While Ian did service the backline one never really sensed he was in control whereas there seemed to control exercised from outhalf when O’Connor came on but then O’Connor was playing with Boss and the pass from the base was less erratic . In fact the game showed to those who have doubts about Bosses ability that he does possess a fast pass but is only confident in using it when he knows the outhalf will not be under pressure.

Willis appears to be work in progress but shows promise.

At this point given the fact that the Portuguese were so far off the pace of the match and the referee started to protect them no conclusions are possible as to the performances of any of the Ulster Players other than they were far fitter than the opposition

Your harsh treatment of Mini Club-man nearly provoked a reply .

Regards THP

Stade had three drop goal attempts within the first 20 minutes two of which were sucessful playing with an out half with that ability meant that Stade had no need to play a high risk game and allowed them to concentrate on their defence .

While the ref was not prefect Ulster have played against worse refereess this year and his failure to use the video may have cost Ulster a bonus point he was not the cause of our defeat

My Ulsterman of the match has to NoC not because he was the most outstanding Ulsterman on the pitch but because I think he came of age during the match he was playing opposite one of the worlds best it would have easy to have been overawed but he wasn’t and when he appreciates that fact it will provide him with confidence to be a better player

Good to see the FRU with an exclusive……………………………….

Should be fixed now.

My most frightening Irish player - Neil Francis? Only joking. Can’t think of anyone over the last 3 decades on a par with some of the gentlemen mentioned above!!!! champ if I remember right was no angel either.

The match is All Black Test : 922nd All Black Game

New Zealand vs France at La Beaujoire Stadium
Nantes, France
Saturday, 3 November 1990

Fulltime - New Zealand 24, France 3
Halftime - New Zealand 18, France 3
Attendance - 42000
Conditions - Weather fine, ground slightly slippery
Referee - A. R. MacNeil (New South Wales, Australia)
Head to Head - All Blacks vs France
1 P. Ondarts
2 L. Armary
3 L. Seigne replaced by Marocco
6 E. Champ
4 A. Benazzi
5 O. Roumat
7 E. Melville
8 L. Rodriguez

Full details of match are at http://stats.allblacks.com/teamsheet.asp?level1=All_Blacks&Level2=ABC&MT_ID=1922

Loved the piece above, but who would be your “Top 10 Most Frightening Irishmen” - not as easy as it sounds as we spent so many years as “plucky” Ireland.

I’ll start the ball rolling with W.J.McBride but more for the Lions in South Africa rather than Ireland.

Found this article when I was googling for info on Ondatrts and thought it would be of interest to FRU members of a certrain age. I remember hearing a story about how Gerard Cholley’s potentail as future international prop was first identified. Allegedly he was in the French Navy and was observed ”laying out” allcomers in a fight in a bar in the French Naval Port of Toulon

From The Sunday TimesMarch 12, 2006

The top 10 frightening Frenchmen
STEPHEN JONES
1 Gerard Cholley (1975-79) Le Guv’nor. The baddest man ever, Cholley was frightening. In his playing days, he weighed in at 19st. These days he demolishes the scales at nearly 24st. A former heavyweight boxer, his career was a gory legend — he once laid out four Scots in the same match. Cholley believes that rugby today is soft. “There is no fear in rugby any more.”
2 Alain Esteve (1971-75) “The Beast of Beziers” was a forbidding heavy-bearded giant of 6ft 8in. Bobby Windsor, the Wales hooker, frequently came up against him. “When we packed down, I’d hear him say, ‘Bob-bee, Bob-bee’ and then this big fist would come through and smack you in the chops. To get my own back I booted him in the mush as hard as I could. He got up and gave me a wink.”

3 Pascal Ondarts (1986-91) He had the lot. He was a ferocious, iron-willed, tempestuous Basque. His first cap set the tone: he played with a ferocity that could not be tamed in the Battle of Nantes, when France beat New Zealand in 1986, a match in which All Black captain Wayne Shelford suffered a torn scrotum.

4 Marc Cecillon (1988-95) Cecillon, a powerhouse in the back row, did not adapt well after retirement, when his famous aggression no longer had an outlet. In 2004 he shot dead his wife, Chantel, at a party near Bourgoin. He is in jail awaiting trial. He told police that such was his level of intoxication, he could recall nothing of the incident.

5 Vincent Moscato (1991-92) Moscato, a hooker, played with crop-haired menace and was sent off in a foul match against England at Parc des Princes in 1992, along with Gregoire Lascube. He never played for France again and went on, in Vinnie Jones style, to become a hard man of the silver screen.

6 Armand Vaquerin (1971-1980) Another Beziers giant, Vaquerin played throughout the 1970s as a typically fierce French front-rower, but, as with Cecillon, it was his life after rugby which brought more notoriety, and tragedy. In 1993, Vaquerin shot himself while playing Russian roulette in a bar in Beziers.

7 Laurent Seigne (1989-95) Photographs taken of the French front row, Pascal Ondarts, Laurent Seigne and Louis Armary, for the 1990 match against New Zealand appeared to show that they had bleeding cuts to the nose. Nothing noteworthy in that, except that the photographs were taken before the game. It is claimed that in an attempt to wind themselves up they had butted one another. Even when he became a coach, Seigne’s novel motivational ideas continued. He once punched Gregory Kacala, the Brive flanker, because he felt that Kacala was too slow to anger on the field.

8 Claude Dourthe (1966-75) Dourthe may have been a mere back, but as one Wales captain recalls: “He would hit you high and late when his temper got the better of him.” Dourthe and his son Richard, who is also a French international back, have a place in history — they are the only father and son to have both been sent off in international rugby.

9 Fabien Pelous (1995-) Pelous was suspended in November for elbowing Australia’s Brendan Cannon. But you could tell that his heart was not in the villainy. Here we have the modern French forward: fit, disciplined — and dull. He has 105 caps and gained next to no notoriety. Shame on him.

10 Michel Palmie (1975-78) The massive Palmie was an arch enforcer. In 1978, he was banned for punching Armand Clerc in a club game. Clerc lost some of his sight in the attack. Palmie never played for France again, but was he drummed out of the sport full stop? Not quite. He went on to become an official in the French Rugby Federation.

but he could hava the connections

And sure why not! and The Ulster public have a rite 2 no u no.

Where is the bloody UAFC messageboard - off line just when we needed it most.

Mind you the Chinese cheerleaders look pretty hot!!

Paddie’s a cert for the centre as far as I’m concerned.

He’s no openside wingforward and we seem to have a Lock and Blindside nor is he a first choice second row
(barring injuries) but he has on many occasions been our best jumper in the line

Agreed the key to the season is the mobility of the backrow and the vision of the half -backs but I don’t see the players named as first choice for either

Word is he’s been focusing on his speed this summer.

A back row of McCullough/Diack/Ferris is certainly a mouth watering prospect in terms of ball carrying but feel we need better balance with a genuine openside in there somewhere. Hopefully Pollock continues to develop from were he left off last season. For me our back row with McCullough/Diack/Ferris competing for the 6/8 position and Dawson/Pollock at 7 would represent the ideal back row unit.

Don’t you mean

“The dossier of our findings was passed BY Eventsec”????

You’re been spending too much time under the influence of the pesky frogs and have lost all sense of the good aul Ulster qualities of honesty and probity !!

Regards THP

Nagusa was over training with Ulster in May and I think we’ve been talking about “a Fijian winger” from around that time. Certainly the UAFC is mentioned in this blog as far back as June 1 in relation to this.

Hope this makes the sour grapes easier to swallow :0)

ED: Aw come on now Brittany - we think it’s quite lovely!

I have no idea though what a “an ex-girlie-fruity-hockey player” called Johnny King is??? Have you had a sex change or something??

ED - Thanks Mauler. I’ll change it now.

Everyone is welcome to contribute to The FRU. Send in your post to editor@thefru.co.uk

Dewi

I believe Biarritz are interested for next year. They always rated our performances against them.

I think that the Branch really need to ask the big questions of the man at the top, rather than let him duck and dive. IMHO appointing a big cheese like media-savy Williams is his attempt to deflect the criticism and unfortunatley McCall paid the price for his survival with his job.

On another front… I couldn’t believe what I was seeing when I was watching Trimble against Connaught. Either he is carrying an illness or he is seriously over conditioned. He looked totally out of it. Could hardly run the length of himself.

The players still left after McCall left, to me the problem lies further up the organization. Perhaps the more politically (small p) astute Williams will be able to exploit this.

During the two months in charge the new coach has spelt out a strategy for the rest of the season which is simple enough. Focus on winning the home games and use the away games to assess the capabilities of the squad with the emphasis on the younger players. I don’t see were the spin is here and supporters can buy into it because they at least have had it spelt out to them however unpalatable the focus on winning a home game against Connaught.
PS: Visted Ballymena on Sunday and had an immediate urge to drive on to Portrush!!

It will be corrected immediately!

Off topic i know but i’m sure the good people of Ballymena will not be amused to see Matt McCullough linked with Bangor GS. Dunce’s cap for the researcher!

We have just suffered two of our biggest away defeats ever in the Magners League and we are now praying for a home win against Connacht to save our season and this strategy is getting the plaudits of one and all.

Only the long term will tell if Matt is going to be a better coach than Mark, but one thing is clear, Matt is certainly much better at spin.

Let’s sit back and enjoy the ride!

Sort it!

They came up the Lagan in a bubble, then took a bus. (Possibly a #32, - I wouldn’t care to comment) SORTED!

Trucks are for Vietnamese pot-belly pigs, not Vietnamese PEOPLE! - Sort it!

Anyvay, zer icht nein “dashboard” on ein airoplane, icht bien ein “control panel”.

Perhaps you ver thinking of zer Spitfire vich haben ein dashboard, but only ze vons built by Triumph, nicht zer vons built by Supermarine!

But vot point ist ein aiming device down on ein dashboard anyvay? Icht needs to be higher up near zer kanopy zo zat zer pilot can zee through icht!

Stupid Britisher Schweinhundt!

The mad Dutch professor was to blame your honour.

Where can we talk about flags and anthems on here?

Hans niche, if you’ve ever flown a stuka you vill know zat der is a little cross and circle on ze dashboard which allowsy ou to take aim at Tommy through your sights ven u are in a steep dive!! Dumpkopf!!

Mr. Dant, a further point of order. How did the boat people arive at Craigavon,— in a boat? Sort it!

If you are going to make a tackle make sure yer body position is correct and more importantly that your head is in the right place otherwise you’ll lose it!!!

(Just to introduce a rugby tone to the show, like)

Ich must correct ze inaccurate propaganda being put out by ze Dumkopf known as Ballpark. Virst, he incorrectly refers to ze “stuka”, ven he should be calling it ze Junkers JU87. Did he learn nichts from seins time in ze bunker?. Zecondly, he toks as if ze JU87 actually has an aiming defice. ES NICHT! Ve point ze nose of ze airoplane at ze target, let go of ze bombes and as you Vest Englanders vood say, “Bob’s Ihr Onkel”

Vy he vants to tok about dive bombers anyvay, ven he shood be tokking about ze rugby, Ich weiß nicht