On Saturday evening discipline will be key, we need to read the breakdown much quicker and make intelligent decisions as to how we defend or attack the opposition ball. We must keep the ball in hand and play some strong and smart running rugby.

If we are going to come away with the win we really need, we’ll have to play out of our socks and be mentally prepared for a real fight.

We were very disappointed with our performance last Friday so it is great to have this early opportunity to play Cardiff again. We have had plenty to work on from last week and have been in Jordanstown for the past two days which has been great. We must make sure that we make our home advantage count, and get our Ravenhill support behind us to get as much out of this game as we possibly can.

Paddy McAllister and Tommy Seymour are additions to the squad that was selected for the Cardiff away game last weekend, while Tom Court and Mark McCrea were not considered due to injury.

Forwards:Declan Fitzpatrick, Bryan Young, BJ Botha, Nigel Brady, Andi Kyriacou, Ed O’Donoghue, Dan Tuohy, Ryan Caldwell, Chris Henry, Paddy McAllister, Stephen Ferris, Robbie Diack, TJ Anderson, David Pollock, Rory Best. Backs: Jamie Smith, Paul Marshall, Simon Danielli, Darren Cave, Ian Whitten, Timoci Nagusa, Ian Humphreys, Niall O’Connor, Isaac Boss, Paddy Wallace, Andrew Trimble, Michael Heaney, Jonny Shiells, Tommy Seymour.

Not available due to injury: Mark McCrea, Tom Court, Clinton Schifcofske, Willie Faloon, Bryn Cunningham, Adam Macklin, Ian Porter, Cillian Willis, Matt McCullough, Justin Fitzpatrick

Tickets are still available for Ulster v Cardiff Blues.

To purchase tickets for Ulster v Cardiff Blues, 3rd April, KO 7.30pm click here, or call the Ticket Line on 028 90 493 222 Option 2 or visit the Ticket Office at Ravenhill (Mon-Fri, 9am – 5pm.) Tickets are also available from Ulster Rugby ticket outlets province wide.

I know McLaugh’s has lots of constraints acting on him with regards to how he can pick the team and what he can publicly say about Ulster’s previous couple of performances, but I don’t think I’d be alone in appreciating it if his team announcement tomorrow (Friday) went something like this. (Cue wavy lines!)

Look we’ve been bashed about a bit up front for the last couple of matches, but we’re a small team. As we’re always going to play predominately local boys we’re going to try and play a more distinctive style of play based on moving the ball away from and around contact areas as quickly as possible.

We feel this style of rugby will maximise the resources available to the Provence and, while it may take a while for us to get it right, we’re going to start playing it now.

There may be a few good hammering’s on the way but we are confident that it will bring a fast paced and exciting game to Ravenhill and will make us much more competitive away from home in the long term.

He will then announce the following team: (1-8) Young, Kyriacou, Botha, Tuohy, O’Donoghue, Henry, Pollock, Diack. (9-15) Boss, Humphreys, Danielli, Wallace, Cave, Trimble, Smith (16-22) Best, Fitzpatrick D, Caldwell, Ferris, Heaney, O’Connor, Whitten.

Best and Ferris need a bit of time on the bench to drain all the negative crap from their Ireland appearances out of them. Neither of them is  firing on all cylinders and they shouldn’t just stroll back in.

Might get beat, might win with a four try bonus point but we’ll never know. At least the media snippets would be a bit more exciting and informative than the current which appears to blame the players’ discipline for the last two defeats which were in fact caused by poor team selection and tactics. At least they are starting to recognise the importance of the breakdown and the importance of keeping the ball in hand, so hopefully there won’t be so much positional kicking.

I’m afraid I was a bit tipsy throughout, and spent most of the match chatting rather than watching but you can read John Dickson’s full report here on  Ulster Rugby.

Young Tommy Seymour led the way with a brace of tries and the rest of the scores were well spread out amongst the team with Bryn Cunningham, Declan Fitzpatrick, Ian Humphreys, Cillian Willis, Ian Whitten, Mark McCrea, Robbie Diack and the impressive Mike Allen all getting on the score sheet. Niall O’Connor added six conversions.

Though my own recollections are somewhat hazy I do remember Bryn Cunningham and Robbie Diack showing a few touches of class, Bryan Young nearly scoring off a chip ahead and American Scott La Valla looked much more impressive playing in the back row, getting through plenty of work.

The Raven’s looked well on top from the start and it’s a great pity that there wasn’t more people there to enjoy the spectacle as it was another paltry crowd for this British and Irish Cup match.

There was a fair sprinkling of Wizards fans over for the game and all credit to them, they were fairly vocal throughout – well right up till the sixth or seventh try and then they just sort of gave up! But shame on the home support for not getting off their butts on a pleasant enough evening to have a look at some of Ulster’s rising stars!

The lack of atmosphere did detract slightly from our concentration on the game and, as I said, I spent most of the time catching up on the latest gossip and there were a few rye comments on the cancelled Ospreys game, Ulster’s performance against Scarlets, the forthcoming Ireland Wales game and, for some reason, my activities in South Africa!

Well catching up with ‘so called’ old mates and having a bit a crack is what it’s all about, even if some of the comments on my South African sojourns and the state of my websites can be a bit hurtful. The fact that I cried all the way home didn’t take away one bit from my enjoyment of the night so don’t worry about that Dergman, I was laughing on the inside and it was good to see you again!

Don’t know exactly why so few turned up but I can’t help but think that Ulster are missing out here with their marketing of these games as they basically offer very little incentive for the crowds to come along outside of a price reduction on the entrance fee.

I fully understand that the weather can play havoc with organising activities but I would have thought that it would have been a good opportunity to try out a few different concession stands and maybe allowed a charity or similar organisation to run a BBQ, got involved with Kukri or SS Moores to do a stock sale or even invited a few of the companies that support the Loyalty Card along to display their wares in the empty beer tent. Anything really, but to try nothing at all was a bit of a disappointment.

The Ravens now progress to the semi finals of the British and Irish Cup alongside Munster, Cornish Pirates and Doncaster Knights.

The semi final draw is scheduled to be made on Wednesday, March 24.

The 1st and 3rd teams drawn will receive home advantage in the semi finals on the weekend of April 24

A further draw will then take place between the two semi finals to determine which of the potential finalists would be at home in the final on Sunday, May 16.

Colin from Rugby picture was there with his camera, you can view his photos here.

A win over Aberavon will secure a semi final place for Ulster Ravens, in the British and Irish Cup.

Ulster Ravens manager Gary Longwell understands how important playing at Ravenhill is and the encouragement that the legendary Ulster supporters contribute on match night:

“We all know the Ulster fans are brilliant, and that playing at Ravenhill always gives Ulster sides’ a great advantage. We need to get the Ulster supporters talking about how good these Ravens games are, how strong the Ulster side is.

It is not a thrown together team, this is not average players playing, it is really high quality players playing for Ulster in a very important competition. I really hope the supporters come out to back us, and again next week when the senior team play the Ospreys.”

The Ravens welcome back to action full back Bryn Cunningham, after a lengthy hamstring injury. Bryn will be joined in the back three by; Mark McCrea and Tommy Seymour. Michael Allen and Ian Whitten continue in the midfield. Cillian Willis getting a start at scrum half, where he will partner Niall O’Connor.

Up front the pack has a very solid look, with Andi Kyriacou returning as hooker to captain the Ravens, alongside Bryan Young and Declan Fitzpatrick, in the front row. Neil McComb and Ed O’Donoghue partner in the second row. There is one change in the back row; Trinity openside Scott La Valla makes his second Ravens appearance after his impressive debut against Leinster A.

The replacements bench has an experienced look, with the addition of Queens University and Phoenix Ulster Rugby Academy prop Paul Karayannis and flanker Mark Robinson.

Ulster Ravens. (15-9) Bryn Cunningham, Mark McCrea, Michael Allen, Ian Whitten, Tommy Seymour, Niall O’Connor, Cillian Willis. (1-8) Bryan Young, Andi Kyriacou (Capt), Declan Fitzpatrick, Neil McComb, Ed O’Donoghue, T.J. Anderson, Scott La Valla, Robbie Diack. (16-22) Nigel Brady, Paul Karayannis, Dan Tuohy, Mark Robinson, Paul Marshall, Ian Humphreys, Chris Cochrane.
Tickets for the match are available to purchase on the gates from 6pm on Friday night and are priced at Adult £10 and £3 Children.

Good to see a mix of youth and experience throughout the team. Particularly glad to see Bryn Cunningham back on the field after his lengthy injury.

I’m surprised that Craig Gilroy hasn’t made a start in this match but maybe with Dungannon having a Cup match this weekend he’s required elsewhere!

It will be interesting to see how young American Scot La Valla performs, he had a reasonable enough game against Leinster A last month but I wouldn’t have had him down as one of the stand out players from that game. He did play in second row and he certainly put himself about so maybe the move to the back row will be more to his liking.

Though Ulster only require a win I’ll be disappointed if they don’t secure a bonus point win and progress into the knock out stages with a touch of class, something that has been missing their last two outings!

In Issue 15 of this popular monthly magazine you will find a message from Chairman Kimble, an article on “My Hero” Stephen Ferris, all the dirty details on the URSC trip to Thomond Park as well as all about rugby life in Lanzarote by fanatical Ulster supporter Leroy Heatley.

If that’s not enough there’s Bryn Cunningham and David Pollock’s thoughts on the season so far along with a few competitions.

Just click the image below to download your copy! (Please note you will need Adobe Reader installed!)

Ulster

The squad sees the welcome return of David Pollock to the seniors after a couple of controlled run outs for The Ravens. However the Autumn Internationals have taken their toll on the playing staff with Paddy Wallace, Stephen Ferris and BJ Botha joining Rory Best, Bryn Cunningham, Matt McCullough, Mark McCrea and Robbie Diack on the injury list. Andrew Trimble is rested as part of the D4 International Duty Treaty.

Forwards: Tom Court, Bryan Young, Declan Fitzpatrick, Adam Macklin, Justin Fitzpatrick, Andy Kyriacou, Nigel Brady, Ed O’Donoghue, Ryan Caldwell, Dan Tuohy, David Pollock, Willie Faloon, Chris Henry (Capt), Tamaiti Houra, Thomas Anderson. Backs: Clinton Schifcofske, Simon Danielli, Timoci Nagusa, Jonny Shiels, Niall O’Connor, Ian Humphreys, Darren Cave, Ian Whitten, Paul Marshall, Isaac Boss, Jamie Smith 

The Ulster playing panel has looked a lot stronger this season but they’ll still need to be at their best to beat a resurgent Glasgow who are definitely targeting this game in their bid to make the end of season playoffs. They don’t however have many fond memories of last years trip to Ravenhill as flanker Kelly Brown states;

The game at Ravenhill was played in the worst conditions I have ever experienced.

The pitch was a swamp and there was a howling gale. To make matters worse we were not at full strength and we did not do ourselves justice.

But we are in good fettle for this one and although Ulster have been going well themselves we have already shown that we can win at difficult venues this season like Cardiff, so we can take confidence from that.

The target for this season is to make the play-offs and if we want to achieve that we need to be taking points from places like Ulster."

I’d still put Ulster as favourites and certainly the pack must realise that there is everything to play for for the remainder of the season given Ireland’s abysmal scrumming performances in the matches against young Australian and exhausted South African packs.

I’d certainly like to see the likely starting props of Court and Young getting a little bit angrier for the rest of the season. Both Court and Young are, in my opinion, great scrummagers but they consistently fail to turn their superior technique into outright domination and it’s here they need to improve if they’re going to take the next step up.

FRU 22.

(1-8) Court, Kyriacou, Young, O’Donoghue, Tuohy, Hours, Faloon, Henry. (9-15) Boss, Humphreys, Danielli, Whitten, Cave, Nagusa, Schifcofske. (16-22) Brady, D Fitzpatrick, Caldwell, Pollock, Marshall, O’Connor, Shiels.

Tickets are available on-line Click Here or via the Ravenhill Ticket Office (Mon – Thurs 9am – 5pm, Fri 9am – 4pm) and Line Ticket 02890 293 222 Option 2 (Mon – Fri 10am – 12noon.)

First up we have The Autumn International Preview on Thursday night. Here’s the press release: –

With Ulster’s Magners League and Heineken Cup campaigns in hibernation our thoughts now turn to the Autumn Internationals. Ireland play Australia, Fiji and World Cup holders and Tri Nations winners South Africa and the Ireland A team will play Tonga and Argentina A.

On the eve of the Ireland A v Tonga match at Ravenhill, the Ulster Rugby Supporters Club will be holding an Autumn International Preview with Ulster players Tamaiti Horua, David Pollock, Justin Fitzpatrick & Bryn Cunningham. There will be the opportunity to quiz the panel on all things rugby and later chat informally to the players over supper.

So come along to the URSC Autumn International Preview evening on Thursday 12 November at Newforge Country Club at 8pm. Doors open at 7.30pm. There will be a pay bar available and a supper will be provided.

There will also be one of the URSC’s famous ballots:

Among the prizes being a South Africa RWC 07 shirt signed by World Cup winner BJ Botha; a retro Australia rugby shirt; and a B&I Lions cap signed by Stephen Ferris.

The Autumn International Preview evening is free to URSC members….£2 for non members.

Secondly the much awaited Stand Up 14 has been released with interviews with Mike Reid and Brian McLaughlin as well as an excellent article on last months Meet The management night! The picture quality on this pdf isn’t great but you can just about read what woz wrote!

Download Stand Up 14 here.

Over all its been a solid start to the first term at Ravenhill with more highs than lows but who gets the gold star and who deserves a good caning!

So far 29 players have been on the pitch for Ulster’s opening nine matches so we’ve pulled the number of appearances and minutes played from ulsterrugby.com and added in the scores from our Leaf Properties Lanzarote Man of the Match polls to give us a good feel as to how our boys are performing.

The Headmasters Report.

*Unfortunately no official figures were available for Neil McComb.

Overall Grade B+

It has certainly been a pleasing start to the season under the leadership of Brian McLaughlin and his team.

The bulk of the squad have raised their game and with the extra impact we’re getting from the likes of Humphreys, Trimble, Nagusa, Schifcofske
, Diack and Botha it’s like half a dozen new signings.

Kyriacou and Tuohy have been surprise packages adding real competition to the squad and have helped to substantially raise the overall standard. Horua has struggled to get up to speed but has shown enough to indicate he’ll be involved at the business end of the season.

However the icing on the cake has been the emergence of local stars Faloon and Henry in a highly competitive back row.

The problem Ulster now face is that far from being a surprise package they are now a known threat and other teams will adjust accordingly. Where Ulster have found success in their tactics of an abrasive defence and exploitation of errors they may find fewer opportunities as the opposition switch to less expansive games.

So far so good but the remaining two thirds of the season are going to be as much a test of the coaching staff as the players.

Initially, it looked as though it was going to be a difficult night for Ulster as the Falcons were the first team to find their rhythm and they looked a lot sharper with the ball in hand.

It was no surprise then when the Falcons went into a 0 – 7 lead with a try by No. 7 Brent Wilson converted by Gopperth. Ulster were struggling to time their moves with players overrunning Humphreys or simply not being where they should. This resulted in the ball not going to hand or in some cases being popped into space with no one there. It didn’t look good for Humphreys!

However, as promised by the management team, Ulster concentrated on the basics and the pack kept Ulster in the match with good play in the set piece and through their continual harrying of Newcastle whenever they had the ball.

Eventually a few plays started to go to hand and Ulster started to turn the tide. There were still plenty of miss timed moves but they did manage to drag themselves up field a couple of times for Schifcoske to keep the scoreboard ticking over with a surprisingly accurate boot!

With Ulster’s pack starting to get the upper hand Ulster went into the half time break full of confidence but still trailing 6 – 7.

Ulster started the second half well and quickly went into the lead with another Schifcofske penalty and when the impressive and hard working Tuohy broke form midfield to score on his debut it was beginning to look as though a trouncing was on the cards for the Falcons.

However, the Falcons regrouped and with a couple of breaks they put the pressure on the Ulster line. Ulster defended well and, with the young back row hassling and harrying Newcastle at every opportunity, they forced their opponents backwards at a rate of knots.

Humphreys began to dominate the midfield and after some delightful play he sent Cave through for a well deserved try for the hard working midfielder. Match over.

Newcastle kept plugging away but Ulster’s superior fitness and commitment enabled them to hold on for a comfortable win 19 – 7.

On a final note. Humphreys was Ulster’s top tackler. How times change!

The Headmasters Report.

Overall Grade.

C+  Some good individual displays but need to work on the timing of their moves.

As it happened.

• All over. Good performance against an average side. 
• Cave off injured. Jim on.
• Fitness is certainly telling. Ulster are running them down all over the pitch.
• 5 mins to go. Ulster well on top.
• Ulster working hard.
• Another try. Cave crosses. 19 – 7 should be game.
• Ulster defend well and drive thirty yards up field. Subs now coming on.
• Newcastle fighting back.
• Try by Tuohy. Clint misses. 14 – 7
• Ulster playing well. Another pen. Clint kicks. 9 – 7
• No subs as yet.
• And their back out. Ulster kick off.
• Half time. Ulster finished strongly.
• Another pen to Ulster. Clint kicks. 6 – 7.
• 5 mins to half time.
• Good play. Pen to Ulster. Clint kicks. 3 – 7.
• Ulster ok in set pieces but scrappy with the ball.
• Try for Falcons no. 7. Conversion good. 0 – 7.
• Great break by Humph but ball knocked on.
• Ulster on back foot but defending well.
• Cave turns ball over. Ulster clear.
• Falcons line out in Ulster 22. Now 5 yard scrum.
• Ulster attacking. Pitch looks great. Vocal Falcons fans led by Mars bar!
• Teams are out, stand up!

Match Highlights

Unlike Parky, I still remain positive for the season ahead and I’m particularly looking forward to see how the “made in Ulster” set up is going to cope on the big stage.

At this level, with so many squads of similar standard, it’s going to be a fine line between success and failure. I firmly believe that games are won, first an foremost, in the head and with a little confidence an average side can become a great side and it’s here, with McLaughlin, that Ulster have the edge.

The style of rugby that the coaching team pick is going to be interesting and it’s here where I think Ulster have to back themselves and play a more attacking game. We’re still fairly lightweight in the pack and we need to minimise the time spent at the breakdown, so a reversion to the pod based system may be called for, don’t over commit, and rely on our first up defence. 

The selection at half back is going to be crucial and my personal preference would be for Boss and Humphreys to start. In my book Humphreys is one of the most gifted out-half’s in the Magners and his criminal underuse last season must be corrected. If Ulster play an open attacking game his undoubted talents will be maximised and hopefully with big Ferris or Horua riding shotgun his defensive frailties will be minimised.

The loss of Best is a major blow, but not as bad as it could have been. We’ve a more than adequate stand in with the underrated Brady and Kyriacou looked useful enough in his time with the Turnips. What worries me most, apart from the extent of Rory’s injury of course, is the doom and gloom of “non–budgeted expense” being peddled by the Belfast Telegraph on Ulster Rugby’s behalf. I know times are hard, but not to budget for the loss of a major player in this highly abrasive sport is unprofessional to say the least. It’s not as though it’s an uncommon occurrence and you would think that some sort of contingency planning and insurance would be in place!

The loss of Best will have more impact through his role of captain than his on field play and here the new management team have an opportunity to state their intent for the following season. There’s no doubt that the captaincy should go to a guaranteed start and a lot of people have put their hand up for Botha. However Botha had problems with referees throughout all of last season and until he’s sorted out his engagements at scrum time I feel he’s got enough on his plate. The choice of Boss as captain would be a great statement of intent in my book and after coming through a difficult season last year I firmly believe he’s ready to move up a gear and push hard for his Ireland place.

Bryn Cunningham as an outside bet? Anyone?

Ulster Rugby are still offering their two for one deal for the Falcons and Viadanna home friendlies. Go here for details.

For those of you who can’t make the game you can follow our live Twitter feed for the games on this site.

Dear FRU,

I enjoy working out in the gym, and indeed the results are starting to show. Unfortunately my team mates insist in playing hip hop beats, such as the appalling Flo Rida, while we’re working out.

Being a bit of an intellectual, I would prefer to “feel the burn” to some of The Classics.

How can I persuade my colleagues to give them a go?

Tom.

The Raven Replies! It must be difficult playing in the front row with such cultured tastes. However, irrespective of the constant blows to the head, I’m surprised that a bright boy like you hasn’t come up with a solution to this conundrum as it’s really quite simple.

Burn a few classical tracks on to a CD and then pimp up the names on the outer cover. Mozart becomes Mozzy Art, Verdi become Ver Die and before too long big Cauldy will be begging you to “slam some jams!”
PS. Don’t let any videos of you working out to the classics get onto YouTube or you may find yourself becoming a gay icon like Bryn!

Dear FRU

I visited your site only to find that you have changed the background theme yet again. By my reckoning you have made more changes than Ulster have had managers over the last few seasons.

When are you going to wise up?

Grumpy. (Cap’n Retd.)

The Raven Replies! Dewi tells me that the last themes, though very nice, made it too difficult to read. This surprised me as I thought people only came on here to look at pictures of drunks and girls or even drunk girls! “The fat one” does assure me that there will be lots of exciting new things in the next few weeks. I think he’s doing a GCSE in Web Wizardry so god knows what it’ll be like!

Dear FRU

I am somewhat in a quandary. My two favourite teams, Bath and Ulster, are playing each other in this years Heineken Cup.

I’ll obviously be supporting Ulster but I am somewhat worried that, when I see the my Bath friends at Ravers, I’ll slip into my West Country Wurzel accent and it’ll take me 15 minutes to shout out “Come on Ulsterrrrr oh ar oh ar”.

Do you have any tips to stop me embarrassing myself?

Flat-Top.

The Raven Replies! I suggest that between now and the big match that you fully immerse yourself in your Ulster heritage. This will involve eating lots of Ulster Frys, Champ and Wheaten Bread and going on lots of marches while listening to the Pride of the Boyne Flute Band on your iPod.

I also suggest that you practice shouting “Come on Ulsterrrr” at Bath matches until you can get it down to three minutes.

Do you have a critical question to improve your game as a player or supporter? You too can ask the Raven using the comments section below!

Another enjoyable night organised by the URSC, well attended by supporters and players alike.

Thankfully this time Master of Ceremonies Jonathan Bill remembered everyone’s names and the players were quite forthcoming with their opinions on the Six nations and other matters, particularly Kieron Dawson who gave some very forthright views.

It was great to hear their opinions on the Irish set up and particularly on the up and comping stars in Ulster Rugby who are predicted to be the mainstays of Irish Rugby in the future.

One sad note was Paul Steinmetz announcing that this will, at the moment, be his last season with Ulster Rugby. A true fan’s favourite and one of Ulster’s greatest overseas signings he will be sadly missed. The FRU, and Mrs Derg in particular, will be doing all it can to keep Steiny involved with Ulster in the future. We’ve already signed him up for our end of season Awards Night so watch this space for details.

Each week we’ll give you an interesting fact about an Ulster player or supporter and all you have to do is tell us if it is true or not.

This weeks factoid is about Ulster stalwart Bryn Cunningham who is currently playing the best rugby of his life.

Is the gorgeous pouting Bryn’s penchant for wearing knitwear hiding an ulterior motive? You decide.

Vote now!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Ulster completely outclassed a poor Connacht side in a match that was every way as one sided as their match against Portugal.

The front row of Fitzpatrick, Best and Botha thoroughly outclassed their opposition which completely nullified Connacht’s game plan of taking on Ulster up front.

Fitzpatrick in particular buried his starting prop and the replacement in a vintage display which, once the referee got to grips with the intricacy of the front row, practically turned each scrum into a guaranteed penalty.

In fact, a magnificent scrum by Fitzpatrick on the 55th minute resulted in Ulster taking the ball against the head and spinning it out for McCrea to score the all important bonus point try.

Previously to that Ulster had struggled to take advantage of their dominance. In a scrappy first half Ulster went into a two try lead with Ferris and Nagusa capitalising on mistakes from Keatley. Ulster appeared to go asleep for the remainder of the first half and this, coupled with some strange decisions at scrum time by the referee, let Connacht back into the game with a try to bring the half time score to Ulster 20 Connacht 10.

Ulster got their act together in the second half and with Humphreys making good use of the ball the Red Hand men started to completely dominate. Tries by Danielli and McCrea brought up the bonus point and with Ulster totally relaxed further tries were run in by Danielli, Cave and Cunningham.

Humphreys kicked brilliantly from the ground to rack up six conversions and two penalties to take the final score to Ulster 53 Connacht 13.

All in all a good performance from Ulster and they must look forward to their bacck to back games against an indifferent Scarlets side. Two wins over the next fortnight would really get Ulster’s season back on track.

Vote for your Ulster man of the match here.

Paddy Wallace, try scorer against Stade Francais.
Photo www.rugbypicture.co.uk

If they had got stuck in a bit earlier maybe things would have been different.

OK Ulster were playing into a strong wind and the first half performance against the Ospreys was probably weighing heavily on their minds but if Ulster were to have any chance against the form team in Europe they really should have went out to rattle a nervous Stade Francais in the first twenty minutes.

Instead Ulster opted for containment rather than attack and the pin-point kicks of Beauxis and Hernandes picked them off. The irony is that when Ulster did open it up they matched their French counterparts point for point and with the French pack noticeably tiring in the second half things could have been different.

There were some good points from the game and the team should take away some confidence for this Saturdays fixture against Harlequins. The pack performed well and the front row, lead by Botha, absolutely destroyed their opponents on several occasions. It’s a pity the referee was totally inept in his control of this set piece as the French hooker and tighthead were popping up more often than Stately at a strip show.

Ferris and Caldwell were aggressive in open play, O’Connor and Wallace looked a better combination and Cunningham was sublime in defense fielding every ball kicked in his direction with consummate ease. With Kidney in the stand let’s hope he gets some form of recognition this autumn.

As with the Ospreys game, this match was lost before a ball was kicked. It really was a confidence issue that let Stade get into a comfortable lead. However, the team should take a lot from their performance and if the management can get the physcology right the large travelling support might just be in for a match to remember this coming Saturday.

Come on Ulster!

Ulster Team: (15-9) B Cunningham; C Schifcofske, D Cave, P Wallace, A Trimble; N O’Connor, I Boss; (1-8) T Court, R Best (C), BJ Botha, E O’Donoghue, R Caldwell, S Ferris, K Dawson, R Diack
Replacements: (16-22) N Brady, J Fitzpatrick, C Del Fava, M McCullough, C Willis, I Humphreys, P Steinmetz

Stade Francais Team: (15-9) L Beauxis; J Arias, G Bousses, B Liebenberg, J Saubade; J Hernandez, N Oelschig; (1-8) R Roncero, D Szarzewski, D Attoub, A Marchois, S Taylor, Ma Bergamasco, P Rabadan, S Parisse (C)
Replacements: (16-22) M Blin, S Marconnet, P Vigouroux, J Leguizamun, T Bouhraoua, M Bastareaud, Mi Bergamasco

Enjoy the photos below.

Watching from the terrace in Cardiff doesn’t always give you the best perspective of the game, particularly if you’ve been sampling the delights of Cardiff for most of the day, but it does give you a good feel for how the game is progressing. The Cardiff fans were definitely worried and in most phases Ulster played the better rugby. Scrummaging skills were better and handling skills were better, the only things that appeared to be missing were breakdown skills and a bit of nous to play the ref and the ability to close out the game. For the first time this season I got the impression that there is the makings of a fairly decent side here. 

The inclusion of O’Connor at out half definitely helped. Though he may be more predictable, he is also more reliable and that’s what this team need at this moment in time. Nagusa raised his game by another 25% and looked much more comfortable. There’s still a bit to go but it was a great improvement. Pollock looked the business in the back row and it’s going to be great competition for places once Ferris is fully fit. 

Still a bit to go, but it’s not all doom and gloom. The centre paring still needs sorted and it’s a shame to waste someone as reliable as Cunningham on the bench. Perhaps Schifcofske should be tried out on the wing against the Dragons, assuming he recovers from his knock in time. 

Vote for Ulster Man of the Match here …

Pictures below. 

Filo and TJ Senior Squad Members?

I must say it was good to see that FRU favourites Filo Paulo and TJ Anderson made it out to Portugal (right). If TJ has moved up to the senior squad and if Filo is now available for selection it is going to be a very competitive set of forwards next season and the fight for places should be something to savour.

What a week the boys appeared to have out in Portugal. Thanks to Ulster Rugby’ photos and diaries from Bryn, Isaac, Kieron and Rory we all got a good feel for what the team were up to while they were away, even if some of the diaries did appear to be “on message”! Certainly we all now know that:

• The new players are settling in well!
• There are (now) no cliques in the team!!
• Season ticket sales have continued to soar!!!
• We’re going to play and open expansive game!!!!

Rory Best, Ryan Caldwell and Paul Marshall enjoy an ice bath.

Now while it’s nice to be kept up to date on how the team are getting on in foreign climes I must say that the choice of photos left a little to be desired. Pictures of big butch rugby players glistening in the sun may have a certain appeal for the ladies (and probably Captain Chaos as well) but there was something decidedly dodgy about this picture of Rory, Ryan and Paul all enjoying an ice bath.

For a start you can’t even see Paul over the top of the tub! I also want to know  why is Rory smiling when he’s up to his arse in ice and how is he now taller than Ryan. Is he standing on Paul’s shoulders or is Ryan sitting down?

So many unanswered questions, but I suppose being locked in at nights and with no distractions they had to do something to make their own entertainment!

Two people who didn’t have a problem entertaining themselves were dishy heartthrobs Bryn Cunningham and Simon Danielli who took advantage of their free time to practice their synchronised posing routine as can be seen below. In fact so dedicated were this pair to looking good at all times that they even practiced posing while they were having a nap!

Bryn and Dani continue to pose while napping.

News that they’ve both been snapped up by Ulster Titans is greatly exaggerated!

In fairness though the team appear to have worked very hard during their time in Portugal and hopefully we will see the result of all their hard work during the season.

Where we have always struggled for bulk up front the ELV’s should make our mobile pack more effective and if the backs can play with a bit of composure we could really be in for a  feast of flowing rugby as has been promised.

Roll on the 15th August.

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