URC Round 8 Ulster v Connacht

OldRio · 21-12-2023 1:35pm #1

KO 1935 at Kingspan Stadium, Belfast

TV coverage TG4, BBC2 NI, Premier Sport 1

Teams

Ulster: Mike Lowry; Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Stuart McCloskey, Jacob Stockdale; Jake Flannery, John Cooney; Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, Marty Moore; Kieran Treadwell, Iain Henderson (capt); Matty Rea, Sean Reffell, Nick Timoney

Replacements: John Andrew, Steven Kitshoff, Tom O'Toole, Al O’Connor, Dave Ewers, Nathan Doak, Jude Postlethwaite, Will Addison

Connacht: Mack Hansen; Shayne Bolton, Tom Farrell, Bundee Aki, Byron Ralston; Jack Carty (capt), Caolin Blade; Denis Buckley, Tadgh McElroy, Finlay Bealham; Darragh Murray, Joe Joyce; Cian Prendergast, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Sean O'Brien

Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Peter Dooley, Jack Aungier, Gavin Thornbury, Conor Oliver, Michael McDonald, JJ Hanrahan, Shane Jennings.

I thought I'd start this instead of posts on the match been split into 2 sections.

Dubinusa · 21-12-2023 3:35pm

Got to say that Rea played well last week. He's turning g it around?

bilston · 21-12-2023 10:10pm

Why are we not starting Kitshoff and Ewers? Keeping them for Leinster? What's the point? We'll rest the likes of Henderson, Cooney and McCloskey against them

Wegians89 · 21-12-2023 10:24pm

Think Connacht just edge the head to head line ups, form for both teams has been pretty miserable over the last month or so. Ulsters win last week not as impressive as it should have been but will give them confidence.

OldRio · 22-12-2023 8:57am

Ulster are favourites with the bookies 1/5 on. Whilst you can get 7/2 on Connacht. Seems the money is with Ulster.

Paul Smeenus · 22-12-2023 10:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121524420#Comment_121524420

Think it's about finishing strongly. We have been guilty of collapsing - we were leading Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bath before falling off the pace. Last week we held back Ewers and he added a lot of grunt when he came on. Being able to bring Kitschoff, Ewers and O'Toole off the bench will give us a good boost in the last half an hour.

sydthebeat · 22-12-2023 11:13am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121525204#Comment_121525204

yeah the spread is -9 to ulster.

its a difficult game to bet on, Connacht as pretty much fully loaded and have gotten the ravenhill voodoo off their back... but Ulster are so schizophrenic its hard to predict how they will go. When was the last time Ulster backed up a strong performance with an equally strong performance? maybe sharks / cardiff / bulls last season?

it could be a 1 point game, or an ulster trouncing by 15+

SqueakyKneecap · 22-12-2023 11:31am

I've a bad feeling it's gonna be a hole-opener for Connacht. The defense is just too dodgy to see anything other than an Ulster TBP win.

bilston · 22-12-2023 1:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121525593#Comment_121525593

I suppose there is logic to that. It doesn't always work out like that though.

Interested to see Sean Reffell. It's probably been over a year since he played, but I remember thinking he was solid enough.

Paul Smeenus · 22-12-2023 2:10pm

I really hope Reffell kicks on.

We Ulster supporters have a narrative about needing a big, brutal eight to decimate in the tight - what I think we actually need is a Henry-esque torture at the breakdown. Faster ball for us, slower ball for the opposition.

Locke_Lamora · 22-12-2023 4:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121526454#Comment_121526454

I’ll take both

22-12-2023 7:38pm

Going to be a long night for Connacht.

22-12-2023 7:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527521#Comment_121527521

Maybe not!

Feel like this is going to be a good game. Nice bit of spice to this rivalry after the Connacht win at Ravenhill at the end of last season.

FrancieBrady · 22-12-2023 7:58pm

Con lucky to still have 15 on the pitch

22-12-2023 8:07pm

The noise of Eoghan Cross on the ref mic constantly sniffling and wheezing is distracting.

They need to sort the audio.

Utopia Parkway · 22-12-2023 8:17pm

Thornbury is over 6 foot 8 and Connacht have completely overthrown him at least 3 times in the lineout.

22-12-2023 8:22pm

Bad call there - he called bind and Marty Moore still wasn’t down and he gives Ulster the penalty. Should have gone the other way.

Strand1970 · 22-12-2023 8:23pm

Ref is decent, clear short messages to the players.

22-12-2023 8:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527688#Comment_121527688

Yeah, think he’s largely had a good half.

Feel he got that call wrong on the last scrum though in a fairly crucial part of the field.

Utopia Parkway · 22-12-2023 8:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527687#Comment_121527687

He seems to have decided Ulster are on top in the scrum even though the Connacht scrum is nearly always very solid when Bealham and Buckley are on the pitch.

Connacht lineout a right mess. Ulster missing a couple theirs as well.

Poor enough first half. Very scrappy.

22-12-2023 8:58pm

Fully deserved try for Connacht who’ve played well for the past 15 mins or so, despite the scrappy errors.

Great finish from Hurley Langton.

CMcsporty · 22-12-2023 9:00pm

Langton made that look easier than it was.

He’s everything you want in a backrow forward

Baloucoune will not be happy with his tackle

Utopia Parkway · 22-12-2023 9:04pm

Connacht lineout yet again puts them in trouble.

22-12-2023 9:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527827#Comment_121527827

Yeah it’s been atrocious.

22-12-2023 9:08pm

That’s not consistent refereeing there - he penalised Thornbury for a knock in the tackle in the first half, and lets Stockdale away there with knock on only.

CMcsporty · 22-12-2023 9:10pm

JJ is back!

2 great passes in the lead up to the try

22-12-2023 9:12pm

Cian Prendergast’s discipline is really sloppy.

Wegians89 · 22-12-2023 9:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527855#Comment_121527855

He is just always on the edge, with experience he’ll get cuter in not getting caught. Offers so much to Connacht

Utah_Saint · 22-12-2023 9:22pm

Neither team improved their reputation tonight

FrancieBrady · 22-12-2023 9:23pm

Ulster's big names were bigger than Connacht's on the night. Good win

Utopia Parkway · 22-12-2023 9:24pm

Connacht would probably have won that game with even a below average lineout performance rather than the complete dumpster fire that it was.

Stockdale with a few important inventions in defence. Not usually his strength.

22-12-2023 9:24pm

Really enjoyable game.

Connacht were unfortunate I felt. Handling errors and a misfiring lineout cost them a lot.

That said - Henderson, Stewart and Timoney were all excellent I felt.

StevenToast · 22-12-2023 9:26pm

Connachts lineout has been complete dogshìt all season.....

Utopia Parkway · 22-12-2023 9:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527913#Comment_121527913

They definitely lost at least 6 of their own lineouts. Maybe even 7. That’s as bad as it gets.

sydthebeat · 22-12-2023 9:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121525740#Comment_121525740

Glad I didn't put any money on it

Locke_Lamora · 22-12-2023 10:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121527906#Comment_121527906

Seems to have made a more concentrated effort this year to actually put a shoulder in instead of brushing his finger tips across the attacker. I’m happy, but curious about how long it’ll last. Hopefully missing the World Cup gave him a slap.

Paul Smeenus · 22-12-2023 11:08pm

Bloody hell, we made exceptionally hard work of that.

Couple of positives (the negatives were fairly self-evident):

> As good an atmosphere as I've been at for a while. Place got properly rocking a few times. Great to experience after a bit of a quiet crowd slump.

> Depth well tested. No Herring, Burns, McCann, okay, but then Ewers and Lowry drop out on game day. Lots of disruption, a good twenty minutes(?) with our second choice nine at ten. Didn't fall apart (enough to lose, anyway).

> First cap for Shea O'Brien, 47th player to earn an Ulster cap this season (Connacht at opposite end of scale). Would have liked to have seen more of him, and get a sense of how ready he actually is.

Take it and move on.

Paul Smeenus · 22-12-2023 11:26pm

Correction - O'Brien was the 48th Ulster player to line out this season and the eight/ninth? new cap.

Wegians89 · 23-12-2023 1:27am

Should Addison have been pulled for double movement for the first try?

Paul Smeenus · 23-12-2023 8:26am

Didn't think so live, would need to watch it back on the box.

URC Round 8 Ulster v Connacht

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