UlsterRugby1999

Bugbear - as I didnt see your post maybe you'd re-post it for me as I'd be keen to know what is on around Poitiers. Its a good excuse to grab 9 holes in at Mignaloux too [;-)]

You do me wrong raindog [;-)] [quote]Good sense prevails[/quote] I wont argue with that. Pity they did it, but its done so move on. I'd be concernd though that if England continue to leave body bags of failed coaches along the road, they might end up being viewed as in this article [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/7107378.stm]Welsh High Body Count[/url] England need to take time and chose a coach well.  

As one who had tipped Leinster I was bitterly disappointed to see them fall aside and roll over to Toulouse last night. Sadly, not that you guys care or even want to know, but the gameplan that was folloed last night has been etched out by Comical Eddie O'Sullivan. His master plan is all about using the 2 main Irish centres, being fed quickly (therefore flat passing) by ROBOT O'Gara and Peter SLINGER. Its great if no one else knows and you dont get intercepted or miss time your pass. What you saw last night was a group of very skilled backs unable to think for themselves and incapable of ditching a failing game plan and running from the gut/heart. Criminal. IMHO - Toulouse were not any superior to the Leinster guys. That said, Toulouse are in better shape then the pundits gave them credit. The nulified O'Driscoll, Darcy and Contepomi. They struggled with Kearney and Horgan gave them problems but outside of that I felt that they were rudderless (and that is the legacy of Comical). Munster's pack, is the Irish pack - more or less - yet against Clermont - it destroyed them. The CA lineout was pathetic and Munster punished them for it. The Bristol result was a surprise. I cannot ever recall seeing SF humiliated like that. Maybe its time to look at a new kit too. Bottom line, for me at least, is that the Heiny is continuing to throw up the issue of the need for change of thinking from the IRB. All the teams who played over this weekend are stuffed with MINNOWS who are playing at the top level. Bring it on - open up the world of rugby. Love it [:D][:D]

Who's flippin idea was this anyway. Leinster forgot to arrive in Toulouse and Clermont were much the same. Mind you, Munster were comfortable winners despite their mistakes. Still, raindog the Glaws are still my No1 (I hope)

Mmmmmmm - much better display from Ulster in the first half. Second half I think we started to look at the fact that we might win this game and that would be a first for us. We have never won on French soil and it might have been in their heads. Also is the fact that Bourgoin fronted up  and wrecked our scrum and caused problems at the lineout too. Glaws march on as predicted. So on that note, the votes from the Ulster side for the last four are: Gloucester Stade Francais Leinster Wasps/Clermont (wee hedge betting there [;-)] ) although I think they might have a problem against Munster. The Munster and Wasps packs were very impressive against each other. Fantastic forwards game and Clermont might struggle against both of them, even with the likes of Smit on board.

I was fortunate enough to get to Stade Toulousain in January this year when Ulster played Toulouse in the Heiny. Not much of a game and it has become infamous for the disgraceful Brennan attack - but I must say it was a terrific stadium and fantastic support. We had a street party going until very very late in the centre of Toulouse with many many Toulouse supporters. Great place to go. Its a pity its 3 1/2 hours from me otherwise I'd be there more often. plod - I'm not a betting man but I'd wager that Gloucester will definitely make the last 4 and even make the final. The two units work rate was ferocious and soooooooooooo productive. I know that some might say it was a demoralised Ulster team, but we haven’t lost to an English club in Belfast for so long, so to come to Ravenhill and do that shows what they can do. Good luck to you all this year (only this year you understand[;-)]) raindog - even at this stage we should think of a wee prediction type thing between us all. What’s you thinking on that.  

You are kind in your words plod but let me assure you that any team who comes to Fortress Ravenhill and does to Ulster what the Glaws did to us is not a team who can be called flaky. You guys were clinical in your destruction of an already wounded team. Sadly, although the right thing to do, our coach - Mark McCall - resigned on Tuesday. Despite this, which is something I have looked for from the day and hour he was appointed, nothing he could have plotted for would have stopped what you guys did to us. Enjoy this plod as I say [quote]it was a pleasure to watch. Rugby from the top drawer.[/quote] As raindog has shown in the article he linked to: [quote]To subdue Ulster is no mean feat. Lamb and Co are exciting. Let’s wait and see.[/quote] Lou - welcome to the wonderful world of rugby.    

Aye - for sure raindog - but holy mudder did my wee head hurt the next morning and the voice was as hoarse as a badgers bum. But I loved every minute of it.

2 lovely weeks in sun drenched Ireland. Errrrr - actually thats the truth strange as it may seem. But best of all was to be the surprise of having secured 2 tickets for my son and I to watch Ulster (head bowed in reverence) and Gloucester in the opening Heiny match at our beloved Ravenhill in Belfast. Tickets in hand we went into the Fortress (as our visiting supporters have christened it) and got a skin full of Guinness and off to the Terrace to watch battle commence. Good God almighty - we were bounced about like a ping pong ball in a French storm in July Gloucester were superb and we were pure dung. Watch out for Lesley Vainikolo (or the Volcano as he is affectionately known). 6 feet 2 inches, weighing in at 18 stone and runs like the wind, hits like a bull and eats human flesh for supper. Magic. It was great to watch if you had been a visitor but awful as an Ulster supporter. Anyway, the world of rugby is changing, our old friend Warren Gatland is now in Wales, and Ulster will be looking for a new coach ASAP. O'Sullivan - the comical one, is under review and the English boys are bitching about the very man who lifted their spirits high enough to scrap their way through to the World Cup final. God love Ashton. You just gotta love this game [;-)][;-)]

Hiya raindog - no bunk - just on my wee hols in Ireland. Just managing to get a 5 minute session in a cyber cafe. Sad that isnt it.Not the Guinness though - its magic [:D][:D] A plus tard

raindog - there will always be a part of me which holds Dallaglio in high regard but over recent years (post RWC 2003) he has become a very different player. I feel that he hasnt got the whit to realise that he needs to hang up his boots and move on. Just like Martin Johnston did. Dallaglio always was a mouthy so and so. He always did that best on the field but now he has resorted to doing this off field. [quote]Given my opportunity in the USA game, I didn’t do what was required and I can’t point the finger at anyone else for that. You’re accountable for what you do when you’ve got that shirt on your back. Since my first cap 12 years before, I had been dropped once by England. That was the autumn of 2002. It hurt then and it hurt again when it happened in France. But unlike 2002, I could sort of understand why Brian Ashton left me out of the team for the South Africa game. Even though you accept the logic, it is still hard to take and I hold my hands up now and admit that I didn’t react in the right way for the first two or three days. You have to put the team first but initially I was angry and hurt and I didn’t try to hide it. Nor can I have any complaints about Nick Easter taking and holding on to the No 8 jersey. He played well. Nick is an affable bloke, a rugby player in the Dean Richards mould – hard, tough and a good player[/quote] He was dog brutal. Late into the tackles and if it hadnt been for his lineout catching he shouldnt even have made the squad. [quote]So I don’t want anyone to believe I came away from the World Cup embittered[/quote] Too late Dallaglio, I thought this before you even took your first side swipe at Ashton the day after the final. He should just gracefully bow out and be grateful that Ashton gave him the chance to get another world cup medal. He is right, England did very very well to get to the final. Given the mess they arrived into the world cup in, its testimony to the coaching staff and the players. For Dallaglio to start to add whinging rubbish like this into the arena when England needs to be building on this for the 6N's is sad.

raindog wrote [quote]i've had an enormous ammount of respect for Ibanez these last few years but that all went out the window last week when he threw the water bottle at the touch judge. Lucky not to get a red card there imo.[/quote] Its amazing what frustration does to you. Again, its testomony to the officials for having kept the spirit of the game flowing and actually letting that little blooper go. Its not like him to be honest. Whats the odds on Italy then [;-)]

Well - its over for this RWC but it has opened up some debate about its future, the Tri Nations future and the 6 Nations future. More importantly, to me at least, it has brought a lot to the game. The "minnows" gave us die hard entertainment, The Pumas gave us heart, soul and pride rugby and the big boys either got spanked or breathed a sigh of relief. Personally, I believe that the two best teams made it through to the final. I feel that, as finals go it wasnt too bad. Despite the one eyed monster view of the Cueto non try, the refs, tj's and TMO's were particularly good. They usually get an awful hammering from everyone but that cant be done this time out. But possibly of greater importance, it showed rugby in a terrific light and has probably recruited many many folk who would not ordinarily take any notice. Finally, it has opened up the 6 Nations and its anyones. Bring it on (er - that is without Comical Eddie O'Sullivan SVP)

Errr - woops - correction. I wrote that Dickinson is Scottish. He is, of course, Australian. [:$]

       The divot on the white line betrays where Cueto's foot strayed into touch before lifting again - equals the caption below photo number 2   [quote] International referee's chief Paddy O'Brien said there was no doubt Dickinson had made the correct call. "It was an absolutely brilliant decision by the television match official, and there is a great photo of his foot just on the line prior to grounding the ball," said O'Brien. "There is no issue, there is no doubt. People may criticise officials for taking time, but it is better that it is correct." [/quote] This photo clearly shows Cueto's foot on the whitewash before grounding the ball. Then the foot is in the air and then he grounds the ball. The fact of the matter is that his foot on the whitewash takes him out of play. He was out. The fact that the foot then is in the air means nothing. Cueto went out when his foot dragged on the line. You cant go out and then come back in again. Quote from BBC Rugby web site: [quote]Gomarsall fed the ball wide and Cueto dived over in the corner, but the television match official correctly ruled he had just put a foot in touch as Danie Rossouw got across to make the tackle.[/quote] le rouge - you make some good points but I rather suspect that you may have missed one salient point that I made (and this is based on my supposition that your mud slinging and bold patriotism comments refers to me) I clearly stated that my reasoning for saying what I said was [quote]post was not aimed at Quillan because he had a go at Alain Rolland for being Irish, it was because he had the arrogance to accuse him (by implication) of cheating.[/quote] As for mud slinging, well thats your opinion. I felt that on a very public arena such as this Forum, to call into question a highly respected professional (even if he was not the one who had actually made the decision) and to imply that he was in fact cheating or being hard on England and to use his nationality (which is by the way and for point of conformation - born in Ireland of French father) quite improper. My son, aged 13, was the one who actually drew my attention to what was written and he had asked why anyone would want to treat people from Dublin as described below because of a rugby match. [quote]Strange enough I have two couples from Dublin for a arriving tomorrow  for a week's stay, it will be difficult keeping a still tongue with regards to Irish referring.[/quote] To be honest, I fully understand how all English supporters must have felt on Saturday evening. It must have been heart wrenching, but that is life. In rugby you take the hit, take the pain and then share a beer with your opponent afterwards. Even Vickery states [quote]"You get decisions like that in a game. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't," he said. "I'm not going to stand here and blame referees. South Africa deserved their win. "We've had a magical time. Fair play to South Africa. They were the better team and this is their victory. We have to wait for four years so they better enjoy it." [/quote] Finally, fair play to Quillan for his most recent post. Equally I apologise for the words that I used to describe what was written and hopefully the honour that abounds in the wonderful world of rugby will continue unabated.

To moderate: [quote]verb 1 make or become less extreme or intense. 2 review (examination papers or results) to ensure consistency of marking. 3 preside over (a deliberative body or a debate).[/quote] sharkhunter - you will find that throughout this competition I have looked at the separation between the Northern and Southern Hemisphere and the lack of inclusion for the "minnows". My 2nd last post was not aimed at Quillan because he had a go at Alain Rolland for being Irish, it was because he had the arrogance to accuse him (by implication) of cheating. [quote]England lost, Ireland won[/quote] [quote]Strange how the ref was keen to give the Springboks a penalty  for crossing but when it happened twice to England, nothing[/quote] Alain Rolland is a top 3 referee in the world today. He missed several sneaky things from both sides in that match and he let things go so as not to ruin the game. In case you didn’t see it, Matthew Tate’s shove in the back to Montgomery was totally stupid and could have resulted in serious injury. It was, actually, a very cynical act as he knew that Montgomery was already in trouble and that he was they key for the Boks. Yet, despite this, Rolland let it go - vocally - as we could all hear him say to Smit that he was not going to penalise him. That’s the mark of the man. Oh and how many times did England try on the truck and trolley tactic before Rolland pinged them. I got 2 maybe 3 times. Oh, and how many slightly forward passes went from English hands to English hands that were not pinged, probably as many as for the Boks. On the other hand, Quillan rips into the Irish (it could be any nationality) and at the end of the day the man who was best sighted didn’t give the try. It was contentious, it was a very tough call and the issue of the limb on, or over, the line was very very close. Stuart Dickinson (a Scotsman by the way - not Irish) took an awful long time to make his decision. I'll say that again in case Quillan didn’t recall this, Stuart Dickinson (the Scottish TMO) made the decision not to award the try. Rolland must act on his decision. Oh, and by the way, the TJ who was on the line and within feet of it didn’t call it a try either. All that aside, rugby has been the greatest game I have ever had the honour to participate in and follow. It is flawed from time to time and the referees miss things or get a call wrong but to accuse them of cheating, or siding with a team, is crass in the extreme. And again, I'll say it for clarification, this has nothing to do with patriotism or hatred for any nation or xenophobia - its to do with the honour of the game and those who are involved or follow it. But this one just took the biscuit: [quote]Strange enough I have two couples from Dublin for a arriving tomorrow  for a week's stay, it will be difficult keeping a still tongue with regards to Irish referring.[/quote]   Now sharkhunter, you said [quote]Please bear in mind that this is a forum for all to air their views[/quote] and I totally agree with you. Please also bear in mind that these Forums are wide open to all and that youngsters come on and read what we write. We are all charged with a degree of moderation, decorum and adult sense but in that post from our own moderator we got a disgraceful plateful of racial bile. What kind of message does this send out to anyone coming on to this forum - "Oh its okay to say whatever you like about anyone or to anyone even if its wrong, racialist, insulting". This forum is better than this. England were by far the best team from the Northern Hemisphere. They had the balls to pick themselves up after a poor start and go all the way. They had the guts to shrug off the media slagging of them and show their true metal. They had the passion and the pride to drag themselves up and put it up to the Boks, who were worried sick, and nearly did it. They should be very proud of themselves this morning as should every English supporter and as should all right minded rugby fans. Congratulations to England - you deserve all the plaudits that you will now receive. You have a great basis to build upon and you will do damage to the 6 Nations.

PS you fool - but your memory is failing too. There were several pings for crossing/accidental off-side given to both sides. This was a good thread until you spewed all over it. Now go away and moderate an ant race - fool.

Quillan - your title says Moderator - well sir you are an EEGIT - A FOOL. You neither have the ability to arbitrate nor spell you fool. The ref - who clearly was unsighted and went to the TMO for a decision - and Dicko who is not Irish - and with the ability to view at least 4 camera angles decided it was not a try. You are a complete donkey for your post and Living France should remove you from any further posting. You have denegraded the Irish and you have made a total fool of yourself. You embarass English rugby, which should hold its head high tonight, and you clearly have no idea about what you say. English rugby does not need blind fools like you. Bottom line is that Jake White and his men shut down the Wilkinson channel and this cut short any serious chance for England. My wife has just said, that you should take defeat like a man not a blind arrogant fool that you have clearly shown yourself to be. As a rugby fan, I found it hard to see Catt and Robinson lose tonight. They are greats, they gave 110% and we all benefited. What a pity a monkey such as you has to try, and fail, to drag rugby into the football arena. [:@][:@] Aaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Mind you - I'm reminded of the saying about people in glass houses - [:$][:$]

Gardian here's one for you to send back - I got it from an English friend of mine (imagine that [:D]) Knorr have produced a new stock cube to celebrate the Welsh performances during RWC 2007. They have called it .................   The Laughing Stock [:D][:D]

IMHO we saw the best match of the tournament last night. It had the lot. Passion, aggression, tries, grind out, breaks, amazing passing distances, running, tackling heck - it just had the lot. But for me it had one more thing. It had the birth of a whole new rugby. This must now make the IRB waken up to the fact that there is more than 5 or 6 rugby nations to be considered. Bring it on and let them in. As for tonight, maybe it wont be as superb a game to watch as last night but it'll be a hard fought game up front where the Out Halves need to be quick and in total control. Whoever gets this right will win. Either way, I'll be having a lazy start tomorrow morning [:D][B][:D][B]

Morning Gardian - you said [quote]However, how have they performed over the last month or so? (accepting that often they've only been able to be as good as the team around them).[/quote] With regard to O'Driscoll - thats exactly my point. This also makes the performances of the likes of the Puma's that much more special in that they worked together as a single unit full of self belief and brimming full of confidence. IMHO, the Tri-Nations is dead in the water and its only a matter of time. As an Irishman (disgruntled of course [:(]) it will always cause my indigestion to cheer on England but if they win (and they have every possibility of doing so) it would be the nail in the coffin for the Tri big boys - and no bad thing I believe too. Raindog - as an aside, I dont think the comments from tegwini [quote]The word 'arrogant' was used to describe the Springboks, who are in fact quite modest and hardly boastful about their chances this Saturday, unlike many English supporters who seem to accept one-sided media reports written by chauvanistic UK reporters.[/quote] were being directed at you but a general view based on some earlier comments by other posters. Thats my read on it anyway.   Oh and Gardian I think that jacket is class, I'd love one for St Patricks Day [;-)][;-)] maybe Ashton and the lads would save it for me [:D]

raindog wrote: [quote]His only fault, in my mind, is that he can be a bit greedy with the ball - as if he wants all the glory for himself. [/quote] I cant disagree with a word of that. I think, though, that if O'Sullivan had given the captaincy to one of the forwards and left BOD to get on with his normal game this may not have happened. He used to gel brilliantly with Darcy and they were a serious force. Aye they were the days they were [:(][:'(] I'd also agree about the Pumas. I think they were mentally fatigued as well as physically worn out - but still - what a World Cup they had and what a World Cup they gave us. Breath of fresh air.

Hi Gardian - not sure I agree with you on the Pelous side of things. A lot of his work is unseen and he is a true grinder (old style). As for O'Driscoll, still one of the best centres in the game but hamstrung by SLINGER and ROBOT who couldnt give him decent ball on time for his runs. Just take a look at the photo of him screeming at Peter SLINGER. His form is clouded by the dumbnuts around him. Green tinted glasses are still full of the auld black stuff from the weekend. God Bless Arthur Guinness. The Wallabies and All Blacks are as low as I have ever seen them but McCaw couldnt be left out of any team. They'll be back though and sooner than we might think. That said, the Aussies are in complete free fall and it looks like a mighty hill to climb. To be honest, I think that the Pumas have stolen the show (and rightly so). I havent been as excited about a world cup since 1991 when Campo played twice in Dublin and I had tickets for both games.

Quillan there is logic in what you say, but I would argue that you miss a few issues which have some bearing. Firstly, Percy Montgomery is playing behind a very confident, very mobile and productive pack and has had this luxury for the entire pool stages right through. Wilkinson has had to endure an evolving English pack which was running about with its head in dark places for the two pre tournament French matches and the earlier pool matches. Corry, Reagan and friends took an eternity to knit together and stuff some passion and pride up their jerseys. Once this happened the English pack started to work as a single unit. Then Wilkinson got better ball with time and was able to maximise both his deadball and from hand kicking. 8 points not scored you say, yet if it hadnt been for him you wouldnt be where you are today. Even Montgomery has recorded several misses during vital games. Every kicker does. (Unless you are ROBOT O'Gara in which case you miss most of them) Secondly, Wilkinson is tactically a different player than Percy. He has to be. He has 5 individuals behind him who are here there and every flippin where whereas Montgomery literally knows where his backs are at any moment and can distribute passes or kicks to them. Wilkinson hasnt got this luxury. As for [quote]a few tackles[/quote] as you said, I must disagree here also. Wilkinson, despite shoulder and knee problems, tackled hard and well on Saturday evening and he rose in my estimation even more. If I could find an angle to make him Irish I'd have him in the green jersey tomorrow over ROBOT, any day. Ultimately, he controls the game very well, he distributes with sharp precision and he creates play better than the available Out Halfs that you have. Worth every penny he gets - IMHO.