Ulster v Zebre Fri 4th Mar 7:35pm BBCNI

[GLENN CORNICK]

A word of encouragement for anyone who referees or anyone is thinking of doing some refereeing; if an evolutionary dead-end like Clancy can climb the greasy pole, then anyone with a smattering of experience and determination can do it.

[justinr73]

- Pete Browne: another decent game to back up last week, although there were a couple of errors e.g. going off his feet after Ruan's hack through.

By his own standards, I thought PB had a very good game, appeared to be involved wherever he could be.
Showed an excellent turn of speed to follow up RP's hack through and was unlucky with the bounce.
Clancy was looking for something and got it when Browne's scrum cap brushed the turf, so the penalty was awarded.
Credit to Browne when credits due!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good man yourself.

And for anyone saying Peter Browne lacks dog, they're wrong.

It's called Bertie.

[leedsexile]

Did anyone else think what the f is olding doing passing to pm for the bonus try. To my eyes he only had to walk it in but he passed and it was soooo close to a knock on

[Russ]

Did anyone else think what the f is olding doing passing to pm for the bonus try. To my eyes he only had to walk it in but he passed and it was soooo close to a knock on

Agreed

I panicked when i saw him pass

[stickinout]

Stockdale is definitely not yet ready and not the finished article, but he's 19 fs. Scholes and Farrell weren't much better for the first year or so, but couple of years more mature, are tearing it up. He now has about half a season of starting experience, which is good for a 19 year old. Hes big, will get much stronger. People should remember hes playing against guys 10 years older whilst he's still a teen. Thats a huge difference. A year or two on and he will be very useful. McCloskeys 23, and only pushed through in the last year. What age didTrimble and Bowe make the breakthrough?
We should expect more from our coaching staff and senior players, not a 19 year old to carry the season. Most games he's had man and ball, rarely a clear run to see what he can really do.

+1 Stockdale isn't ready but has shown plenty of promise over the last few games i've seen him. Last night wasn't a night for him to shine with no space out there.

All our problems start and finish with the paucity of front foot ball from our forwards. Where would we be without FNW? The mind boggles. This was coming down the tracks from 2 or 3 seasons ago with the signings made. Which decent ball carriers do we have who make ground consistently? I can't see any past Hendo and FNW We used to dominate teams from up front, not anymore.

[Scholar]

Promotion due soon surely?

[therealspratt]

Stockdale is definitely not yet ready and not the finished article, but he's 19 fs. Scholes and Farrell weren't much better for the first year or so, but couple of years more mature, are tearing it up. He now has about half a season of starting experience, which is good for a 19 year old. Hes big, will get much stronger. People should remember hes playing against guys 10 years older whilst he's still a teen. Thats a huge difference. A year or two on and he will be very useful. McCloskeys 23, and only pushed through in the last year. What age didTrimble and Bowe make the breakthrough?
We should expect more from our coaching staff and senior players, not a 19 year old to carry the season. Most games he's had man and ball, rarely a clear run to see what he can really do.

+1 Stockdale isn't ready but has shown plenty of promise over the last few games i've seen him. Last night wasn't a night for him to shine with no space out there.

All our problems start and finish with the paucity of front foot ball from our forwards. Where would we be without FNW? The mind boggles. This was coming down the tracks from 2 or 3 seasons ago with the signings made. Which decent ball carriers do we have who make ground consistently? I can't see any past Hendo and FNW We used to dominate teams from up front, not anymore.

I've seen him showing promise with both the Ravens and the u20s(for whom he would be one of the best backs of his batch) but I haven't seen it with him at senior level, would there be anything in particular you would pick out?

[Bart S]

People need to accept that giving young players a chance is not a risk free option, nor is it always going to bring short term benefits. Scholes and Nelson have been seen before this season but didn't set the world on fire or have a McCloskey type impact. Stockdale is just 19 and when playing in a team which is short of confidence and where there are few players leading by example it is not going to be easy for him. There are far more experinced players out there who are struggling at the minute and not playing to their potential.

[Bart S]

The problem with the game is that the Ulster pack is as soft as shyte. The set prices rarely delivers clean ball and they rarely punch holes to suck in defenders. How many times can teams simply fan out in defence knowing that the bs is going to be spread wide as we've no carriers(bar Big Nick).

Been the same for as long as I can remember. Henderson is obviously a monumental loss in this department but our tight 5 are useless in that department. Ah I miss the Afoa shuffle albeit he was rarely here to do it... As I said last year.... Charlie will make no difference behind a stagnant pack. I'd rather have kept Scholes and brought in another grizzly up front. Fek we miss 1F.

Afoa, Ferris and Pedrie allied to Johann's leadership added some real steel to the ulster pack, as well some ball carrying grunt, larticularly from 1F and Afoa. We are totally reliant on Nick Williams these days for that.

[Bart S]

The only positive that I can muster is that.....
Nah, I'm not even convincing myself. How can a TBP point win and shut out seem so hollow?
We still pose no real ball carrying threat, leaving opposition defences with nothing to do, but number up and stop our backs.
Despite his MOTM performance and three tries (the ball went backwards), Nick is fading out of games for long periods.

It must be hard work for him carrying the pack on his shoulders when he is on the pitch. He is leaving and has always had his limitations but if some of the others put in the same physical shift he did we would be in a better place.

[big mervyn]

for the record another tom kite performance. I picked up from the TV coverage that Ferris & Ward are suggesting it is the players that need to stand up… Andys think World Domination is going nowhere…

It was close to insurrection by UR/BBCNI cosy punditry standards.

If Constable starts criticizing the players we'll know the end is nigh.

[rumncoke]

While Stockdale may not be setting the world alight it is extremely hard to identify a mistake he has made in the games he has played .

If he lacks the pace for wing as Fleg so rightly pointed out physically he is no light weight

Back row is an area where Ulster are lacking real options who can tackle and carry but the third task is a rarer beast the guy who wins the turn over or penalties


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

[Snipe Watson]

While Stockdale may not be setting the world alight it is extremely hard to identify a mistake he has made in the games he has played .

Let me help you out then. His defence is schoolboy level. He grabs opponents long armed rather than stepping into the tackle and using his bodyweight. It should be a basic at this level.
I'm not knocking the kid, he's on a learning curve and I can't help thinking that he is being prepared for next season and this season could be a bit of a write off.

[Cockatrice]

While Stockdale may not be setting the world alight it is extremely hard to identify a mistake he has made in the games he has played .

If he lacks the pace for wing as Fleg so rightly pointed out physically he is no light weight

Back row is an area where Ulster are lacking real options who can tackle and carry but the third task is a rarer beast the guy who wins the turn over or penalties


Sent from my iPod touch using Tapatalk

like others not wishing to knock the lad but check out last weeks non tackle against Cardiff as a possible mistake..

[CIMANFOREVER]

If it was the chubby grey haired guy, it was Davy from CI... Goes everywhere with Ulster. Great clubman but feckin cr# p tight head... Only joking Davy

CI could do with him now, pity he has been nowhere near the club for years they could do with some old hands going back and sorting out the mess its in, CI Pride of the east, walking up the Belmont Road

Mr CI MAN when they going to sack a coach that has not won a game all year. It's embarrassing for what was once a good club, some good people up there and anytime I have went I was always made welcome, well except by the knobs from their tennis section

Davy near pensionable age, and hasn't played for about 15 years fs Moley
there are plenty of old hands running the club now, Sinky Burns, Tom Andrews, Plummer Nelson etc all die hard CI men. Theyre not the issue.
The team looked like getting back a couple of seasons ago, but a bit like when we dropped out of AIL we shipped too many retirees at once, and never really recovered. Same has happened again. Not just the coaching staff. We don't attract players from the old feeder schools like we used to- Sullivan, Campbell and Model ( once a significant feeder due to EW Davies,) but now gone as the only significant non grammar rugby school sadly.
We may come again, but it's increasingly difficult unless you offer something different, money or opportunity. We're no different from many UB clubs, just our fall is matched only by the likes of Bangor and Ards. Maybe Instonians. From some of the best clubs in Ireland to junior rugby.
Anyway, thanks for your concern Moley. And you're right about the tennis club.. You don't know the half of it.. There are stories to be told about many a stand off between us and them... Maybe for another day....