Seem to have eaten all their supporters as well.Cornerfleg wrote:Nematodes ... destroying pitches and internet forums for over 30 years ....
UAFC Ask the Opposition - Edinburgh
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Re: UAFC Ask the Opposition - Edinburgh
Re: UAFC Ask the Opposition - Edinburgh
Did they ever get rid of them before they laid the new pitch ?Cornerfleg wrote:Nematodes ... destroying pitches and internet forums for over 30 years ....
“That made me feel very special and underlined to me that Ulster is more than a team, it is a community and a rugby family"
Rory Best
Rory Best
Re: UAFC Ask the Opposition - Edinburgh
tricky one again this week. the Edinburgh Gunners fan site appears to be being slowly euthanised, and the Scottish Rugby Forum has lost a lot of traffic since a system failure earlier in the year. Still hopeful of an update come Monday, but in case there's nothing in the inbox, here's the best I could do this weekend. Big thanks to Iain who not only answered, but tried to get others to do the same, and accompanied me pubward to watch the match 
It’s always great to play host to Ulster and a delight to be their guests. The club play rugby the way it should be and the fans support them the way they should.
The game will be tighter upfront and less expansive than perhaps the ordinary fan would like or expect. With the way Edinburgh’s lineout cannibalised itself last week and Ulster’s defeat to Zebre I would imagine both teams would be keen to play a conservative game and focus on getting the basics right.
Edinburgh just don’t seem comfortable on the ball. In the opponents 22 they seen to panic and lose promising attacking opportunities far too often. Visser is a world class finisher, but the ball needs to find him more.
I’m suspicious of [what seems to be] the constant need to box-kick instead of running the ball through hands. Yet to have the benefit of kicking possession to your opponents back 3 in the middle third of the pitch explained to me…
(this was expanded on at length in the pub. Ulster also seem to be victims of a scrum half that, before even reviewing the field, has made his mind up to box kick - poorly. It's a tactic that - in our opinion - only works if the kick is targeted and you 11,14 or 15 is a flying machine, pressurising a hanging ball. Thoughts?)
On a positive note, the scramble defence generally seems to work well.
Too early to say really. Tighthead is such a difficult position to evaluate, it is really tricky to gauge what they are actually doing, let alone how well the are doing it!
Something is obviously not gelling quite right at Edinburgh Rugby. Solomons’ CV can not be disputed but I get the feeling he is trying to coach an Edinburgh Team in a way they can’t play. He has brought in a number of foreign players who he hopes are more naturally inclined to be coached in his style than take the time to modify his technique to Scottish rugby.
Partly, covered above! With only 2 professional teams in Scotland, both Edinburgh and Glasgow need to be pulling in the same direction for the benefit of the national game. Both clubs have a huge responsibility to bring through the youth talent in the country and relying on often below par foreign players does not seem a sensible way to achieve this…
Edinburgh should be playing at Meggetland (Boroughmuir Rugby’s home). Meggetland has a cracking atmosphere that just cant be replicated at a 64,000 seater stadium with 2,000 people in it. You just have to look down the M8 to Scotstoun (and Firhill before it) to see how much benefit a great atmosphere can bring
I also don’t like giving 6 Nations players the opportunity to get used to coming to Murrayfield and learn how the pitch plays. It just seems counterintuitive.
I would completely support it! I don’t really think the pitch is the greatest barrier to the Edinburgh fans flooding through the gates – the team need to start playing rugby people want to watch.
Edinburgh is a city full of rugby support; if the team start to play good rugby and start winning that will attract a larger crowd for sure (look at how well Glasgow do in a city that screams football).
The whole model! As I said before; With only 2 professional teams in Scotland, both Edinburgh and Glasgow need to be pulling in the same direction for the benefit of the national game. Plus, I don’t really see any problem in copying what is an exceptional model!
Without a doubt it is the best deal in town. It affords the Scottish Internationals and future Internationals to compete against their Irish, Welsh and Italian counterparts regularly and at a level superior to anything the Scottish game could do independently.
In addition, the lure of the star-studded Leinster’s, Osprey’s -and OK… - Ulster’s is a great for the crowds, especially the kids.
It is what it is – I would always prefer a top level European Competition that was indeed representative of the top teams without being unfairly monopolised. We have largely come to that under the current arrangement, so mustn’t complain…
They tried originally with a team in the North and a Team in the Borders, both of which ended up having to be absorbed in to Edinburgh and Glasgow. I don’t think there has been a significant enough change in 1) player base 2) support base and 3) Top Level Coaching expertise to make this a worthwhile move.
A third team would more likely spread the existing (natural) played base too thin and damage youth development.
Disbanding existing teams would be a mistake. If the SRU feel the demise of Edinburgh and the National team are as a result of them not being able to apply enough focus, my initial inclination would be to provide more focused people at the SRU, not destroy sporting heritage.
ASK THE OPPOSITION - EDINBURGH RUGBY
- What's your view of Ulster - both on the pitch and off?
It’s always great to play host to Ulster and a delight to be their guests. The club play rugby the way it should be and the fans support them the way they should.
- What do you expect from this weekend's tie?
The game will be tighter upfront and less expansive than perhaps the ordinary fan would like or expect. With the way Edinburgh’s lineout cannibalised itself last week and Ulster’s defeat to Zebre I would imagine both teams would be keen to play a conservative game and focus on getting the basics right.
- Where do you feel Edinburgh's strengths and weaknesses lie within the team? What aspects of the Edinburgh game do you feel are currently top notch? What needs worked on, or the players developed in?
Edinburgh just don’t seem comfortable on the ball. In the opponents 22 they seen to panic and lose promising attacking opportunities far too often. Visser is a world class finisher, but the ball needs to find him more.
I’m suspicious of [what seems to be] the constant need to box-kick instead of running the ball through hands. Yet to have the benefit of kicking possession to your opponents back 3 in the middle third of the pitch explained to me…
(this was expanded on at length in the pub. Ulster also seem to be victims of a scrum half that, before even reviewing the field, has made his mind up to box kick - poorly. It's a tactic that - in our opinion - only works if the kick is targeted and you 11,14 or 15 is a flying machine, pressurising a hanging ball. Thoughts?)
On a positive note, the scramble defence generally seems to work well.
- You've a former Ulster player in John Andress - do you rate him as a tighthead, or is it too early to say?
Too early to say really. Tighthead is such a difficult position to evaluate, it is really tricky to gauge what they are actually doing, let alone how well the are doing it!
- There's much love for Alan Solomons at Ravenhill - how's he doing at Edinburgh? What do you make of his tenure?
Something is obviously not gelling quite right at Edinburgh Rugby. Solomons’ CV can not be disputed but I get the feeling he is trying to coach an Edinburgh Team in a way they can’t play. He has brought in a number of foreign players who he hopes are more naturally inclined to be coached in his style than take the time to modify his technique to Scottish rugby.
- What do you think about the influx of South Africans into the squad and the apparent lack of opportunity afforded to homegrown players?
Partly, covered above! With only 2 professional teams in Scotland, both Edinburgh and Glasgow need to be pulling in the same direction for the benefit of the national game. Both clubs have a huge responsibility to bring through the youth talent in the country and relying on often below par foreign players does not seem a sensible way to achieve this…
- What are your opinions on Murrayfield as your home ground? If it was your decision, where would you like to play?
Edinburgh should be playing at Meggetland (Boroughmuir Rugby’s home). Meggetland has a cracking atmosphere that just cant be replicated at a 64,000 seater stadium with 2,000 people in it. You just have to look down the M8 to Scotstoun (and Firhill before it) to see how much benefit a great atmosphere can bring
I also don’t like giving 6 Nations players the opportunity to get used to coming to Murrayfield and learn how the pitch plays. It just seems counterintuitive.
- Were Edinburgh to a smaller stadium, and use Murrayfield for the larger events (Glasgow versus Edinburgh, European Cup Quarters / Semis) much like the Aviva and RDS with Leinster, would you be in support of this? Further to this, is the new semi synthetic pitch something that you feel will increase support and start fill Murrayfield?
I would completely support it! I don’t really think the pitch is the greatest barrier to the Edinburgh fans flooding through the gates – the team need to start playing rugby people want to watch.
Edinburgh is a city full of rugby support; if the team start to play good rugby and start winning that will attract a larger crowd for sure (look at how well Glasgow do in a city that screams football).
- What are your thoughts on the relative success of Glasgow Warriors compared to Edinburgh over the past few seasons? Are there elements of Glasgow you see as a model to follow in any way?
The whole model! As I said before; With only 2 professional teams in Scotland, both Edinburgh and Glasgow need to be pulling in the same direction for the benefit of the national game. Plus, I don’t really see any problem in copying what is an exceptional model!
- Do you think the Pro12 is the best deal in town for Scottish rugby? If not, what is the better option and would you pursue it?
Without a doubt it is the best deal in town. It affords the Scottish Internationals and future Internationals to compete against their Irish, Welsh and Italian counterparts regularly and at a level superior to anything the Scottish game could do independently.
In addition, the lure of the star-studded Leinster’s, Osprey’s -and OK… - Ulster’s is a great for the crowds, especially the kids.
- What are your feelings on the new European Cup format and qualification rules?
It is what it is – I would always prefer a top level European Competition that was indeed representative of the top teams without being unfairly monopolised. We have largely come to that under the current arrangement, so mustn’t complain…
- There has been loose talk around a 3rd team in Aberdeen - do you think this would be sustainable and/or worthwhile? What's your take on the long-term effects of the SRU's disbanding other teams to focus on the Central Belt?
They tried originally with a team in the North and a Team in the Borders, both of which ended up having to be absorbed in to Edinburgh and Glasgow. I don’t think there has been a significant enough change in 1) player base 2) support base and 3) Top Level Coaching expertise to make this a worthwhile move.
A third team would more likely spread the existing (natural) played base too thin and damage youth development.
Disbanding existing teams would be a mistake. If the SRU feel the demise of Edinburgh and the National team are as a result of them not being able to apply enough focus, my initial inclination would be to provide more focused people at the SRU, not destroy sporting heritage.