.

Is he any good?

mfceiling

No Bowe for the Treviso game. Guess that's his 6N finished.

yz000

Kayless wrote: »

Is he any good?

No one really knows.

Buer

Swan Curry wrote: »

So much for Murphy wanting to play for Australia.

Yeah, had to have a wry smile at that. When he joined the Brumbies, he spoke in multiple interviews of how he saw himself as Australian and wanted to play for the Wallabies. Now it seems he's Irish again. No problem with it but just raises a smile! Tough on him relocating so many times. He has now played in Dublin, Exeter, Brisbane, Canberra and Belfast in the space of about 5 years.

yz000

In fairness to him he has spent large portions of his life in Ireland and Oz.

More Irish than any project player.

George Hook

Would love to know what David Humphreys actually says to the guys he's trying to recruit. I hope he gives them a great speech on 'his vision' for Ulster.

jacothelad

George Hook wrote: »

Would love to know what David Humphreys actually says to the guys he's trying to recruit. I hope he gives them a great speech on 'his vision' for Ulster.

He just shows them a picture of a typical Norn Iron breakfast with a side of butter slavered, toasted Veda.. 'Nuff shown. Simples

thomond2006

jacothelad wrote: »

He just shows them a picture of a typical Norn Iron breakfast with a side of butter slavered, toasted Veda.. 'Nuff shown. Simples

He shows them a book of blank cheques signed by Rory McIlroy.

mfceiling

George Hook wrote: »

Would love to know what David Humphreys actually says to the guys he's trying to recruit. I hope he gives them a great speech on 'his vision' for Ulster.

I don't really understand this question?

I would imagine he says the same as every other club who tries to recruit a new player...

Here's where we want to be in the next few years.

Here's who we are looking to bring in.

Here's the facilities and here's our plans for expansion.

Basically...here's the reasons why you should join us.

George Hook

Perhaps I didn't type it the way I was thinking it at the time. I meant I'd like to be a fly on the wall to here his inspirational talk about where the team is going. That's really what I meant, sorry it came out wrong.

overshoot

George Hook wrote: »

Perhaps I didn't type it the way I was thinking it at the time. I meant I'd like to be a fly on the wall to here his inspirational talk about where the team is going. That's really what I meant, sorry it came out wrong.

in fairness hes obviously a very persuasive speaker, having grand plans is all well and good but seeing them through to fruition is another thing.
id imagine persuading pienaar, muller to join in 2010 after finishing 8th in the league, a stadium which was still at planning (big difference to building), not having made it out of groups in the heineken since 99 and the potential to get more money in france was much more difficult than persuading murphy to come back to ireland to play for the highest seeds in the knockout stage of the heineken and the last of the new seats being fitted.

edit: actually the first stand was done that year so the stadium was started but the government grants for the rest hadnt been announced

bilston

overshoot wrote: »

in fairness hes obviously a very persuasive speaker, having grand plans is all well and good but seeing them through to fruition is another thing.
id imagine persuading pienaar, muller to join in 2010 after finishing 8th in the league, a stadium which was still at planning (big difference to building), not having made it out of groups in the heineken since 99 and the potential to get more money in france was much more difficult than persuading murphy to come back to ireland to play for the highest seeds in the knockout stage of the heineken and the last of the new seats being fitted.

edit: actually the first stand was done that year so the stadium was started but the government grants for the rest hadnt been announced

He struck lucky with Pienaar and Muller. Tue rest has followed from there. That said he will do well to reach that level of recruitment again given the power of the French and increasingly the English. Only Jared Payne has really been a signing on a par with those two in yhe last few years.

CIARAN_BOYLE

bilston wrote: »

He struck lucky with Pienaar and Muller. Tue rest has followed from there. That said he will do well to reach that level of recruitment again given the power of the French and increasingly the English. Only Jared Payne has really been a signing on a par with those two in yhe last few years.

Have ye forgotten John Afoa already up there?

jacothelad

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Have ye forgotten John Afoa already up there?

I think Bils was talking about full time signings rather than a professional Air Miles Collector.....:D

overshoot

CIARAN_BOYLE wrote: »

Have ye forgotten John Afoa already up there?

i would have had to exclude quite a few things from that list if i added another year! was leaning towards mentioning botha!

postitnote

Not forgetting the re-signing of Pienaar. I think this is certainly the most important signing recently.

jacothelad

I wonder what siren voices NOC and McComish used in hypnotising Humph into re-signing them......:D:D:D:D:D.. I hear something like the Alec Guinness bit from Star Wars only. " These are the players you are looking for."

Buer

I have to ask, if Ulster were looking for a loosehead, did they look at Jack O'Connell?

He's 23 and probably 4th choice at Leinster. Whenever he has managed to get on the field, he has done very well; he took apart his opponent in the scrum last night and made a great turnover. He is out of contract at the end of the season also. In signing Murphy, they've procured a bloke who is now going to be playing for his 5th team at the age of 26 (including a season playing semi-pro in Brisbane) and has been a sub at any place he has been.

If they were looking to sign an IQ player who will give them depth and hopefully push for first team selection, I can't help but think they signed the wrong Leinster academy graduate.

awec

I'm a bit nervous about it too, but not much that can be done now

Glass Prison 1214

Ulster XV and replacements to face Benetton Treviso, RaboDirect PRO12, Stadio Monigo, Sunday 23rd February (kick off 15:00 local) (15-9): J Payne, C Gilroy, D Cave, L Marshall, M Allen, R Pienaar, P Marshall; (1-8): T Court, R Herring, R Lutton, J Muller (Captain), L Stevenson, R Diack, S Doyle, R Wilson; Replacements (16-23): N Annett, C Black, A Macklin, N McComb, M McComish, M Heaney, R Andrew, R Scholes.

awec

Strong enough team, should do the business.

bilston

awec wrote: »

Strong enough team, should do the business.

Should do the business but Ruan at 10 is hardly ideal. Who is the out half replacement? Must be Marshall?

Bench isn't great either although again it will be good to see Scholes get a run.

Good to see Macklin fit.

awec

Yea our depth at 10 is terrible.

jacothelad

(15-9): J Payne, C Gilroy, D Cave, L Marshall, M Allen, R Pienaar, P Marshall; (1-8): T Court, R Herring, R Lutton, J Muller (Captain), L Stevenson, R Diack, S Doyle, R Wilson; Replacements (16-23): N Annett, C Black, A Macklin, N McComb, M McComish, M Heaney, R Andrew, R Scholes.

Where the fork is Afoa? Taking a break from his strenuous break taking.
PRETTY MEH.
NOT GOOD ENOUGH
PROBABLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH ON CURRENT PLAYING EVIDENCE.