Ulster v Bath The build up

[Jackie Brown]

Ulster v Bath (Fri)

HEINEKEN CUP POOL 4
Venue: Ravenhill, Belfast Date: 9 October Kick-off: 1930 BST
Coverage: Live on BBC Radio Ulster and online, score updates on BBC Sport website

Back-row forward Chris Henry will be available for selection when Ulster start their Heineken Cup campaign against Bath at Ravenhill on Friday. Henry was due to face the Scarlets last Friday, but pulled out due to a training ground injury. However, coach Brian McLaughlin is still be without injured qaurtet Simon Danielli, Dan Tuohy, Cillian Willis and veteran full-back Bryn Cunningham. McLaughlin is due to name his match squad on Tuesday. He will continue with Paddy Wallace leading the side from midfield, even though Henry, who captained the team for the first part of the season, is likely to return to the starting line-up.

Now sitting second in the Magners League, McLaughlin hopes Ulster will carry their new-found form onto the bigger stage. "Hopefully we will have the crowd with us at Ravenhill again," McLaughlin told BBC Sport. "The fans gave us such encouragement against Scarlets last week-end and we want more this Friday. While we will not be getting carried away, it is good to start to put a few results together again. We are slowly and surely getting there. We are still in a building process and are not quite there yet. I just hope that on Friday night we play with the same pride, fire and the passion. It's not a bad brand of rugby we are playing and the consistency is coming back into our game."

BBC Website

[Jackie Brown]

Brady ready to plug Bath

Monday, 5 October 2009

Ulster will embark on the Heineken Cup in fine spirits after taking a maximum 10 points from their last two Magners League games. Bath visit Ravenhill on Friday night as the European action begins and with English clubs having only been successful on one occasion in their last attempts in Belfast Steve Meehan’s men won’t be relishing the trip. The Scarlets were the latest side to be put to the sword by Ulster’s new brand of free-flowing rugby and had Brian McLaughlin’s men kept their discipline and not gifted Steven Jones four easy penalties the margin of victory would have be greater.

Hooker Nigel Brady made his first start of the season and put his hand up for selection this week with a solid performance. “I was delighted with the result which was very important as we wanted to build on what we done last week in Connacht,” said Brady. “We were disappointed with what we did against Edinburgh where there were a lot of positives but we didn’t finish the job. We wanted to come out and put in a good home performance and we managed to get that so I am delighted with that and delighted to be a part of it. Against Edinburgh we played so good rugby but didn’t put the points away. Against the Scarlets we focused, played our gameplan and saw it through. We have got an exciting back line and a lot of good ball players in the pack and we’re trying to play good rugby that the supporters can enjoy watching and we enjoy playing.”

The Ulster scrum was once again dominant and Brady was pleased with how the setpieces went. “You’ve got to do your basics well and it’s key to get it right and keep them under pressure, to make sure our own ball was pretty good and secure to give the backs something to play off,” added Brady.

The hooker is looking forward to locking horns with the side who won the trophy the season before Ulster and Brady knows it’s going to be a huge step up from Connacht and the Scarlets. “We go into that full of confidence but we are under no illusions that Bath are formidable opponents and a new challenge. But it was important to get the job done against the Scarlets.”

Ulster made it nine tries in two games by running five in against the Welsh region. Winger Andrew Trimble, fresh from going under the knife in the summer, looks to have recaptured the form that earned him 24 Ireland caps. He scored two of Ulster’s five tries using his trademark pace on both occasions.

Ian Humphreys has banished the demons from the Edinburgh game with another assured performance at outhalf. Four penalties, four conversions and a glorious chip to set up Tomici Nagusa’s try earned Humphreys the man-of-the-match award. Humphreys faces a huge battle with Bath’s Fijian No10 Nicky Little and their performances will be key to the outcome this Friday night.

BelTel Website

[Jackie Brown]

Meehan frustrated by players' focus

Saturday, October 03, 2009, 21:03

Bath Rugby boss Steve Meehan believes a lack of focus by his players at key moments cost his side victory as they went down 13-11 against Harlequins. And he believes next week’s switch from Guinness Premiership action to Heineken Cup action will be good for his players. Today’s last-gasp defeat means Bath have won just one of their opening five Premiership matches of the season - a start to the campaign that Meehan will want to forget.

"I saw some courageous actions out there and a great work ethic, however we’ve got to make better decisions and we’ve got to apply ourselves always, that’s the key,” said the head coach after the final whistle. “In the heat of the moment we are not making the right decisions and going away from ourselves. If we could have controlled a scrum late in that game, for example… And there were other moments in the game where our accuracy and application wasn’t what it should have been.”

With Bath travelling to Ulster on Friday for their opening Heineken Cup clash, the head coach added: “It’s good that we move into another competition and try to get off to a decent start in that comp and then, if we can achieve that, come back to the Premiership with two home games.”

Meehan said it was “too early” to say whether wing Matt Banahan, who took a bump to his knee in the opening exchanges and who was replaced by Jack Cuthbert in the 65th minute, had a significant injury.

This is Bath

[Jackie Brown]

Bath forecast intimidating Ravenhill

05th October 2009 12:54


Bath Head Coach Steve Meehan is expecting a unique experience when he takes his side to Ulster this weekend in their European opener. The 1998 Heineken Cup champions begin their current campaign at Ravenhill on Friday hoping to improve on last season's quarter-final showing. And with knockout qualification in mind, Meehan's men will be desperate to get off to a winning start at one of Europe's most-intimidating venues.

"We went to Ulster as a squad last year for a pre-season game and I've been there a couple of times with Stade Français over the years," said Meehan, who has been on the wrong end of two narrow defeats with the French giants in the past. "My experience there has been that the rain comes across right to left and almost horizontally; there's a nice breeze there for one team; and the supporters let you know if you make an error.

"I've had one first this season already when we went to Sale and there was grass on the pitch and the weather was fine, and we're hoping for a repeat! The Ulster supporters are also pretty keen to let the staff in the stand know what's happening around the place as well. But that's also an enjoyable aspect because it's done in a good natured way. They're great supporters of their team and Ulster are a tough team to beat. I've always enjoyed going there, and we hope the team does this week."

Bath have been grouped with Meehan's old charges Stade Français and high-flying Edinburgh in arguably one of the most even pools in this year's competition. All four of those sides have made it through to the knockout stages before and any one of the quartet could do so again this year. But having reached the last eight six months ago before a heartbreaking late defeat to perennial rivals Leicester at the Walkers Stadium, Meehan is looking for improvement as Bath go in search of their second European trophy in his tenure following their 2008 Challenge Cup success.

"We certainly haven't sat down as a group and discussed what we're trying to achieve but, having said that, we were so disappointed in our exit, and in the loss in Toulouse, that we feel that we can demonstrate that we're a little bit of a better side and can go further in the competition," he added. "A lot of people have spoken about closing games out and, with the law changes between last season and this, it's probably a little bit simpler to do that now. It won't come as any surprise to people that these are the sorts of areas that we've worked on and we certainly hope that we'll be better at it."

Planet Rugby

[BR]

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)

[Jackie Brown]

Does the ref not need to be a neutral in the HC?

[The Boo Radleys]

Does the ref not need to be a neutral in the HC?

I assume you mean we want a ref that we might get some decisions out of

[BR]

Does the ref not need to be a neutral in the HC?

Yip - it's James Jones - but the Beeb can't be asred looking it up in Rooster's post last month.

[Red Hand Hero]

I wonder where the beeb plucked that Henry 'will likely return to the starting line up from'...

Probably the most optimistic that i've been going into the HEC for a good few years now, just hope its not misplaced!

Good job Jackie on the articles!!

[darkside lightside]

I'm not sure I'm that keen on key selections being basically leaked a week in advance on the Beeb... If Ferris is going to drop to the bench for Henry, fine, he may be more effective off the bench at 55 or 60 - but if Henry's coming back for Diack or Faloon, if I were them I'd be pretty hacked off reading that the decision has already been made by first thing Monday after a good performance...

[Red Hand Hero]

I'm not sure I'm that keen on key selections being basically leaked a week in advance on the Beeb... If Ferris is going to drop to the bench for Henry, fine, he may be more effective off the bench at 55 or 60 - but if Henry's coming back for Diack or Faloon, if I were them I'd be pretty hacked off reading that the decision has already been made by first thing Monday after a good performance...

Think the bee are talking through their holes

[Rooster]

Does the ref not need to be a neutral in the HC?

Yip - it's James Jones - but the Beeb can't be asred looking it up in Rooster's post last month.

Fitzgibbon doing Dragons v Gloucester
http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/31_59.php?i ... 10&round=1

[Rooster]

I'm not sure I'm that keen on key selections being basically leaked a week in advance on the Beeb... If Ferris is going to drop to the bench for Henry, fine, he may be more effective off the bench at 55 or 60 - but if Henry's coming back for Diack or Faloon, if I were them I'd be pretty hacked off reading that the decision has already been made by first thing Monday after a good performance...

Think the bee are talking through their holes

My thoughts as well

[Ardglass2]

I'm not sure I'm that keen on key selections being basically leaked a week in advance on the Beeb... If Ferris is going to drop to the bench for Henry, fine, he may be more effective off the bench at 55 or 60 - but if Henry's coming back for Diack or Faloon, if I were them I'd be pretty hacked off reading that the decision has already been made by first thing Monday after a good performance...

Think the bee are talking through their holes

My thoughts as well

As do I.

BBC and knowledge of what goes on in the game is an oxymoron

[The FRU]

Just to let you know that we've managed to lay on some pre-match give-aways at the Rosie before this Fridays match against Bath.

There's stacks of Guinness gear up for grabs with draws every half hour from 3:00pm on. All you do to enter is buy a drink, any drink, doesn't have to be Guinness. With all pints at The Rosie only £2.80 you can't lose as you're already saving 40p a pint on most other bars. .

From 4:00pm we've organised caterers to supply quality barbecue and Thai food and hopefully we'll have a fair few visitors from Bath for what should be a bit of crack before the game.

You can see further details here - http://thefru.co.uk/blog/2009/10/05/uls ... the-rosie/

Hope to see you there.