Isaac Boss - why bother

[jezzer]

Williams is a great coach. Best coach Leinster had in the pro era. He will get the backline working but he needs time and he can't run out there and do it himself if the plan isn't being acted on. He's not afraid to try different player in different positions but you guys just look lacking in one or two. Much as I'd love WIllis to cut his teeth with the gringos before coming back down to run the show here, I think you need an experienced guy on the pitch like Boss.

When I see guys like Staunton and Hickey acquitting themselves well for big English sides at 10, it makes me wonder how good the standard for OHs is in the GP. So if Humphs jnr isn't getting much gametime, maybe he's just not that great. Wallace needs to stand up now. He's been in the shadow of other players and moved around in the past. The 12 jersey is his now and he has to step up and take pressure off NOC by helping run the backline.

[FNMilk]

Excellently argued throughout lads and lassies.
Reading the posts re: the tactics and strategies that SHs should be employing has been really entertaining and educational.

From a personal view, I think that Boss is
1. A good player who has at times been great for us in the past and therefore has a proven ability.

2. A player who is extremely proud to wear the shirt and play for our team.

3. A player whose committment can not be questioned.

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

I think that Boss is
1. A good player who has at times been great for us in the past and therefore has a proven ability.
2. A player who is extremely proud to wear the shirt and play for our team.
3. A player whose committment can not be questioned.

I'd be proud to wear the shirt and would bust a gut for the cause. If I was named in the Ulster line-up there would be no doubting my commitment either.

Ability would be my only problem...

Not taking the pischhh here - I like boss as a player and wouldnt doubt his commitment. my issue is that slowness of ball we're seeing presently. He has a strong all-round game, which in my view is let down a bit by the slowness on occasions.

what we dont know is whether or not this is a deliberate tactic.

comparing him to willis on the evidence of play seen this season is difficult as one has come on with the instruction being to fling it around a bit.

my problem with willis is that he may well be heading back to dub after a year in ulster shirt - as much as i've been impressed by him i wouldnt want him playing for ulster simply to get games under his belt, allowing him to make the grade for leinster...

[Rooster]

Not taking the pischhh here - I like boss as a player and wouldnt doubt his commitment. my issue is that slowness of ball we're seeing presently. He has a strong all-round game, which in my view is let down a bit by the slowness on occasions.

what we dont know is whether or not this is a deliberate tactic.

I would hazard a guess that he is under those orders as bogboy has written in the post earlier.
Why do I think this?
Answer: if he was being slow against Matts orders he would have had his Brennan kicked from Newforge to Ravenhill and back by now.

[UlsterJock]

Excellent posts guys

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If it's played well, ie a number of outside options and decoys running onto a pass like that at decent lines can be the only way to break the string of 15 across the pitch. But if the receivers are standing around or not sure what they're doing, the SH ends up jogging around like a tool looking for an offload

It is my view that the scrum half position is being used as the tactical switch by Matt

Certainly take time to look at it again next game.

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[Rooster]

Of course now though if it is tactical and Matt has decided the backs are well enough organised to handle a faster type game and Isaac speeds up delivery then people will say Matt has kicked him up the Brennan.

[Snipe Watson]

It is possible, even likely, that Boss is under orders to take pressure off NO'C by making some of the decisions. Equally he could have just taken that responsibility upon himself. I which case it isn't working so stop it Isaac.

[BR]

Boss had had these tendencies since before the ELVs (I assume we are talking about the refs directive rather than the actual ELVs) and since before MW was even thought of as Ulster coach. I believe they are inherrent in his game. Now I agree that MW may well be making use of them in order to play % rugby for the first 60/70', but I don't believe that Boss is playing like that purely on orders. It's a chicken and egg argument, but my view is that in order to achieve penetration MW needs to employ a more open, 'non-Boss' tactic for more of the game - IMHO to do that he needs to play someone other than Boss.

Agreed - a good discussion though; carried out in a mostly gentlemanly manner; something I had feared was slipping away on this foum.

[WhiteKnightoftheWeld]

defensively he seems the strongest of the available options also
...and with MW seemingly concentrating on this end of things, Boss might well be the preferred option regardless of his going forward play.

it may also be the case that in slowing ball up a free-flowing try-fest wont ensue, which would be a bad situation for us to find ourselves in at present

[scrum5]

Whiteknight said

my problem with willis is that he may well be heading back to dub after a year in ulster shirt - as much as i've been impressed by him i wouldnt want him playing for ulster simply to get games under his belt, allowing him to make the grade for leinster...

spoke to Cillian at The Meet The Players Night and he said that he was hoping to sign a 3 year contract at Christmas

[colinh]

Cannot say I would be too disappointed about that.

[ColinM]

Whiteknight said

my problem with willis is that he may well be heading back to dub after a year in ulster shirt - as much as i've been impressed by him i wouldnt want him playing for ulster simply to get games under his belt, allowing him to make the grade for leinster...

spoke to Cillian at The Meet The Players Night and he said that he was hoping to sign a 3 year contract at Christmas

Yes, picked up on that earlier in the thread. IMO he'd be an excellent signing and if game time between now and then would swing the decision to make the move more long term then great. Obviously not enough game time for the ladyboys to catch on and decide they want him back!

[Bogbunny]

I like Boss as a 100% committed player, someone you would want to have beside you in the trenches. As is mentioned he is a good rugby player, but he is not an international class scrumhalf (btw I don't think Ireland possess any at the moment).

Like the other provinces we dont have a SH with the all round package, and unless we get the cheque book out, or this years schools cup throws up another Colin Patterson, we are stuck with what we have got. When Ulster won the CL in 2006, and thrashed ST we had the same man in the saddle, so go figure.

[Freebird]

I agree completely that Boss is a fully committed player and his is the voice that i tend to hear, from my vantage point on the terrace, coming through loudest, organising people on the pitch. He is also clearly our strongest SH option running forward - and this leads me to my gripes.
We've talked ad naseum on this board about his crabbing across the pitch and i wonder why this has never been addressed by a coach or if it has, why does it still happen?
He has a fine pass, it's just too slow coming most of the time and the fact that he walks, almost strolls, to the back of rucks is only going to drive fans crazy.
Finally, i do think he is a good scrum half but not a great one and unfortunately i doubt he ever will be. The greats seem to know exactly what they want to do before the ball is rucked clear, almost without looking. I'm fairly sure this is instinctive and can't be taught. Boss seems to need that half second with either ball in hand or ball at base of the ruck to assess the situation and decide what to do. This is not really a criticism of Boss, he can still do great things and is a good SH, it's just there are only a small handful of players that i think have this gift, eg du Preez.
Just some rambling thoughts.

[ulster_heroes]

one of the most important things to remember is that he had a horrible game against Stade. box kicking was horrendous (albeit into the wind, but not an excuse for a pro) slow at rucks, poor passing and numerous knock ons. but in general what other choice do we have? willis and marshall are up and coming players but Boss has/should have the experience for the big games and this is why hes starting ahead of them! maybe its onwards and upwards from here??

come on uuuuuuuullllllllllllssssssssssttttttttteeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrr