Friday night last and beyond:

Ulster were crop.

The referee was crop.

Rugby is crop.

Alright it’s the UAFC school of constructive rugby criticism for initiates, so let me put some meat on this crusty bone. The guts of this are covered in Dewi’s match report and to avoid any claims of plagiarising I can say hand on heart they are my own miniscule thoughts and reasoning written in my inimitable style. The thought that contract talks and players coming and going struck me as a reason for some of the poor display by Ulster as a team.   More ... (1782 words, 1 image)

In case you’ve tuned in on the basis that this is about music and Jim Kerr, I am sorry to disabuse you of the notion, I think I read somewhere he’s an inveterate footie supporter.

If he had played a bit of rugby in his youth he may well have been like myself and went down to the training field in the off season and played a simple game. With a minimum of 2 on each side and anything up to 4 a-side, the game involved punting the ball out of hand down the pitch. The idea was to gain territory from the 22 and eventually win by crossing the halfway line.   More ... (1594 words, 1 image)

I was going to blog on about adventures in the European theatre but was overtaken by an unusually heavy workload in the real world and before I could say ‘Italia’ the 6 nations was upon me. I’m sat before a computer keyboard wondering what on earth I might say about the 6 nations that will come across all original and unhackneyed.

I don’t for one moment envy those journos whom spew out acres of print on all angles, anecdotes, murmurings, chat and anything else that justifies their cloistered existence amidst the sporting galacticos and journeymen of rugby union.

Rugby union unlike football is one of those relatively staid sports where outside of the odd eye gouge, fake blood capsule, player manager squabble, there’s not a lot to excite the more avaricious media elements.   More ... (1832 words, 1 image)

As a preamble to last Fridays game against Edinburgh I decided to watch the last 45 minutes of the Ulster – Stade match again. Two months on and emotionally detached from the days and hours following the game, I viewed dispassionately.

My conclusions on Ulster and the match in general were much as they had been in the immediate aftermath of victory.   Stade were very poor, both in their mental attitude and how they actually executed their game plan.

They are captained by Roncero, an Argentine international prop and a trained doctor I understand. Now were he my GP I would be a little concerned as to which emotional state I would find when I entered his surgery. He might sing you an aria one day and be all cupped shoulders, shrugs and palm gestures the next.   More ... (1756 words, 1 image)

Despite the poor attendance there was certainly a bit of a buzz around Ravenhill on Friday night for this must win game against Edinburgh.

The Sky TV team were there in force swooping on unsuspecting punters around the beer tent, lighting up Parky and startling him into shouting “Come on Ulster”  as the camera lights woke him from his pre-match slumbers.

After a brief discussion on the now somewhat hazy future of Isaac Boss and the sterling work he does with the Newforge Taggers it was generally agreed he would be a big loss should he depart at the end of the season, it was my turn to be startled when I was mobbed by a fan!   More ... (530 words, 0 images)

Hide him in a hiding place where no one ever goes
Put him in your pantry with your cupcakes,
It’s a little secret just the Robinson’s affair,
Most of all you’ve got hide it from the kids.

Where have you gone Willie John,
A nation turns its lonely eyes to you,
Woo, woo, woo…….

As the rugby grinds to a halt (metaphorically speaking), as it actually slithered to a stop, there is the distinct sound of the meshing of media gears as they crank up the ante in the wake of the Robinson’s affair.   More ... (1606 words, 1 image)