Ulster 2022-2023

[naraic]

Great 5 point win in Durban for Ulster 24-31 with most of the Ulster players out on their feet. Sexton did really well in the last 20 mins and the SA commentators have him as the Irish 100m & 200m champion. Not a bad reputation to have.

2018 and 2019 All Ireland Schools 100m and 200m champion and current All Ireland Schools record holder at both distances I believe.

The Ulster win was imo very important to Ulster's campaign for a home knockout game.

[Ruckedtobits]

Almost as important a result for Irish rugby as the one in Rome. It keeps all four Provinces fully engaged in final games of the League which will be vital for Andy Farrell and all the players in contention for the Irish Squad, especially those returning from injuries.

Well done Ulster.

[riocard911]

Great 5 point win in Durban for Ulster 24-31 with most of the Ulster players out on their feet. Sexton did really well in the last 20 mins and the SA commentators have him as the Irish 100m & 200m champion. Not a bad reputation to have.

McCall, Izchuchwu, Stewart, Moore well all excellent and Marshall & Cooney had plenty of smarts as both finished the 80 mins. O'Connor, Vermullen, Sunderland and Toomaga-Allan made great contributions.

A really good win which could restore lots of Ulster confidence, particularly in their scrum & line-out maul. But it will have taken a lot out of this group. They'll need lots of recovery..

Was a very good win, left a few back in Belfast too with Cardiff next week.

Seems there will be a plastic pitch at Ravenhill next season.

That doesn't come as a particular surprise, as the grass one up in Ravers often looks in rag-order.

[StopTheLights]

Certainly not the first person to make this observation on here but my word, Stewart Moore is a phenomenal player. His intelligence and skill set is excellent. Speaks to the strength in depth in Ireland at the moment that he’s absent from the international conversation. Any room for him in the backup to Keenan question, I wonder?

[mildlyinterested]

Moore has the skills to be a 10, surprised they havent tried that yet.

[brotheroffrank]

Moore has the skills to be a 10, surprised they havent tried that yet.

is that a "put these words in a sentence" quiz? - Surprised; Ulster; #10; Skills; Moore;....Marty?

[naraic]

Moore has the skills to be a 10, surprised they havent tried that yet.

is that a "put these words in a sentence" quiz? - Surprised; Ulster; #10; Skills; Moore;....Marty?

Maybe Declan. Probably Stewart though.

[neill_m]

Sat Mar 25 7:35pm Ulster v Bulls Viaplay App / Super Sport / URC TV / RTE2 / BBC2 NI

Ulster

(15-9) Mike Lowry, Rob Baloucoune, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Jacob Stockdale, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak;

(1-8) Andy Warwick, Tom Stewart, Jeff Toomaga-Allen, Kieran Treadwell, Sam Carter, David McCann, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen (Captain).

Replacements: John Andrew, Eric O’Sullivan, Gareth Milasinovich, Alan O’Connor, Harry Sheridan, Marcus Rea, John Cooney, Jude Postlethwaite.

Bulls

15 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Cornal Hendricks, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 David Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Zak Burger, 8 Elrigh Louw, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Marco van Staden, 5 Ruan Nortje (c), 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Mornay Smith, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.

Subs: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Simphiwe Matanzima, 18 Francois Klopper, 19 Janko Swanepoel, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Morne Steyn, 23 Stedman Gans.

[riocard911]

Ulster no great shakes at home vs the Bulls thus far. HT: 12-20.

[enby]

19-20 on 45 mins. Nice seeing an Irish team mauling a SA one over the line for 2 scores

[wixfjord]

Both Bulls & Stormers have played rugby that's reminiscent of Biarritz circa 2010 this weekend. Just one out bosh with big forwards and kick everything. Only give it to the backs when all else fails.

[enby]

Nice to see Stockdale putting in a shift. He has had a nightmare couple of years.
I wonder will Balacoune have a chance of making the WC squad.

[wixfjord]

Ulster lineout maul has been excellent. Big challenge for us to temper that next week.

Besides that, they've done very little in attack.

[Ruckedtobits]

Given the optimistic sounds emanating from Kingspan for the past week, last night's winning performance will cause some head scratching. Almost no Cooney, no Jordi Murphy, very limited contribution from O'Connor and, not surprising, no Big Stu or Herring. Those five, plus a full shift from Tom O'Toole, could provide a very specific challenge up front in a style we don't fancy.

However, from our perspective, the pummelling received by Billy Burns in the final minutes, may give us a particular advantage and it's hard to see who might replace him or come off the bench to shorten his exposure. His contribution last night was important but his assault by du Pressis was a reminder of how injury can spoilt lots of plans.

[JohnB]

I hope DuPlessis is cited for his cheapest of cheap shots against Burns who has to have suffered significant whiplash. That was an assault which if it happened on the street would have the South African up before the law.

[hugonaut]

I hope DuPlessis is cited for his cheapest of cheap shots against Burns who has to have suffered significant whiplash. That was an assault which if it happened on the street would have the South African up before the law.

Most contacts that happen in rugby could see you up on assault charges if you carry them out in the public realm.

It's Law 9.11 that will come into play here:
"Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler." [source: https://www.world.rugby/the-game/laws/law/9 ]

That law isn't limited to hitting people with a leading forearm or jumping tackles. It's worded to recognise the fact that a load of different contacts can happen in rugby.

Bismarck charged into his back with his elbow tucked so he would hit him first with his shoulder. He makes an attempt to wrap later with his other arm, but I think that will be viewed as academic. He blindsided and injured Burns – blindsiding him is reckless, injuring him is dangerous. Bismarck has a terrible disciplinary record – minimum 18 yellows and 3 reds over his career, from what I can see.

[naraic]

Nice to see Stockdale putting in a shift. He has had a nightmare couple of years.
I wonder will Balacoune have a chance of making the WC squad.

I still feel that only 4 out of 5/6 back three players are locked in. Baloucoune is part of the group that could snag one of the remaining spots.

[riocard911]

I hope DuPlessis is cited for his cheapest of cheap shots against Burns who has to have suffered significant whiplash. That was an assault which if it happened on the street would have the South African up before the law.

Most contacts that happen in rugby could see you up on assault charges if you carry them out in the public realm.

It's Law 9.11 that will come into play here:
"Players must not do anything that is reckless or dangerous to others including leading with the elbow or forearm, or jumping into, or over, a tackler." [source: https://www.world.rugby/the-game/laws/law/9 ]

That law isn't limited to hitting people with a leading forearm or jumping tackles. It's worded to recognise the fact that a load of different contacts can happen in rugby.

Bismarck charged into his back with his elbow tucked so he would hit him first with his shoulder. He makes an attempt to wrap later with his other arm, but I think that will be viewed as academic. He blindsided and injured Burns – blindsiding him is reckless, injuring him is dangerous. Bismarck has a terrible disciplinary record – minimum 18 yellows and 3 reds over his career, from what I can see.

It was the cheapest of cheap shots with Burns totally blindsided. Bismark used to be a world-class player; now he's just a thug.

[JohnB]

I see that Jake White is reported as suggesting that Burns stayed on the ground after his assault by DuPlessis in order to extract a yellow card. If true that’s a disgraceful comment.

[Ruckedtobits]

Ulster just announced 2 year deals for both Cooney & Stockdale. Not surprised at one of them. Amazed at the other.