Tuesday 30 December 2014

KICKING AWFUL

Match scheduling is a real pain.

The Boxing Day (or St. Stephen’s Day, whichever you prefer) game is tradition, and I have nothing against that in the slightest. But whoever decided that Ulster v Connacht and Munster v Leinster should be played within a couple of hours of each other on the same day is not someone I am too enamoured with. To miss out on one of the stand out fixtures of the Pro12 season is something I wasn't all too happy about, and to miss it to cover the snooze-fest that the Ulster match was made me even angrier.

If you read my match report you will see just how boring it was in that I had next to nothing to write about for the first 20 minutes of the second half. There was no action, no noteworthy events to acknowledge, not even anything from the crowd to write about – it was a boring game. Full credit to John Lacey who was very lenient with the whistle in an attempt to keep the game moving but even that couldn’t spark the two teams into life.

In saying all that it wasn’t a game for the backs, what with all the rain before kick-off and during the match, but even so it was a game that was so devoid of interesting and entertaining plays that had the entire stadium got up and left I’m not sure you could’ve blamed them. Craig Gilroy’s try aside (and some try at that), neither team’s backs did anything worthy of reporting on and probably could have taken the afternoon off.

For Connacht it was because they were starved of any meaningful possession. Pat Lam has engineered them into a formidable outfit this season and they will make a considerable effort to qualify for next season's Champions’ Cup in the latter stages of this season, but even the best sides can’t play rugby without a ball. In the end they did leave with a bonus point which they deserved for their defensive efforts, although Lam will be understandably annoyed that they didn’t make a better attempt at getting all four.

Meanwhile, it was another chapter in Ulster’s forgettable performances book. In a game where they had the majority of possession and territory as well as a scrum on the front foot, they could still only put 13 points on the board and eventually just hold on for the victory. This was seen as the game where Neil Doak’s men would get back on the winning trail and promote themselves once more as potential title candidates, however all they managed to do was further convince pundits and fans alike that this is a team in decline.

Maybe I am being unnecessarily harsh – after all, the conditions in Belfast were poor and certainly did not encourage running rugby, but it was very disheartening to see Ulster continue with their relentless tactic of ballooning the ball miles in the air at every available opportunity. With probably the best side of backs on the island of Ireland at our disposal, to see the ball never get any further than Paddy Jackson is getting increasingly frustrating for us as fans.

How many times did Peter Nelson actually touch the ball on Friday night? Or Michael Allen in Swansea?

I’m not saying kicking is necessarily the wrong tactic, because it wasn’t in Friday night’s conditions, however if we are going to deploy the up-and-under on a regular basis then our kickers need to be better and we need to have wingers who are willing to chase down the ball like their lives depend on it. That’s where we desperately miss Andrew Trimble as someone who will relentlessly sprint after the ball in the air and at least put pressure on the catcher. Neither Peter Nelson nor Craig Gilroy did that on Friday.

Still, you’d think we’d lost to Connacht the way I’m going on. The good news is that we finally got four points on the board in the Pro12 and we’re back into the play-off spots with a vital clash against Leinster to come on Saturday. Leinster, like us, aren’t in the greatest run of form and should we manage to escape the RDS with any kind of win then we will severely dent their top four aspirations as well as furthering our own. These are the games that will decide which of the big five will be on the outside looking in when it comes to May.

These are the games you have to win.

Tuesday 16 December 2014

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

The fun and games are over now.

Now that our beleaguered and rather lacklustre Champions’ Cup effort has died the terrible death it deserved with a pitiful 22-13 defeat to the Scarlets in Llanelli, it’s time to focus all of our efforts on the Pro12 – a competition we still have something of a fighting chance in. In hindsight, you maybe could look back to when the draw was made and say that that should have been our goal from the start, but then again, you never know what might happen in Europe.

In some ways that’s also what happened on Sunday. From looking like a side devoid of ideas in the Kingspan Stadium, the Scarlets burst into life and turned a 17-point deficit into a nine-point win this week in wet and windy Wales. Europe can bring out the best in sides and in the first half of Sunday’s game the home side showed the passion and desire that is required to make the knockout stages. We did not.

In actuality, our hosts didn’t even need to play that well – they simply preyed on our first half mistakes and capitalised through the boot of Rhys Priestland. In fact, had Priestland landed the two late penalties in the first half then arguably the game would have been over at the break, and there wouldn’t have been too many people arguing with that considering how we played in the first 40 minutes.

Horrendous probably describes the way we exited Europe’s premier competition, considering this double header was where we expected to pick up at least eight points, if not the full ten. Instead our awful discipline ended up presenting the Scarlets with a 12 point lead that we never managed to match. True it did look like JP Doyle was rather harsh on Declan Fitzpatrick considering Samson Lee was doing the exact same thing without punishment on the opposite side, but aside from that our indiscipline cost us dearly.

Even at that, it wasn’t as if we were constantly infringing at the breakdown either, rather we were giving away stupid, needless penalties. From Louis Ludik’s ridiculous flop onto Liam Williams when the full-back was still on the floor to Rory Best trying to wriggle a further ten metres down the field while on the ground to the multitudinous offsides we conceded in that first half, it made for frustrating viewing. Had I not been writing a match report of the game then I daresay I wouldn’t have tuned in for the second half.

And so, without any motivation left in Europe (regardless of what Neil Doak says), there is now prominence on making the top four in the Pro12. Arguably it is now a necessity without any knockout rugby to look forward to in April, and there can be no excuses for us missing out – we have the squad to do it whether people believe that or not, and we have the fixtures remaining to rack up a good points total. With both games against Treviso still to come plus visits to the Dragons and Edinburgh there are plenty of chances to pick up five points, while we still have to play host to Leinster and Munster – a chance to knock our play-off rivals back.

Because in reality, there was always an underlying belief that we were never going to win the Champions’ Cup. The French pairing of Toulon and Clermont collectively look far too strong for the rest of Europe and one of them should go all the way – more than likely the former with the vast number of international stars at Bernard Laporte’s disposal. I would confidently predict that you will see Toulon back at their sparkling best when we make the trip to the south of France next month.

So it’s time we forget about the train-wreck that has been the Champions Cup and ground our dreams once more. The next three weeks will be very important for our season – if we can win two of the next three then we will be in a very promising position heading into the Six Nations period, when everyone is decimated by call-ups, and we can really push on and maybe put a bit of distance between us and some of the other contenders. With no other distractions we really should be getting at least a home semi-final, if not top seeding.

That is where Neil Doak will be judged this season, not in the Champions’ Cup where we don’t have the resources to compete, but in the Pro12 where we have the squad to compete and the first team to rival any other in the league. If we can get some luck with our injuries (for the first time in several years) then there is no reason why there shouldn’t be a meaningful challenge for the Pro12 title this season.

If there isn’t, there will be a lot of questions asked.

Tuesday 9 December 2014

FALSE HOPE

It was exactly what Ulster needed, and yet exactly what they didn’t want.

As Ulster slowly began to ease away from the Scarlets and consolidate their bonus point win on Saturday night, the rugby gods had one cruel twist left to play and, after Stuart Olding departed late in the first half never to return, Neil Doak could only watch on in a mixture of shock and despair as Wiehahn Herbst, Franco van der Merwe, Stuart McCloskey and Nick Williams followed suit. Four injuries in about the space of ten minutes.

What will sicken Doak most is the fact that two of them were freak injuries. Firstly Franco felt the full force of Nick Williams’ head as the two forwards clashed into each other while making a joint tackle, and then, even more bizarrely, Stuart McCloskey had to be helped off with an elbow injury after he ran full pelt into the back of referee Luke Pearce.

Yes, the referee.

Of course it wasn’t McCloskey’s fault, he was only trying to catch a pass from Ruan Pienaar that happened to be slightly too far in front of him, but even so it’s another injury worry for the coaching staff to concern themselves with. Meanwhile Herbst and Williams don’t exactly look all too healthy either, and the loss of the South African tighthead would be a terrible blow as he and Callum Black were beginning to form a formidable prop partnership.

In many ways Ulster’s injury situation sums up their European charge – too much to handle.

Let’s face it, we knew that after we lost in Leicester and then at home to Toulon that the mountain we had to climb to qualify for the knockout stages was the equivalent of Mount Everest. True, with the five points gained on Saturday there is definitely still a chance for us to make it to the final eight, and with another win on Sunday that dream may still continue. But with an away trip to the Felix Mayol to take on the defending champions and the Tigers still to come to Belfast, things look bleak.

The return of Ruan Pienaar has galvanised us, but there’s only so much that one man can do. With the injuries that we have and the daunting prospect of taking points from the hostile Mayol crowd (something we couldn’t do at home) the odds are heavily against us. Anyone who can see us getting out of this pool now is very much an optimist rather than a realist.

This is why I have titled this week’s entry as “False Hope” – the win masked a still difficult problem in Europe. It’s perfectly good singing Ulster’s praises for a very good win, which it was, but the underlying issue is that realistically they still need at least 11 points from their last three games to even stand a chance of qualifying, and even then that may not be enough when you consider the competitive nature of the other four pools.

Where are those points coming from? A win over the Scarlets on Sunday would set the right tone, however with the injuries picked up on Saturday that’s not a given by any stretch of the imagination. The Scarlets are a much different prospect in the cold windy valleys of Llanelli than they are on the road, as Leicester found out in October. A home win over Leicester should be expected but away in Toulon expectations will be low.

Perhaps it is now time to focus our attentions elsewhere. We are already ravaged by injuries, and any more could be detrimental toward our Pro12 efforts, which right now look a lot more realistic than any further progression in the Champions’ Cup. Before now and the end of January we will travel to the Ospreys and Leinster and also play host to Connacht, three vital games that we can win and would put us in a very good position heading into the international period.

I’m not saying we should roll over in Europe, far from it – our pride in the white shirt should count for a lot more than that. However, should we not manage a win this Sunday then there is certainly a case for resting several key players for the Toulon and Leicester games and protecting our front line stars. Why focus all our efforts on Europe with no reward?

Then again, I’m just negative. An unlikely five points in Wales and this pool is wide open…

Wednesday 26 November 2014

PROMISING PROGRESSION

Darren Cave said in the aftermath of the game on Friday night how impressed he was with Ulster for winning a game that a few years ago they would have lost.

And in a way he has something of a point. No more than five years ago Ulster would have been languishing amongst the basement dwellers of the Celtic League, unable to capitalise on promising positions they held in games. Quite frustratingly, it was a common trait of Ulster teams back then to start promisingly, provide the Ravenhill crowd with something to get hopeful about, and then proceed to throw away their impressive position in the second half.

Friday was a welcome reminder that those days are very much gone. Having seen a commanding fifteen point lead slashed to two in twenty second half minutes, the writing was plastered all over the walls. Still the Ospreys pressed, with fly-half Sam Davies in exceptional kicking form, and it looked like a score of some sort was inevitable, especially with the Welsh side’s driving maul ominously powerful.

Yet somehow Ulster held out and managed to flip the Ospreys’ momentum around completely and deny them even a losing bonus point, and let’s not forget how important that may prove to be in the grand scheme of things. A lot of credit must be given to the players for overcoming the fact they were being beaten 13-0 in the second half and plugging away to get that crucial late try.

It is a mark of where Ulster stand now. While the two Champions’ Cup matches maybe didn’t go quite to plan, our Pro12 form has been slowly improving and we now find ourselves unbeaten in four domestic games with the scalps of both Glasgow and the Ospreys taken in that run. All games are now targeted as winnable fixtures, and it is just reward for a good run of form that we find ourselves joint top with the Ospreys at the top of the table.

Neil Doak will be fairly pleased with how his tenure at Ulster has begun all things considered. Arguably the Champions’ Cup is beyond Ulster this season so the main focus will be on the Pro12, and 30 points from 8 games isn’t a bad return for the head coach. And he will be delighted with some of the gems he has unearthed in Clive Ross and Sean Reidy in the back row, and Alan O’Connor at lock too. If Doak is to lead his province to Pro12 glory then those names will be just as important as the Bests and the Bowes.

That’s why he’ll be very glad with how his second fringe players coped with the Ospreys who, it must be remembered, were unbeaten in the league before Friday night and had already seen off Munster at Thomond Park – no mean feat at all. Unfortunately that now means that the Ulstermen have a target on their backs that everyone is going for, and with trips to Munster, the Ospreys (again!) and Leinster three of Ulster’s next four league games that target will be under heavy fire.

However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. With big games comes heightened intensity and heightened focus and Ulster will need both of those virtues in abundance over the coming weeks. Any sort of slip in focus and Ulster could find themselves back down in mid-table region with a lot of ground to make up in the final few games of the season or even over the next international period in February.

Munster next, as the tough games just keep on coming.

Staking their claim
Nobody can now argue that Ireland are the form European side, and undeniably the favourites to lead the northern hemisphere charge for the World Cup next summer.

Where Wales failed and where England failed, Ireland have succeeded this autumn in completing a clean sweep of victories over their southern hemisphere counterparts and have leapt up into third in the latest world rankings – no more than they deserve for controlling the tie against the Springboks and then managing a gritty three point win over the Wallabies at the weekend.

How they won is not the main focus point. Against Michael Cheika’s side it was always going to be a loose game, and once the Irish had fallen into the trap of allowing it to be so then they were on the back foot. But all credit to Ireland, in the second half they tightened up considerably and, led admirably by Paul O’Connell, they managed a third victory of the Autumn Series and firmly established themselves as a challenger to the World Champions next October.

Notably however, the All Blacks have not yet been conquered…

Tuesday 18 November 2014

MAINTAINING THE STATUS QUO

I’m not sure what more needs to be said after Sunday.

The bookies had Ireland to win by 41, and in the end a 49-7 winning margin was probably fair on both sides – the Georgians played well enough to get on the scoreboard, while the superiority of the Irish reflected in their six try demolition of their sub-standard opposition. In the end, Ireland will go away happy with third place in the world rankings, and Georgia will move on with more experience under their belts.

Regardless of the scoreline, it did a disservice to how well Georgia did to stand up to a side vastly their better for the first 50 minutes. Let me remind you that the score at half-time was only a measly 9-0 in the home side’s favour, an advantage that probably made Joe Schmidt go a bit red in the face heading in at half-time. With forty minutes played it was still very much anybody’s game.

Was it Georgia were standing up in the face of adversity? Probably to a certain degree – the thought of the scalp of the defending Six Nations’ champions must have been a tantalising prospect indeed and an impressive first half rearguard effort showed that Georgia were at the Aviva Stadium to at least make life difficult for their hosts at least.

In the end it was probably more to do with Ireland showing their opponents a little too much respect. As much as it is true that you can never underestimate a side, there is only so far that can go as well. With the greatest of respect to Georgia, they aren’t even close to being anywhere near the quality of the All Blacks or the Springboks, and Ireland should have been out of sight by half time. And as one of the best sides in the world, these games are the ones that you show your world class in.

It’s rather a shame, therefore, that none of those selected really put their hands up for selection. Dave Kilcoyne put in a good shift at loosehead prop but was caught out at the set piece, while Felix Jones was on hand to finish two tries well, but beyond those two there was nothing spectacular to catch the eye for Joe Schmidt. And it’s a bit of a shame too as this was the perfect game for someone to put in a stellar performance and really put forward a case for a start against the Wallabies.

In that regard Schmidt may well be concerned. True his side did end up winning by 42 points, but he’ll be worried by the lack of depth shown by his second string players, especially up front where the Georgians possessed a slight bit of superiority. Tighthead is a real area of concern, as Mike Ross started again under Schmidt, with the aptly Irish named Rodney Ah You seemingly unable to make the transition from bench man to starter, while a failing line-out will cost them against better sides.

Criticisms aside (don’t judge how I have any), a win’s a win I suppose. Whether the Kiwi coach is looking forward to the World Cup yet or not is unknown, but certainly this Guinness Series will put his side in good form ahead of their Six Nations title defence in February, regardless of the Wallabies score on Saturday. The ruthlessness which Ireland used to dispose of the Springboks a week ago proved that the Irish belong at the top table of world rugby, and a further victory against the Australians will only further the belief in Dublin.

Speculation is glorious though, the Wallabies come first.

England in awe
Week two and another loss for the Sweet Chariot.

The All Blacks defeat was a decent performance and I’ll give them that, but on Saturday they were bested by a morally devoid Springboks side. In fact, in the end a three point win was very flattering on the home side who managed 14 points while their visitors were down a man in the forwards. Had the Springboks kept their discipline then it would have been a runaway victory.

I was thoroughly disappointed by England actually. I do think they’re overhyped by the media, but for a side that is as well coached as they are they seemed to have no significant way of breaking down the South Africans other than the driving maul. If they want to be one of the sides competing at the World Cup in a few months’ time then Stuart Lancaster needs to up his ideas a bit.

As for Wales, they seem to fluff their lines every time they come up against a Southern Hemisphere side. This week it was fearless Fiji who travelled to the Millennium Stadium and but for Campese Ma’afu’s stupidity (and I don’t exaggerate) they could have continued Wales’ wretched record in the Autumn Internationals. Warren Gatland will surely be losing sleep over his side’s mental barrier against the teams from the South.

And spare a thought for poor Scotland. They did remarkably well to match the All Blacks, changed as they were, toe for toe for the majority of the game and had Greig Laidlaw landed that penalty to put the Scots ahead then maybe things would have finished a little differently. Still, a lot of positives for Vern Cotter to take and build on, especially in the aftermath of last week’s 41-31 win over Argentina, and a welcome reminder that the All Blacks are indeed vulnerable, especially when down a few big names.

Even so, it’s still the southern teams that hold all the power in world rugby.

Tuesday 11 November 2014

JOE GO FOR IRELAND

If anyone could mastermind a win over the Springboks it was Joe Schmidt.

Outgunned, Ireland took to the field on Saturday minus key individuals in Cian Healy, Rory Best and Sean O’Brien, yet they launched themselves into their opposition with such tenacity and ferocity that it seemed to take the South Africans ten minutes to actually realise they were in for a real dogfight with the Six Nations champions.

Indeed, everything seemed to be going wrong for Ireland in the build up to the game. Not only were they down three vital players to their first team, they then lost Chris Henry to illness on Saturday morning and the Ulsterman was replaced by relative newbie Rhys Ruddock. Couple that with the fact that Heyneke Meyer had the ability to call on the same twenty-three players who took down the All Blacks a month ago, you would have forgiven the Irish had they thrown in the towel early and preserved their players to fight for another day.

“Back down”, however, does not seem to be a phrase in Joe Schmidt’s vocabulary.

With the doom-and-gloom prediction from George Hook ringing in their ears, Ireland took to the game like a duck to water and hit the Springboks with everything they had from the first minute. And after the platform had been well and truly established, the second half was a case of hammering home the initiative with scores from Rhys Ruddock and Tommy Bowe sealing a famous win at the Aviva Stadium, which is now becoming something of a feared away venue.

Speaking of Ruddock, one cannot sing his praises enough. For a player who only learned he was starting at 10:35 that morning, he was a ferocious ball carrier from openside and thoroughly deserved his try, even if how he got it required a little bit of out of the box thinking. But with those results, who could argue? A promising game from the Leinster flanker, and one which he will be desperate to back up against Georgia on Sunday.

Meanwhile, in the battle to replace Brian O’Driscoll, Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne, although centre partners on the field, were probably secretly trying to outdo each other and grab Schmidt’s attention as to who he would like to fill the vacant 13 shirt on a permanent basis. In the end it was the Connacht man who probably edged that battle, with his strong ball carrying and deft kicking over the back line an ever present threat to the misfiring Springboks.

From an Ulster perspective though, Payne had a good game and did not look out of place at 13 – something which is slowly becoming the norm as the season progresses. His ability to track Rob Kearney’s run in the first half and be able to provide the full-back with a pair of hands to pass outside to is something that will benefit him in the long run, while he is a player that does attract that extra defender to haul him down in full steam, even if he isn’t quite a Mathieu Bastareaud yet.

Jonathan Sexton unsurprisingly grabbed the plaudits for another game changing performance from 10, however he does not grab the plaudits from me as I was expecting a stellar performance from him anyway, while I am finding myself very impressed by the difficulty with which defenders cope with Sean Cronin. His line-out throwing and scrummaging may not be on a parallel with Rory Best, but with ball in hand he is a real danger, especially when the play is loose.

But the true winner for Ireland is Joe Schmidt.

Call it cliché or whatever you want to call it, but this man has revolutionised Irish rugby no end. Remember those days only a few years ago when Ireland were fighting with Italy to avoid finishing bottom of the Six Nations – and losing? No longer must we endure that. On Saturday we saw a well drilled and lethal Ireland side put away one of the teams that will be challenging for the World Cup next October with complete ease.

Romain Poite’s decision to sin bin Adriaan Strauss probably benefitted Ireland more than they deserved (Strauss in my opinion was unlucky to spend 10 minutes in the bin) but in the end, the win was no more than they deserved, and Schmidt should reign in all the praise he will undoubtedly receive. As far as tactics went he was spot on, and the belief and endeavour he managed to bring out of his players despite their inferiority on paper was admirable.

Because man for man on Saturday the South Africans had the game won. Remember this side defeated New Zealand and boasted world class names across the park, they were riding the crest of a wave and had the top world rankings spot firmly in their sights. Yet a depleted Ireland side stood tall, they went man for man and played the Springboks into the ground on Schmidt’s orders.

And that is why he is the best man for the job.

TM-Oops
Seriously, what is the point in having a TMO if the referee isn’t going to actually listen to his advice?

England lost to the All Blacks on Saturday, but for me the main talking point of the game was a yellow card to Dane Coles. In my opinion it was a bit of foolishness from both Coles and Dylan Hartley, and neither should have seen a card for it, but the biggest problem I have is Nigel Owens’ handling of the situation.

Owens called upon the help of his TMO Simon McDowell who, upon reviewing the incident several times, recommended that Owens let the incident go with just a penalty to England – the correct call. Yet Owens was determined to push forward his own decision of a yellow card no matter what McDowell said to him, and eventually got his way, probably simply out of pure persistence than mutual agreement.

Now I have no issues with Owens’ refereeing style, it is one of the best in the world if not the best, but this was beyond bizarre. The whole reason that a referee is meant to go to the TMO is to get advice on a difficult call – if the referee is then going to ignore that advice then is the role of the TMO not redundant? If a referee is undecided on a big decision and is going to make his own call rather than listen to his assistant, then is there not an argument to simply have someone provide the replays upon the referees’ request?

Personally I feel the role of the TMO has to be maintained. The whole reason they exist is to make the calls that the referee is unsure about, and by applying for the help of the TMO the referee should forfeit his ability to influence the final call on the play. Because in reality what is the point in having an official at the game that isn’t going to actually have any sort of an influence?

The solution? Get rid of the replays on the big screens. Or the big screens altogether, either solution would work. That way referees are reliant on the TMO’s ruling and the crowd cannot influence his decision. Because if you’re going to call on the help of the TMO, like Owens did of McDowell, then you should listen to his call, not ignore it.

Tuesday 4 November 2014

BREAKING BAD HABITS

Apologies to those of you who saw the title and thought that I would be referencing the award winning American TV drama this week – I’ve never even watched one episode of Breaking Bad!

Instead I refer you to the Kingspan Stadium on Saturday night. Ignoring the highly irregular Saturday night kick off time, there wasn’t much to talk about following the game as normal order was once again resumed in the Pro12 with Ulster emerging comfortable winners over the Newport-Gwent Dragons. Yet not for the first time this season the crowd left the Ravenhill area with an overwhelming sense of disappointment after the game.

Maybe the torrid weather had something to do with it, but in an increasingly annoying pattern Ulster made heavy going of a straightforward fixture, and they finished without the fourth try that would have given them a bonus point that may be crucial in the grand scheme of things. The most annoying thing about the game, however, is that this isn’t something that is foreign to Ulster fans.

During international periods Ulster make a habit of struggling through games. Last night was a classic example of the status quo as mistakes aplenty and an embarrassing number of handling errors culminated in Declan Fitzpatrick’s final play try counting for naught and an underwhelming seventeen-point victory. You’ll be waiting for a long time before you get another one of those.

And yet you had the sense it was coming.

True with many players reporting for duty to the Ireland camp there were to be changes expected, but the inconsistency in team selections continued with another seven changes to the starting XV. Stuart Olding (who, to his credit was outstanding) and Louis Ludik both made their first starts of the season at full-back and wing respectively, the centre lottery continued with Darren Cave and Stuart McCloskey’s numbers coming up, and Sean Reidy was making his debut in the back row. A settled team that was not.

Now as I say, with international call-ups there’s not much Neil Doak could do about that and I don’t blame him for it for one second, however it just emphasised how too many changes can impact a side. The Dragons were just as impacted by injuries and were down to fielding 17-year old debutant Barney Nightingale on the bench – put simply it was a game that was begging to have five points taken from it.

And yet, like so many times before, Ulster could not find the extra gear required during the international period to put in that top class performance. Granted no side is going to be perfect with their front line players missing, but a coach is determined to see his team put in a coherent and fluid performance even when depleted, and for the past few years Ulster haven’t been able to do that, whether it’s been under Brian McLaughlin or Mark Anscombe or so far under Les Kiss and Neil Doak.

It’s a problem that’s plagued Ulster for years and it’s one that is seemingly persisting as the seasons go by. Winning games is one thing, but making sure that they get the maximum haul from games that are there for the taking, like Saturday night, is another. Even if we are only seven games into the season, that fourth try would have lifted Ulster above Glasgow into second place and it’s always nice to be up there regardless of what stage of the year we’re at.

What needs to be done to amend these shortcomings is beyond me and my lack of rugby coaching knowledge. However what is obvious is that it needs addressed quickly ahead of the visit of the high-flying Ospreys in a few weeks. Already the clash at the Kingspan Stadium is looking like it will go a long way to deciding the final pecking order in the Pro12, and unless Doak can spark his side into action then the Ospreys will punish them.

There’s a two week break before the Welsh side roll into town though, so that gives the coaching staff a bit of time to recuperate and prepare adequately for the challenge the top side will pose. Still, minus their international stars the Ospreys lose a considerable edge to their game, as exhibited against Connacht last week, and that game will surely be a glorious opportunity to take a few points off a rival. But that’s not for another couple of weeks so no point worrying just yet.

As for me, I’m off on international duty on Saturday. Well I need something to pass the time when Ulster aren’t around…

Thursday 30 October 2014

TAUGHT A LESSON

There are times in life where you simply have to put your hands up and admit that someone else was better than you.

Saturday was one of those days, to a certain extent. We weren’t at our best, not by a long shot, but we came up against a side who imposed themselves on us with an immense physicality and then backed that up with pace and movement that cut our defence to pieces. Toulon aren’t the defending Top14 and European champions for no reason, and on Saturday they proved just why – they have talent all over the place.

Take for instance the brilliance of their back row. Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe withdrew through injury in the first minute, and to any other side that would’ve been catastrophic to their ability at the breakdown. Not to Toulon, who replaced him with a World Cup winner in Juanne Smith who combined with Steffon Armitage and Chris Masoe to blow away Ulster in the close encounters, thus highlighting the unrivalled strength of Toulon’s squad.

In the aftermath, some have gone for the nuclear option: declaring that Ulster simply aren’t good enough. That my friends, is rubbish.

I’m not denying that we have areas we must improve in, because we obviously do, but to suddenly write Ulster off as a side that aren’t good enough is a flawed argument. For instance, only two weeks ago we were singing Ulster’s praises after comfortably seeing off Glasgow at the Kingspan – yet two weeks later, according to some, we need a complete overhaul of our coaching staff, players and facilities after two losses to top quality opposition.

Neil Doak will stay, as he should, as it is extremely early to judge his progress as a coach. He’s started his reign as Ulster head coach with three incredibly difficult games and, following the Glasgow triumph, he came up against a Leicester side who have found their form again and the defending European champions who show no signs of giving up their title any time soon.

It’s been a turbulent few weeks for Doak. After the win over the Warriors he probably thought he was riding the crest of a wave. But now, with two losses to his name as well, he’s facing the harsh realities of being a head coach at the highest level – he will be scrutinised with every move he makes and if every game isn’t a W in the results column then there will be questions asked of him.

It’s a little early for him to write off Europe just yet. As uphill a task his side face to qualify for the latter stages of the Champions’ Cup, it is by no means impossible, and if Doak can provide some Houdini-esque magic and get Ulster into the quarter-finals then he will be lauded as a great coach by fans and experts alike. It wouldn’t be too bad a start to his tenure in charge either.

But he must move on from Saturday’s disappointment. What we saw from Toulon was a fantastic piece of close down rugby where they negated Ulster’s game plan from the off and restricted them to nothing more than two penalties and a late try – sometimes there is nothing you can do about that except hold up your hands and admit they had you sussed.

Instead, the focus must switch back to the Pro12. While Europe may be something of an unlikely goal, qualifying for the play-offs domestically is quite the opposite. Sitting in a lofty third place with two huge games against the Ospreys and Munster to come at the end of November, there is a real opportunity for Ulster to get some points on the board and also take a few off some play-off rivals too.

Saturday is the perfect opportunity for us to get another five points and close the gap on runaway leaders the Ospreys – the Dragons are missing so many players that if we don’t get at least four tries then there will have to be questions asked. Regardless of whether we are a team in transition or not, you would like to hope that our squad would have the ability to get a bonus point against one of the sides hoping not to finish last in the table.

And it is in these games that Doak will be judged, not the Toulon game. The league is the bread and butter for any team, so how competitive we are in the Pro12 will determine how successful Doak is perceived to be. And that starts with a convincing bonus point win on Saturday over the Dragons that will appease all those fans' fears.

And nothing else will do.

Wednesday 22 October 2014

LEAVING LEICESTER BEHIND

I’ve never left a game so bewildered as to how I should feel about Saturday’s defeat at Welford Road. To give you a sample of my bewilderment, here are my notes from the game:

Negatives: First half
Positives: Second half

I’m not quite sure what it was about us on Saturday but, the 22 phase drive in the first few minutes aside, we offered so little in the first half that it seemed like only one side had actually decided to compete. Leicester showed desire and hunger that we hadn’t seen from them before this season and in my opinion had they gone in with four tries wrapped up at half-time I’m not sure too many would have raised a hand to argue.

Yet in the second half it was all change. Owen Williams got us off to a status quo start, but after that it was all Ulster. I’m not sure what was said at half-time, nor do I know just what Neil Doak put in the oranges, but with half an hour left on the clock the Ulstermen sprung into life as only we know they can. Lightning quick backs moves and relentless breakdown work combined for a spirited Ulster comeback which was cut cruelly short by Michael Heaney’s last second knock-on.

The raucous cheers at full-time were of relief, not jubilation.

Whether Leicester will be happier with the result is questionable, and is also where I make my point. For the home side you could argue they’ve gained a valuable four points and a crucial home win that is a necessity in Europe. On the other hand, with three tries gained in the first 40 with relative ease, there has got to be a severe sense of disappointment for Richard Cockerill that his side could not push on and get just one more try, instead handing the initiative to the visitors.

Meanwhile, put the shoe on the other foot. At half-time I think every Ulster fan would have taken a defeat that didn’t leave them thoroughly embarrassed for the rest of the week, yet by the time hands were shaken at the end of the game there was definitely a degree of frustration that we left with just one point. Leicester were there to be beaten, and Neil Doak knows that.

Errors and a faltering set piece cost us dearly, and that will have to be addressed ahead of the visit of Toulon. As for the aftermath of Saturday, I left Welford Road and arrived back at my hotel still extremely conflicted by what I had watched – the extreme capitulation of the first half and the sheer brilliance of the second. It was like watching two different teams, which is probably credit to Doak for turning it around in the fifteen minutes he had at the break.

In the end, I guess it’s a case of a point gained more than anything else, and even more importantly: a rival denied a point. Had Leicester got that fourth try we were facing an uphill battle to qualify for the latter stages, so to finish with a 4-1 match point deficit is a brilliant return. If you recall after Leicester took a bonus point away from Ravenhill at this stage last season everyone claimed they had the upper hand in the pool – could you argue it’s the same for us now?

The performance left a lot to be desired, but there is a lot to draw confidence from in that second period and build upon. Toulon will of course be another step up from the Tigers with all their mega-bucks stars and their desire to become the first side to win Europe’s premier competition for three successive seasons, but if we can continue where we left off from at Welford Road then Toulon are beatable.

A point at Welford Road is not a shameful result and a win against Toulon puts us right back into the mix. In fact, it’s a measure of where we stand in Europe that we are coming away from Leicester, multiple time champions of this event, disappointed with a tight loss. With a mindset like that, and a slight improvement in our play, then there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t cause a major scalp and take down the reigning champions.

Pool Three is still wide open, and if we play our cards right then we’ll be in with a shout come January. Already the game against Leicester at the Kingspan could go a long way to deciding the future of two sides in this season’s competition…

Tuesday 14 October 2014

CONFIDENCE BOOSTER

For all the critics who were getting on Ulster’s back for the last few weeks, Saturday night was certainly an answer to those criticisms.

Glasgow, who have been scoring tries for fun so far this season, were reduced to nothing more than a side in Ulster’s way and Neil Doak’s men routinely delivered. For a side that scored 21 tries in the previous five games, the Scottish visitors did not even seriously threaten the Ulster line once and that was down to a well drilled and robust Ulster defensive line, coached fantastically well by Allen Clarke.

For the first time this season you could say that Ulster thoroughly deserved their victory. Zebre and Cardiff were put away with performances that could be improved upon, while the Edinburgh win was such a formality that it seemed ludicrous to even mention the word ‘contest’ in the match report, so it was a welcome relief that Ulster were comfortable and composed as they saw off the form side in the Pro12.

It wasn’t a case of Glasgow being poor either, which would be an easy way to sum up their shortcomings, rather Ulster didn’t allow them to play their free-flowing offloading game that has drawn their admirers. From the first minute the hosts adopted their high press defence and sucked the Warriors into a tight, physical affair, and from there the Scots had no Plan B to go to.

It was a stroke of tactical genius from the Ulster coaching staff and it showed on the field.

With nowhere to go without the ability to fling the ball around with abandon, Glasgow looked like they had nothing to offer. Sean Maitland at least provided an ever potent threat from full-back but beyond him the Warriors were about as sharp as a balloon. Even their dangerous ball carriers Leone Nakarawa and Josh Strauss were kept relatively quiet too – Strauss’ first half foray into the Ulster 22 about as penetrating as the visitors got all evening.

It goes without saying that the win will give Neil Doak an immense lift heading to Welford Road this Saturday. He extracted an intensity from his Ulstermen on Saturday that we hadn’t seen before this season and in the end, while a twenty point winning margin maybe flattered Ulster slightly, denying Glasgow the losing bonus point was the least they deserved for a ruthless rearguard effort and some clinical finishing in the second period.

Two players will stand out specifically for Doak though: Alan O’Connor and Stuart McCloskey, two young players whom the coach has put his trust in and they have rewarded him handsomely.

O’Connor, making only his second competitive start for his province, looks as if he’s been a first team regular for years and has adapted to professional rugby exceptionally well, taking full advantage of injuries to Dan Tuohy and Iain Henderson and seizing his chance with both hands. If he continues playing like this for the next few weeks then he certainly won’t look out of place against two European heavyweights in Leicester and Toulon.

The same goes for Stuart McCloskey, chosen at inside centre over namesake Stuart Olding, who brings an incredible amount of physicality to the back line with his ability to seemingly break the first tackle on nearly every occasion. Maybe not the first choice centre at the start of the season, his last three games have proven what a player he actually is and should he continue this form then the 12 shirt could be his for the foreseeable future.

And it will be his physical nature that will serve Ulster well against Leicester. There is the small matter of Manusamoa Tuilagi in the centre for the Tigers, and to see how the abrasive England centre gets on against an equally abrasive centre in McCloskey will pique more than a few pundits’ interest. Of course, this will be the 22-year old’s biggest test so far with the international centre a massive step up from his previous three opponents, but it will be a challenge he will undoubtedly relish.

The same goes for Mr. O’Connor who will line up opposite possibly the most seasoned lock in the game of rugby at present in Brad Thorn (should he survive his citing). The 40-year old has been there, done that and got the medals to prove it, and still possesses the ability to start for Leicester in the latter stages of his career – that is some achievement. So no less of a challenge for O’Connor than his team-mate in the centre.

Still, Saturday’s clash is one that I think every Ulster fan has been preparing for for a long time. Even with Ruan Pienaar sidelined, there is an air of optimism around the Kingspan following last Saturday’s result and a genuine belief that an early initiative in a very difficult Champions’ Cup pool could be grasped with a second win at Welford Road in nine months. We’ve done it once already, why not do it again?

Because it’s Leicester. And they do not lose at home very often. Any sort of win will be an incredible achievement and will put us on cloud nine ahead of Toulon’s visit to Belfast with an away win already registered. The Tigers are decimated by several key injuries and if the Ulstermen can seize an early initiative then there is no reason why we can’t leave England with four vital points in the quest to qualify.

You can’t help but think that this is the best chance we’ll get though, and it needs taken. Badly.

Tuesday 7 October 2014

FRONT UP, BACK DOWN

One could spend hours praising the forwards’ exceptional twenty minute stint from Friday night, led expertly by Rory Best once more, however that is not where the main focus should be this week.

True, there’s never much you can criticise from a bonus point performance, and many with more sense than I would simply leave it at five points gained: move on. However, to ignore the shortcomings of Ulster’s back line would be a severe case of ignorance is bliss, and coming into a crucial part of the season that would be criminal for all involved.

While the introduction of Nick Williams and the hard working mind-set of Rory Best spearheaded Ulster’s charge for their bonus point in the last twenty minutes, Les Kiss will be less than pleased at how numbers 9-15 performed against one of the more porous defences they’ll face all season, even when reduced to fourteen men.

Let’s not forget that this is an Edinburgh team that conceded a mind-boggling 63 points away to the Ospreys, and quite rightly inhabit a lowly tenth place in the Pro12 with just 7 points and one win from their first five contests. Yet somehow one of the so-called “best backlines in Europe” struggled to manage just one clean line break between them with Andrew Trimble’s try in the first half the only positive aspect for a limp back performance.

Stuart McCloskey and the aforementioned Trimble may well hold their heads high though. While their counterparts in the back line were struggling to make any sort of an impact on the game they linked superbly for the opening try of the evening, McCloskey’s break providing the space for Trimble, who had the presence of mind to switch the ball to his other hand in order to hand off Tim Visser to score.

McCloskey, only making his second start of the season after injury, was probably Ulster’s best player of the night. A constant thorn in the side of the Scottish visitors, his strong running and ability to seemingly always break the first tackle made him a handful to deal with, while on the wing Andrew Trimble was, well, Andrew Trimble. The Ireland winger was eager for the ball and took his two tries very well proving just why he should be keep his place as one of the starting wingers for Ireland in the November internationals.

Beyond that, there wasn’t much for anyone to get excited about.

Part of the blame probably does have to be attributed to an increasingly bizarre policy of rotation which has seen five different centre partnerships in the past five games, but even so, some players simply look off the pace. Even the in-form Louis Ludik who has been very impressive since arriving from Agen, was struggling to impose himself on the game, finding himself sucked into the mundane kicking contest that went on.

And yes, for those who watched the game at home, the endless kicking that went on was just as boring for us at the game than it was for you. Apparently there was no other tactic that could break down the Edinburgh defence and the Ulster back three resorted to dropping balls from orbit to the reliable Phil Burleigh – a tactic that not only failed, but put the crowd to sleep at the same time.

Compare that to the Ospreys game two weeks ago where they sliced through the hapless Gunners with ease. 63 points speaks for itself – and for those whose maths is just as good as mine, that’s double what we managed to put on them – and they all came from a flowing passing game where the Ospreys mercilessly attacked the line from all over the park, and reaping the rewards at the full-time whistle. “Them’s the margins”, or so they say, and we’ve got a lot of work to do to catch up with the men from Swansea, and Glasgow too, whose trip to Belfast this Friday looks irresistible now.

The Warriors will arrive at the Kingspan unbeaten and in fantastic form, having seen off Treviso 40-23 on Sunday, scoring six tries in the process. Gregor Townsend has moulded them into a superb coherent side that look like they have managed to improve even from last season and if Ulster are to head into the Champions’ Cup with some positive reinforcement then those backs will have to start firing on all cylinders.

Otherwise you can forget about beating Glasgow, Leicester or Toulon right now.

And as a final sign-off, a special mention has to go to Alan O’Connor.

The 22-year old former Leinsterman has had to bide his time over the last two years since his move north, however the injuries to Dan Tuohy and Iain Henderson gifted him the chance to impress on Friday night. And, while I won’t declare him to be the answer to our injury worries just yet, he certainly gave a good account of himself, regardless of how poor the opposition were. Another start against Glasgow this week may beckon…

Wednesday 1 October 2014

WITHOUT A WHIMPER

Complaints? Ulster can have none.

The team was not the issue, the side that Les Kiss sent to Parma had talent in abundance and was more than capable of returning to Belfast with all five points. Indeed, had a neutral compared the two team sheets before the game began then the sheer weight of international quality for the visitors would have been enough to hand them the bonus point before the game began.

Consider the names that lined out for Ulster. Tommy Bowe and Craig Gilroy were potent threats on the wing and from full-back. Paddy Jackson was starting at fly-half. Callum Black, Rob Herring and Declan Fitzpatrick formed a very strong front row that was boosted by Franco van der Merwe from the second row and Roger Wilson and Nick Williams in the rearguard. Not to mention the benefit of having Rory Best and Andrew Trimble to spring from the bench.

Yet it was a disjointed performance from the Ulstermen, and for the first time at the Stadio XXV Aprille they were punished for their negligence. Zebre, and Aironi before them, have been a side that Ulster have notoriously struggled against and on Saturday they finally triumphed for the first time over an Irish province, despite not possessing the big names that Ulster had.

Yes Andrea Cavinato was able to utilise several household names like Mauro Bergamasco and Luciano Orquera, but they had nowhere close to the quality that Les Kiss was able to choose from (and leave at home). Who could honestly say they’d ever heard of Giulio Bisegni at outside centre before Saturday? Or how about Oliviero Fabiani making his third appearance for Zebre off the bench? Or even Kiwi fly half Kelly Haimona who scored eight points to hand the hosts their victory?

However it happened, they were good enough to secure Zebre’s first win of the season and condemn Ulster to their first loss. True, there was a slight issue of a red card to Declan Fitzpatrick which may have aided their cause marginally, but the bottom line is these guys are not close to the standard of Ulster’s, and even then they weren’t even playing good rugby.

Think about it: with an extra player on the field they still could only find one try and muster a measly 13 points against us, saved by the grace that their opposition could only amount 8. And in truth, that sums up what a drab contest it was when only 21 points were scored and the TMO was called into action too many times by referee Peter Fitzgibbon – not the first time I have criticised him this season, and we’re only four games old.

Only a portion of blame can be placed on the officiating team, with TMO Carlo Damasco (from Italy no less) just as culpable as his hapless colleagues on the field, as for the fourth week in a row Ulster put in a sub-par performance and this time they were found out. Not to be a broken record, but yes the dismissal of Fitzpatrick did mean they were facing an uphill battle, but it’s not like they were exactly playing scintillating rugby before that either.

And indeed they got their just rewards for how they played. A losing bonus point against Zebre is never something to be proud of, and yet it is probably all that Ulster deserved, if not less. With misfiring backs, a scrum that was reeling from the loss of a player, and a set piece that looked shakier than it has for a long time, Ulster rightly slipped to a first defeat of the season, and one that the rugby world has laughed at over the weekend.

It’s not one of Les Kiss’s more memorable coaching moments, and it isn’t exactly one that he’ll want to remember very often. His fourteen men never showed any kind of belief that they could come back after Dario Chistolini’s try, and when Kelly Haimona landed that impressive drop goal, you just knew that the final nail had been hammered into the Ulster coffin.

And yet despite the set-back we still inherit third place in the table thanks to Glasgow’s mauling of Connacht and the Ospreys’ shock win at Thomond Park. There is a six point gap between us and the two pace-setters admittedly, however that is a gap that can be closed, especially since we take on Glasgow in front of the Sky cameras in a couple of weeks. And that has to be the platform to build on for the visit of Edinburgh this Friday night.

Mainly because there isn’t much else we’d want to take forward…

Tuesday 23 September 2014

LOCK DOWN

Not for the first time this season, despite it being only three games old, an injury to a key player has taken the gloss of a good win for Ulster.

It’s become something of a recurring theme. Jared Payne was taken off early in Llanelli. Three-try Tuohy will need surgery on his arm after Friday night’s win. And although it didn’t happen in the same match, watching Ruan Pienaar be carried off for the Springboks against New Zealand the morning after a bonus point win over Zebre certainly lowered the mood in Belfast.

Les Kiss is facing something of a dilemma. True, Payne will probably return this week away to Zebre and the province still hold a sliver of belief that Pienaar will make it back in time for their trip to Welford Road, however the undeniable truth is that as the weeks pass Ulster look increasingly more vulnerable in several positions.

Certainly in the second row there is a serious cause for concern. With Tuohy gone for twelve weeks and Iain Henderson facing an even longer period on the sidelines due to hip surgery, the lock cupboard is worryingly bare, with only Franco van der Merwe, Lewis Stevenson and Neil McComb fit for service for the next twelve weeks at least. Beyond that Kiss and co. will have to delve into the Academy – a prospect that is looking more and more likely as the days pass.

Still, Friday night provided many reasons to be positive. While the interim head coach has yet to witness his side put in a complete performance, their ability to suffocate the Blues’ constant attacks as the match wore on was impressive, and they got their due reward as Ian Humphreys capitalised on Gareth Davies’ loose pass near the end of the game. Maybe a seventeen point win wasn’t a true reflection on how the game went, but it is a margin of victory that Ulster will happily take.

Even more pleasing was the platform created by the forwards, in particular the driving maul. Allen Clarke will undoubtedly be very happy to see his work during the week pay off as van der Merwe dominated the aerial battle and then let the rest of the pack do the hard work. Indeed, had Neil Paterson enforced his multiple warnings to Blues captain Matthew Rees then Cardiff should have been reduced to fourteen men, probably more than once.

Not that that mattered. What we saw from Ulster’s pack was a controlled and measured approach to the set piece and quite rightly they exerted a lot of pressure on the Blues front row. If Adam Jones was feeling confident lining up against the still-proving-himself Andrew Warwick, then the British & Irish Lion was to be badly mistaken as the Ballymena man shunted him backwards at a rate of knots. Joe Schmidt are you watching?

And of course, credit must go to his propping partner in Wiehahn Herbst who, as the weeks go by, continues to look like a very astute acquisition with another powerful performance in the tight. Although the bigger tests in the form of the powerful Leicester and star-studded Toulon packs are to come, at this stage of the season Warwick and Herbst look to be forming a very impressive front row trio along with Rory Best.

Where concern still lies is the ineffectiveness of the backs. For a back line that featured five Irish internationals, plus the more than likely to be capped Stuart Olding, they were found severely lacking, and instead had to rely on the barnstorming run of top try scorer Dan Tuohy (yes, you read that right) to force their way over the line.

Ironically it was the only back who seems the likeliest to end his career without a cap (and based on his performances so far that is a tragedy of sorts), Louis Ludik who looked the most threatening, as he has done all season. Always a danger to defenders with ball in hand, he seems to find the spaces and ghost through them with ease. Another strong performance from the former Agen man and he is certainly making a name for himself in Belfast.

Grant the backs a little bit of relief though, they were playing behind a fly-half who was playing his first game for four months and some ring rustiness was to be expected. Although for a first game back I don’t think too many will have any major issues with Jackson’s performance, especially his place kicking which was nearly exemplary and kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely.

Bottom line, job done in Cardiff and a solid fourth place after three games. With two potential banana skins in Wales safely navigated – if you’d call the heart-stopper in Llanelli just that – being two points behind early pace-setters the Ospreys is nothing to be sniffed at. That said, there’s always things to be looked at and a lot of work to do.

Work to do, both for the coaching staff, and the medical staff too.

West is Best (but not that West)
Great things come in small packages, or so the saying goes.

Take Connacht for example. Ireland’s forgotten fourth province have made one of their best starts to a Pro12 season in their history and based on their performances, it is fully deserved too. They comfortably saw off the Newport-Gwent Dragons in week one, provided a dramatic late comeback at Murrayfield a week later and on Friday night they claimed their first major scalp of the season: a 10-9 victory over provincial rivals Leinster.

As far as dream starts go, Pat Lam will be wishing he never wakes up from this one.

Sitting in a lofty third position with twelve points from a possible fifteen, things are looking up for Connacht. Granted, they maybe aren’t going to be challenging for silverware come the business end of the season, however they will be delighted with the positive strides they have made in September and will head into October hoping to push on and solidify their position in the top six of the league.

But even the most diehard of the Clan will admit that there is a lot of rugby to be played, and tougher opposition to face, starting with this Friday’s trip to the Glasgow Warriors, who are looking as strong as ever. A 33-13 triumph over the Newport-Gwent Dragons at Rodney Parade shows that they are determined to go one step further this season than they did last time out.

If anyone thought Gregor Townsend’s side were going to suffer from second-season syndrome then they were badly mistaken. So far the Scots have flattened all before them, including exacting their revenge on Leinster for last season’s final defeat. With Townsend at the helm and the strength in depth that the Warriors have the ability to call upon, you’d be a brave man to bet against them to be in the top four for a third consecutive season.

And spare a thought for the Ospreys who currently top the table.

Amassing 62 points against any opposition is nothing to be sniffed at, and to do so in the manner that they did against Edinburgh on Sunday was extremely impressive. With a sense of control and an attacking prowess that very much resembled that of the All Blacks, the men of Swansea imposed themselves on their visitors and in the end the result could have been similar to a cricket score.

If anybody thought that they would be negatively affected by losing several players over the summer, then those fears have been dispelled early on, with the Ospreys seizing early control of the Pro12. Still, much like Connacht, their start hasn’t exactly been the most taxing and their biggest tests are still to come with a trip to Thomond Park on Saturday night looming large.

Nevertheless, the Ospreys still lead the Welsh charge, and the way in the Pro12 so far.

Tuesday 16 September 2014

CONCERNING COMPARISONS

Once again I find myself typing up a blog post following another day of Pro12 rugby on Sky Sports in a less than satisfied manner. This time though, it is not at the television company.

Rather, having returned home late in the afternoon, I discovered that Leinster had handily disposed of the Scarlets by a rather a commanding scoreline of 42-12, and this is what incensed me. Now I know full well that Leinster at the best of times can play a thoroughly irresistible brand of rugby with flowing attacking moves and a rigid defensive structure, backed up a domineering forward pack, but even so to see them dismantle the side that only a week previous should have put Ulster to the sword gave me a moment of pause.

Again, nothing against Leinster who, I am reliably informed, played very well on Saturday and deserved the five points they walked away from the RDS with, yet it does belittle our draw at the Parc y Scarlets massively. We struggled just to get three points – Leinster cruised to five. The difference between us and our top four rivals is very evident at the moment, even in how we played on Friday night.

You may think I’m overreacting, and I possibly am, but even at this early stage there are distinctions being made between the top sides, and those who will ultimately be on the outside looking in. So far, Ulster look very much like the latter. A backs to the wall salvaged draw at the Scarlets and a thoroughly unconvincing win against Zebre at home, bonus point or not, has done nothing to dispel the fears of rugby followers nationwide that the province are slowly on the slide following the difficulties of the summer months.

Which brings me nicely onto Friday night’s laboured victory at the Kingspan. For me it is worth ignoring the various negatives you could pull from Ulster’s scrappy play, regardless of how many there were, and instead focus on the few shining lights that emerged from the darkness around Belfast with which we shall head to Cardiff basing our optimism upon.

One of those shining lights is what a signing we have found in Louis Ludik. I gave him my man of the match for his brand of stylish running rugby and his ability to always manage to make yards with ball in hand, and for a player that was named amongst the substitutes that is a very impressive feat. He brings an attacking threat into the line whether he is utilised at outside centre or at full-back, and on current form you cannot justify dropping him from the starting XV. Where he plays, however, is another question entirely.

The likely position is full-back, his self-professed preferred position, considering the blazers in Dublin see Jared Payne as the successor to BOD at outside centre and that while he remains fit he will probably have the 13 jersey all to himself, however should Payne continue to struggle in the centre, there is the possibility of him being shifted to the back three once more – a position many would feel he excels in – with Ludik now having to find a new place in the team, with a straight switch to the centre a distinct possibility also.

Whatever the decision made with the backs, an area where Ulster have an abundance of riches across the line, it is relieving to see that another area of Ulster’s game that was superb on Friday night was the set piece. A front row of Warwick, Best and Herbst pulled together and tore apart their opposite numbers in the scrum and provided Ulster with the required platform to go on and get the four tries required – remember it was two monumental shoves that rewarded the hosts with their first and fourth tries of the night, the first of which was won against the head too.

Admittedly the opposition maybe was not the best to adequately judge against, especially considering Rory Best, a British & Irish Lion, was up against Oliviero Fabiani who was making his first competitive start for the Italians. Nevertheless it was very pleasing to see the youth of Andrew Warwick excelling at a Pro12 level, a home-grown player whom many in Ulster circles have high hopes for, and the prolific scrummaging ability of Wiehahn Herbst seems to suggest that the replacement for John Afoa may prove to be a very handy addition to the Ulster roster.

Still, maybe it is slightly naïve to overlook the fact that we had nine internationals on the field and yet we still made heavy going of seeing that fourth try cross the line, and in the end it took a yellow card for Ricky Andrew to actually shock us into action, whenever in truth the Leinsters and Glasgows of this world would have put that Zebre side to the sword before the referee had time to blow for half-time. For years we have said we want to be at that level and yet here we are still comparing ourselves to them.

Complaining about a five try bonus point win is probably rather pernickety, but it’s only by pushing ourselves to the top level that we will eventually break that trophyless streak that now stretches back nine seasons. Whatever you may have read about Les Kiss leaving this week and however much we expect from the Ulstermen, make no doubt that this side is just as dedicated as ever and will push to the limits to succeed on both fronts this season. And that dedication continues at the Cardiff Arms Park this Friday.

Marshalling the troops
So our worst fears have finally been realised, not that his fortuitous run was without its bumps and scrapes, but we will now be facing life without Ruan Pienaar for at least four weeks, if not more, should his injury be in the latter bracket of six weeks, showing that our worst fears can actually be added upon, as melodramatic as that sounds.

What does this mean for Ulster? Sadly, a hell of a lot as Pienaar is one of those players you simply don’t “replace” in a team. Like Sean O’Brien for Leinster or Conor Murray for Munster, you have your stand-in guys and they can do a job for you if you let them. However, they will not replicate their superior’s playing ability every week, nor will they provide the flashes of brilliance that those superiors do either.

Now we see where Paul Marshall stands in accordance with Pienaar. For years we have decreed that St. Ruan is irreplaceable in the Ulster line-up, but in fairness to his understudies, he actually hasn’t been absent enough for that to be tested. Certainly when Pienaar came off against Saracens last season, his replacement, Marshall, was more than capable to fill his boots in the second half, and this season so far the understudy has looked lively and at the same time a lot more composed than he has in previous years.

But this is a major step up for a player who has always been the second choice at Ulster, especially considering he is now in line to start at Welford Road and against Toulon at the Kingspan a week later, and is likely to be facing off against two of the best in the trade in Ben Youngs and Sebastien Tillous-Borde. If that isn’t a test of his ability at this level then I don’t know what is.

This is the time for Marshall to show that his Springbok counterpart has a real rival for his spot at Ulster and if he can continue how he has started this season then I for one feel that Pienaar may come back with a lot to think about beyond the injury. That said, there are a lot of games to come between now and the beginning of the Champions Cup, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Nevertheless, with a point to prove and a starting berth to play for, we may be in for something special from Marshall.

Tuesday 9 September 2014

IS EVERYTHING SKY HIGH?

I found myself at something of a loss of words as I watched Sky Sports’ Rugby Club on Friday night before the Munster v Edinburgh game on TG4 (which was a cracker by the way).

As this is Sky’s maiden season of Pro12 coverage, something which was made abundantly clear over the course of the weekend, I can grant them a little bit of leeway regarding their naivety toward the Pro12, but I gaped with incredulity as the various pundits revealed their predictions for how the season would pan out. Take nothing away from their coverage which was professional and of top quality standard throughout, but these predictions were wild to say the least.

The sheer ineptitude of the pundits who they asked to provide their top four was astounding, especially since they are supposedly experts in their field. The vast majority of them had the Cardiff Blues in their top four based purely on their summer signings, while Will Greenwood went as far as to say that the Newport-Gwent Dragons would finish in fourth due to the lack of players that would head away during international breaks, as if the other sides would not be able to cope with a few missing front line players.

I mean no disrespect whatsoever to the Blues or the Dragons, the former of whom could very easily compete for silverware this season, particularly based on their dismissal of a stubborn Zebre side at the weekend, but I think the majority of Pro12 fans would share my scepticism at these bold and wild predictions. Instead we had to look to Pro12 punditry “regulars” in Scott Hastings, Shane Horgan and Alan Quinlan, who all predicted the same top four as last season – a more likely punt than a Welsh region breaking into the play-offs.

In my opinion this shows a complete disregard of respect for the Pro12 as a league that the experts covering it are making these wild stabs at the top four. Indeed, only Glasgow and Leinster featured in every prediction, and I’m willing to bet that that is purely down to the fact they contested last season’s final, while Munster made many appearances also, although we all know how much the pundits love them, regardless of how they do.

Instead you have to look no further than the Parc y Scarlets on Saturday to see two sides who will be there or thereabouts when it comes to May next year. Two sides locked horns with a bullish attitude and both came away with three points from a frenetic, fast-paced, furious battle that left everybody stunned as to just how Ulster managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat. The phrase “backs up against the wall” doesn’t even do it justice – Ulster had been bruised and battered for the first thirty minutes of the second half and yet, remarkably, they managed to find the will and belief to leave Llanelli with three very valuable points to their name.

If Sky’s executives had to make do with the Pro12 following BT Sport’s swoop for the Aviva Premiership, they will have been licking their lips following the high scoring draw to begin their coverage and then the exciting end to Glasgow v Leinster straight afterwards. As far as the two games they could have chosen to launch their Pro12 showcase went, they couldn’t possibly have chosen two better games.

I won’t go into the details of Ulster’s draw this week, although I will make a quick note on the shortcomings of the officials, and for both teams may I add. Liam Williams can count himself extremely unlucky to have picked up his third red card in his last five games considering, while he did knock the ball on, it hardly looked like he did it deliberately, while Louis Ludik may well be cursing his luck following yesterday’s video review when he sees what his try was disallowed for. Any contact Michael Allen did make with a covering defender was minimal at best.

The standard of officiating in the Pro12 has declined rapidly and, while we can still boast probably the world’s best referee in Nigel Owens, the quality below that is not even close to the high bar he has set, and we saw that again on Saturday. Indeed, had the officials checked with the TMO for that final knock on that ended the game (as they did for every other close decision) Ulster may well have had a penalty to win the match and take all five points. That is if Peter Fitzgibbon had indeed left the TMO to make his own decision instead of putting it upon himself.

Whatever you thought of Sky’s coverage, which I thought was perfect for the game itself but poor in the build up, there is no doubt that the exposure that the broadcaster will bring to the league will be crucial in guaranteeing more sponsors and increasing the revenue being brought into the league. And if the two opening matches are anything to go by then we are in for some incredible rugby over the course of the 2014-15 season.

Everyone loves to put on a show for the cameras, don’t they?