Mary Hinge wrote:

Gilroy's try was a shocker for us defensively. Total miss by Carty, .

Carty was taken off the ball and another ref could have easily given a penalty for it. The two bad misses on Gilroy were Healy (to high) and Leader (horrendous positioning) if anyone should be having a go at someone it's Leader who has cost us two soft trys in the last few games by slipping/falling over. He's young so he's forgiven but I hope it's being pointed out him at training.

Agree with the rest that we are too predicable. For arguably the best backline in Ireland at the moment we create nothing. Most of our tries are either solo efforts or the forwards mauling over. Hopefully this improves with gametime as the guys play more often.

connachta wrote: Yes, Carty isn't good enough for now, but I asked myself tonight : is he the real problem? And I came to the conclusion the entire backline/backrow is dysfunctioning, relatively to the quaity on the paper

Supportive runs? no
Offloads? so few
inside passes? one or two only yesterday
little chip over the top? players would say What is it?? (I'm unfair, 1 yesterday after 2 minutes)
Decoy Runners? unknown

The most common critism on the other forums about us is that we're so, so predictible.
Scorelines confirm this : 3 last pro 12 games, only 3 tries, 2 maul, 1 individual (Healy counter attack)

That is very true. I think Carty is part of the problem but there are other issues. The Poolman break before half time pretty much summed us up. Should have scored if we recycled quickly but we didn't, then we plodded through a few phases going nowhere, a couple of one up runners who nearly got isolated, lads shipping the ball on to one off runners standing still and it was all too easy for Ulster. This has been a constant issue this season. Eventually they picked off one of our one off runners and got an easy turnover. There just isn't the ferocity, composure or ideas to capitalise on these situations in the team at the moment and it is holding us back.

I'm not going to blame Carty for the try, he was taken out and is usually a willing if underpowered tackler. However, stats can be deceptive, for me his kicking apart from 1 or 2 was awful and along with the others, he delivered a number of aimless hospital passes without looking to his colleagues which had the Ulster defence licking their lips.

The result last night was a decent one for us in the end but like many others games you'd be questioning many elements which will have to improve hugely if we are to avoid another defeat to Munster next Thursday.

Yes, Carty isn't good enough for now, but I asked myself tonight : is he the real problem? And I came to the conclusion the entire backline/backrow is dysfunctioning, relatively to the quaity on the paper

Supportive runs? no
Offloads? so few
inside passes? one or two only yesterday
little chip over the top? players would say What is it?? (I'm unfair, 1 yesterday after 2 minutes)
Decoy Runners? unknown

The most common critism on the other forums about us is that we're so, so predictible.
Scorelines confirm this : 3 last pro 12 games, only 3 tries, 2 maul, 1 individual (Healy counter attack)

Decadence wrote: Carty kicks the ball away at every opportunity.

at the risk of being accused of being the chairman of the 'Jack Carty Defence League'... just to look at Dec's point and compare it to the espn Kick / Pass / Run stats which are not 100% accurate from previous experience but will do as a basis for comparison between Carty and Jackson.

www.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/match/233331.html

FH Carty 14/19/6 - kick % of possession =36%
FH Jackson 14/13/8 - k%p = 40%

I'm going to re-watch the game again today sober so maybe I missed a lot of Carty's mistakes. I'm not trying to knock people's opinions but I do think it's quite telling that observations seem to be made on Jack's performance after games that maybe seem a little harsh.

mary hinge wrote: Gilroy's try was a shocker for us defensively. Total miss by Carty, .

are you saying jack was at fault for their try?

he was taken out off the ball by Olding's "decoy" run which created the gap, we then miss 4 separate tackles none of which were attempted by Carty who was still picking himself off the floor.

ok he only had 2 kicks last night but he nailed both of them and IMO did a lot of things well last night, yes he made the odd mistake but i don't think he was the reason we didn't win the game.

Gilroy's try was a shocker for us defensively. Total miss by Carty, Healy tried to take him too high. Carty had another shocker. We are now being held back by Pat continuing to persist with him. He needs to be given 4/5 games out with a view perhaps to bringing him back later in the season. I'd start Ronaldson against Munster and Nikora against Exeter.
Pack fronted up really well. Muldowney and Dillane both shone. Willie Faloon had his best game for some time and the front row fronted up.

Fourdogs wrote:

connachta wrote: Very very happy be a BP! Valuable for a Ravenhill trip

Good to get the LBP but a game we could have won.

Maybe so but apart from the chance from Poolman's break at the end of the 1st half and the slight bit of pressure in their half after we got it to 13-10 we really didn't have the territory or any sustained period of possession to ask serious questions of Ulster.

Ulster got a soft enough try but I don't really think they felt under any serious pressure that they might lose at any stage.

Looking down the road though, nothing I saw tonight changed my belief that Ulster are a team going nowhere at the moment. Even with their absentees possibly being back I think they are a scalp we can take in the Sportsgrounds in April.

Dillane stepping up is so important with all the 2nd rows we'll miss next season!

Very true. You think that he's only 21 and will put on more muscle as he gets older and he could be a future Irish international.

connachtexile wrote: Good to get a LBP and tbf we didn't deserve to win it. Shocking tackling from our guys on the Gilroy try. Carty had a bad game but what a difference the bench made. Dillance is looking like the read deal also.

Dillane stepping up is so important with all the 2nd rows we'll miss next season!

All things considered its a handy point to have got from Ravenhill. Can't ever remember us getting anything there before. We had a couple of opportunities which we should have made more of just before half time and we were unlucky not to manufacture a penalty at the end. If it was on the other side I think there would have been one given but considering territory, possession and some of the poor turnovers we conceded we hung in there well. Far too many cheap turnovers and the try was a huge disappointment but after letting a point slip against Leinster I think that's one gained.

We move on to Munster now. A win there would be massive but overall we'll need to show a lot more in terms of attack, ball retention and work at the breakdown if we are to have any chance.

I'd like to see Ronaldson given a run in that game. I thought Carty was poor, his kick up the line for the lineout which led to the try was good but that aside he wasn't at the races.

Bealham has shown in this game that he can do a job if called upon. Bar maybe one scrum he held up reasonably well, although Ulster let the ball out of the scrum a bit early on a couple of occasions.

Cardiff's defeat today was welcome and leaves that gap still relatively wide. If Edinburgh and Scarlets get nothing tomorrow I'd be very happy with where we stand heading into the new year.

Good to get a LBP and tbf we didn't deserve to win it. Shocking tackling from our guys on the Gilroy try. Carty had a bad game but what a difference the bench made. Dillance is looking like the read deal also.

connachta wrote: Very very happy be a BP! Valuable for a Ravenhill trip

Good to get the LBP but a game we could have won.

If we'd had one from last week I'd be delighted, but I really wanted that extra point from the draw! We made some really awful errors, in the second half especially, Carty kicks the ball away at every opportunity, fortunate to get the point really.

Very very happy be a BP! Valuable for a Ravenhill trip

Loughney out with a back strain, Buckley starts and JP Cooney is on the bench. Even worse, Quinn Roux is out, meaning a start for Ultan Dillane, Andrew Browne in on the bench.

salmson wrote: Connacht and Ulster attendances are at an all time high. Leinster figures are a tiny bit down but still the highest in the league and one of the highest in Europe. Granted Munster are in a hole, but they've been dealt a terrible hand by circumstance. We're 6 months into a four year deal on the pro12 and so far the product looks good. The supposed worst case scenario - France walk away from European competition in 2018 - would only make the provinces invaluable to the English clubs. I don't buy the doom laden scenarios.

This isnt really the place for this conversation so if someone wants to move it feel free. I think that it is an important conversation to have though and its one thats beinh going on for the last 12 months in wales and scotland. We in ireland have been reluctant to have it as (a) we dominate the competition and (b) to discuss it at any length during that time was almost viewed as disloyal given it was a central part of PRLs arguement about europe.
TP is a sellout today apparently. It is so mainly because the irfu delayed the announcement that irish camp players woulldnt be released. It has left many fans extremely annoyed and i wont be surprised if there are lots of empty spaces today in spite of ticket sales.
Ulster are riding the high of a new stadium. Thats not unusiual (munster got similar when TP opened) but generally doesnt last. There are already spaces appearing this season for a lot of games.
connacht have achieved really creditable growth in the last 4 years on the back of hec qualification and its after getting a boost after reaching a plateau with the home form this seasion. This growth thougn was from an unsustainable low base though. The same applie to Glasgow.
leinster also have lots of empty spaces for many games in spite of having over 1m on thrir doorstep and being the only show in town. Their attendance figures are distorted ( although still healthy) by playing munster in the aviva every season.
i fully expect munster to move 7 games to musgrave when the 10 yr thomond tickets expire. That will leave the 3 european and interpros in thomond plus one other on rotating basis. That imo is how it should be.
Imo the following has to has to happen for the league to survive and grow.
1. Irfu must recognise the importance of the league and treat it with respect. In many ways their attitude towards the league is similar to the attitude they showed connacht for many years and has similar potential consequences.
2.The italians must be removed from the league. They bring nothing to the table in any way and are terrible teams to boot. They are not attractive to the public, sponsors or TV and the extra games they add to the fixture list means the AIs and 6ns has more of an effect on our league than others. We should break the contract now and compensate them accordingly. Lets help them keep their hec spot for their league and perhaps finacially by playing them away in a 4th AI for the foreseeable future (on rotating basis with scots and welsh).
3. Have a straight forward top 6 qualifying for hec from our celtic league. Playoffs to remain for league title. Keep a percentage of tv and sponsorship money for winner, runner up, 3rd and 4th.
4. Appoint completely nuetral teams of officials for all games. By that i mean a team of 5 officials from a union not involed in the fixture. Too often we have dodgey decisions from refs, tmos and touch judges. It wont eliminate bad decisions but it will eleviate the feelings held by many of bias. Even the hint of which cannot be associated with any meaningful competition.

As you say salmson we sre only 6mths into a new 4 year agreement. I fear that in 4 years time we will all be in a much worse position if the changes above or similarly intended change doesnt come sooner.