Ulster Team Talk Thread IV... Go On My Henderson...

A development team playing Bury St Edmunds in England tomorrow

Ben McFarlane, Lukas Kenny, Rory Ellerby, Ben Carson, Ethan Graham, James Humphreys, Conor McKee

George Saunderson, Zac Solomon, Scott Wilson, James McKillop, Mark Lee, Bryn Ward, Reuben Crothers, Lorcan McLoughlin (C)

Replacements: Henry Walker, Jack Boal, Cameron Doak, Adam Montgomery, Charlie Irvine, James McNabney, Ryan Davies, Zach Quirke, James Girvan, Rory Telfer.

Ulster A:

(1-8) Callum Reid, John Andrew, Ben Griffin, Cormac Izuchukwu, Kieran Treadwell, Matty Rea, Reuben Crothers, Nick Timoney

(15-9) Shea O'Brien, Ethan McIlroy, Luke Marshall, Jude Postlethwaite, Aaron Sexton, Angus Curtis, Dave Shanahan

Replacements: Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, Paul Mullan, Harry Sheridan, Greg Jones, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Billy Burns, Stewart Moore, Ben Moxham, Will Addison.

I'd love for Izzy to take a leap this year after whatever his last season was. Curious about how Crothers is getting on as well, don't think I've seen him play since u20's. Hoping Postlethwaite can play a decent role this season and put pressure on Hume.

Ulster Development:

(1-8) George Saunderson, Zac Solomon, Scott Wilson, Joe Hopes, Charlie Irvine, James McNabney, Josh Stevens, Lorcan McLaughlin

(15-9) Rory Telfer, Lukas Kenny, Rory Ellerby, Ben Carson, Ethan Graham, James Humphreys, Conor McKee

Replacements: Henry Walker, Jack Boal, Cameron Doak, James McKillop, Mark Lee, Ryan Davies, Bryn Ward, Zach Quirke, Henry Boyle, Ben Gibson, Ben McFarlane, James Girvan, Jacob Boyd.

Would've loved for this to be on any other day than the opening day of the WC, even getting back home through Belfast traffic after the first game wouldn't be ideal for me.

UR having a review this Tuesday of the under age programme with all the coaches. They lost every single game across all under age groups.

They should probably just send a couple of coaches down to Leinster to have a look at what they do because at the moment we are miles behind them, and worryingly we are behind Munster and possibly Connacht.

I have a horrible feeling this could be a really tough season for Ulster.

We were comfortably beaten by Leinster the other day. We had a pretty strength team out, Leinster played their C team, they almost hit 40 against us. Now it was a pre season game so maybe you take it with a pinch of salt, but the signs are all there that we could struggle in 23/24.

Its not what Leinster are doing but so much more than that. As you say you are behind other provinces as well. Its structures with everything from clubs and so much more

Its so much more than the guys who make the academy where the problem is though.

Didn't watch it, but the two pre season results are really worrying. We lost comfortably to what amounted to a Leinster C team and now we've been beaten to a Benetton side missing all their Internationals and I'm sure they have a lot more than we do.

I've thought this for a while, but I fear this could be a tough season for Ulster.

It looks like McFarland is only there, because no better offers came in. He did a good job up to a point but it’s well past that point now. It’s hard to see how he is going to get anything out of the players this season.

Yes, it feels like we have slithered into anonymity and major decline. We have very few players now that really inspire confidence. I assume that this is due to a major failure in coaching from the Academy right to the top. The team finished second in the league table without ever looking the real deal. When excellent players simply give up their careers as they are disillusioned with the running of the team there are major problems. When players such as Baloucoune and Hume, Cooney and Treadwell, Stockdale and Timoney and others hurtle backwards in form and ambition seems in short supply, it is a slowly evolving and irreversible slump while the current regime is in charge. When season ticket sales are in decline maybe we need a new voice. Ewers and Kitshoff might bring a new energy. Having Addison and Marty Moore back might help. Maybe the likes of Hume and Stewart and Aaron Sexton will burst into form.

With respect to guys like Alan O'Connor, Dave Shanahan, Ben Moxham, Ethan McIlroy. and the wildly over rated Michael Lowry starting many weeks, we are starting with 25% of the team who really wouldn't start for another Province. All of them give their best but it isn't anywhere nearly enough. It says a lot when McIlroy is often one of the stand out players in the backs when he is as slow as treacle running up hill.

Fair point - I just want to see us push on.

It'd be interesting to see Ulster copy the Ireland model of having playmakers on the wings by putting Stewart Moore on the opposite wing to Stockdale. I think he's a player Ulster should be promoting at every opportunity.

That would also fit in with trialing Baloucoune at 13, which is something I've been wanting to see for a bit. Get him as centrally involved as possible.

While I agree in wanting to see Baloucoune involved as much as possible, the idea of moving him to 13 where there's Hume, Marshall and potentially Postlethwaite seems quite a waste.

Imagine you were a 19yr old kid in the “sub-academy” training x4 times (all day) per week for no dough, missing most of your uni classes, missing most of your club training and club games (inc AIL) and getting 5 mins here and there in a “development game” (if you’re lucky) in the autumn and you might be close to working out why the current system is pants.

I don't mean to imply that Lowry has no real talent. He is an elusive runner but that is about it. He can't kick from hand worth a damn, he is as brave as a wolverine but he is simply outgunned by bigger, stronger and often equally skilled players. He is a luxury Ulster cannot afford.

I think Ulster wanted rid of McFarland but couldn't afford to sack him so they basically needed someone else to take him which didn't happen.

He has taken us as far as he can, and in fairness he has done a good job in improving our fortunes, but we're now going backwards, and it could damage his legacy which is sad to see.

Who would they replace him with? My opinion is they'd ask Jared Payne. There has been a clear decline in our fortunes since he (and Dwayne Peel) left.

What's the 1st XV likely to be?

Addison (we can only hope), Baloucoune, Hume, McCloskey, Stockdale, Burns, Cooney

Kitshoff, Herring, O'Toole, Henderson, O'Connor, Ewers, Timoney, McCann

Something like that?

Kitshoff and Ewers need to hit the ground running and if there is one player who Ulster need to really breakthrough and make themselves undroppable it's David McCann. Would be nice if Harry Sheridan could do similar.

That's about as positive as I can be.