Leinster v Ulster Pro14 Final Sept 12th 7.35pm Build Up

elderlemon

Ulster didn't loose the game because of lack of elite 10. It was all lost up front in the pack and I think either of the 10's could have had a great game with the Leinster pack in front of them.

How many times did Leinster shut down the Ulster attack and turn them over? you may be right that they need a better 7 and 2nd row because they made little impression when it was needed.

Poorside wrote: »

Ulster need an elite 10, and 2 second rows, a better 7 would help a lot. Then they'll be a team that will be up there, I don't know who the defence coach is, Dan should be on the phone to Mike Forshaw of he's serious about winning trophies.

Paul Smeenus

Very well done to the lads in blue. Monstrous team.

We need an out and out seven. A heavyweight in second row would be good, but not as crucial.

We missed Marshall because he would have threaded some kicks through. As would Addison. Hume looks the genuine article, but hopefully he adds that string to his bow.

We also need to take some penalties. Leinster did it. It's a high pressure final, and we're playing like we want to have the crack. If we'd got two, we'd have gone in at halftime in the lead. Would we have won? Probably not. Would we be playing a Leinster who were a little less sure if themselves? Aye.

We are a young, growing team. Thought O'Toole was excellent last night, and Hume was very good.

I also think we are the second best team in the league. We were there on merit. Edinburgh weren't unlucky, Munster weren't unlucky. That scoreline is a testament to just how ahead of the pack Leinster are

yerrahbah

Was Coetzee injured when he was brought off after 47 mins?

BoardsMember

Is this online to re watch anywhere? Forgot to record it.

Clegg

BoardsMember wrote: »

Is this online to re watch anywhere? Forgot to record it.

It's on the TG4 player.

Buer

yerrahbah wrote: »

Was Coetzee injured when he was brought off after 47 mins?

I don't think so. I reckon McFarland thought this was time to protect him for Toulouse after the intercept put Leinster too far ahead.

Plus Leinster had almost completely nullified him. He was banging his head off a brick wall out there.

yerrahbah

Buer wrote: »

I don't think so. I reckon McFarland thought this was time to protect him for Toulouse after the intercept put Leinster too far ahead.

Plus Leinster had almost completely nullified him. He was banging his head off a brick wall out there.

I keep forgetting Ulster are still in the Champions Cup for some reason

Digifriendly

molloyjh wrote: »

Another trophy. Gotta be happy with that. The first to 3 in a row too. Delighted. We were the better team over the 80. Some really good performances from Doris, VDF and Henshaw in particular. Our line out is still a worry and we seem to struggle at the breakdown more than we should. But our defence is exceptional.

I thought Ulster at times looked really good. They asked a lot of the right questions of our defence in the first half with some excellent handling. The offloading game really put us under pressure. They just need another carrying option in the pack and a better 10. Not going for 3 points in a 5 point final though is just insane. They need to understand what needs to be done on these games to win it.

That said, I thought Stockdale was very strong while Hume def stood out as a quality player. There's the makings of a very good side there. Although I think the stretch of games might tell next week. I think this is a side thay def feels like its going somewhere. Fingers crossed they kick on over the next season or so.

I think you're downplaying Leinster a bit and 'gilding the lily' as they say re Ulster. 'The Blue Machine' (as I call them) struggling at the breakdown - you must have been watching a different game than I was. Leinster won penalty after penalty in that area. The lineout was their only area of weakness. Their defence was absolutely of the highest order. They are streets ahead not only of Ulster but any other side in the Pro 14.

Cullen and Lancaster are building a dynasty and it's difficult to see any team seriously bridging the gap in the near future. I'm an Ulster supporter and I looked at the Ulster players in last 20 mins of that game - they looked bruised and shattered while Leinster looked fresh and as if they could have played another 40 mins. 'A picture is worth a thousand words' as they say and that image said it all.

molloyjh

Digifriendly wrote: »

I think you're downplaying Leinster a bit and 'gilding the lily' as they say re Ulster. 'The Blue Machine' (as I call them) struggling at the breakdown - you must have been watching a different game than I was. Leinster won penalty after penalty in that area. The lineout was their only area of weakness. Their defence was absolutely of the highest order. They are streets ahead not only of Ulster but any other side in the Pro 14.

Cullen and Lancaster are building a dynasty and it's difficult to see any team seriously bridging the gap in the near future. I'm an Ulster supporter and I looked at the Ulster players in last 20 mins of that game - they looked bruised and shattered while Leinster looked fresh and as if they could have played another 40 mins. 'A picture is worth a thousand words' as they say and that image said it all.

Leinster conceded a boat load of penalties at the breakdown vs Munster in week 1. Last week we conceded less, but still coughed up a good few. And even against Ulster yesterday we gave up ones we shouldn't have. I dont just mean jackal penalties either. I mean sealing off (and there have been a good few of those in the red zone over the 4 games) and defensive penalties like Conans trio of not rolling. We have def struggled there more so than usual.

As for guys looking tired vs guys looking fresh, we rotated in every game. Ulster didn't all that much. We were bound to look fresher as a result. I think playing such a strong squad in week 2 against us was a mistake which came back to haunt you yesterday.

Madigan's defense seems a lot worse than a few years back