Very true. And the only thing that gets hurt is feelings. What do you think of the ROG at 10 and Keatly at 12 axis? It imo hasn't been a success at Ireland when they tried it, putting Sexton at 12 and I can't see it working for Munster.

i have to admit that at first glance it looked a poor ulster team but when you looked closelt it wasnt bad at all. with the exception of noc all the rest are good players.

the nutters will always have their say. its mostly good old fashioned banter between the wums from the other provinces and the local headers. rugbys version of hooliganism i guess.

why Rog had to be brought on at 50 min is beyond me.imo he shouldnt even have been on the bench.

Apparently its the new thing down south that there going to use ROG at 10 and Keatley at 12. They've being mooting this all week and talking it up in training. This way ROG is kept happy while Keatly gets gametime. Don't think it helps anyone really (especially Downey and Hanrahan) but there you go.

Did anyone see the MF site? there were guys on it calling for a boycott cause Ulster didn't bring there first team! I hope there bitter divorce with reality comes to a amiable resolution soon.

P.S. That's not a slight at Munster fans just pointing out how a small minority on that site have left the reservation.

I didn't see the whole match but I did see a point where they went to the analysis box to hear about how Munster might be playing a new Penney style of rugby but its only when they go back to basics that they start to look dangerous. I'm really sick of this nonsense from almost all elements of the media, no matter who the team is made up of or coached by there will always be a place for simple moves with forwards carrying and breaking through defenses.

Imo based on the way this has continued to be pushed as rugby gospel, there is more than a little 'go home yank/kiwi' undertone to it. I think an awful lot of people in positions with a voice want things to stay the same and won't ever be happy until a Munster man (ie Foley) assumes the kidney mantle. Unfortunately this is not in Munster's best interests and may well damage the province long term. I'm not sure McGahan was ever given a chance and its only now that he's gone that he's started to get credit for the work he did which Penney is building on.

Too many people in the media have the provinces divided into simple categories; grit and muck - Munster, pretty rugby - Leinster, black hole of information - Ulster, and plucky underdogs - Connacht. The sooner they wake up to the fact that these stereotypes are meaningless the better.

/rant

rossie wrote: a wins a win but dissapointed with the performance. took too long to stert playing and they made changes and ultimately switched off again far too early.
why Rog had to be brought on at 50 min is beyond me.imo he shouldnt even have been on the bench. JJ should have and he could have gone to 12 to give downey a rest at 50. a chance lost and affected munsters rythym at a time they were going very well imo.

on the positives i thought Archer did well when introduced even in scrumand against court for some of it too.

I'd agree. Hit and miss performance by Munster. No real need for ROG on the bench when it was well flagged that Ulster would be weakened. Then again he'd probably have thrown a hissy fit if he wasn't there!! :whistle:

Pity Ulster selected NOC at 10. If they'd give even Olding a shot at 10, we might have had a match.

a wins a win but dissapointed with the performance. took too long to stert playing and they made changes and ultimately switched off again far too early.
why Rog had to be brought on at 50 min is beyond me.imo he shouldnt even have been on the bench. JJ should have and he could have gone to 12 to give downey a rest at 50. a chance lost and affected munsters rythym at a time they were going very well imo.

on the positives i thought Archer did well when introduced even in scrumand against court for some of it too.

ulster cant play final in ravenhill atm as venue requires capacity of 18k plus to host final. i read somewhere that there were capacity minimums for semis as well but i cant find reference to them on the pro12 site.

Should be a comfortable Munster win and with Cardiff at home the following week they should have a good run of results heading into the final 2 HC games.

This game again highlights the nonsense of player management. Two of the top teams in the league should be let go hammer and tongs against one another with players from both sides wanting to strengthen their international claims, give greater credibility to the league and get both sides primed for european battles ahead. Munster v Ulster A and an awful Cardiff side is going to get them points on the board but won't help development wise.

Ulster are in a position where they can let a couple of these away matches slip by them. If they can beat Scarlets at home next week they'll still be very well primed to take top spot and with it a home semi-final and (potential) final.

forecast very bad for tomorrow nite in limk apparantly. wind , sleet and cold rain expected which will tighten up the game considerably. still expect the win but bp mite be difficult if conditions materialise.

ulster did this last year aswell for xmas game in rds. they prioritise the home game which is fair enough.

They have put the pressure onto Munster for this one, no harm/shame in the winning streak finishing in Thomond Park in December and allows Ulster to continue on without what could become a millstone for the team.

Very good point. Will also be good to see Cochrane in action if he's supposed to be heading to Connacht at the end of the season.

Its a pretty new/weak team and the front row in particular seems underpowered. They have put the pressure onto Munster for this one, no harm/shame in the winning streak finishing in Thomond Park in December and allows Ulster to continue on without what could become a millstone for the team. Meanwhile if Munster cannot win this game well then it will be hard to see them making the top 4 at the end of the season.

Did anyone see the Ulster team picked for the Munster game. It's pretty weak compared to what they've put out before I think Munster have a good chance of ending Ulster's Rabo streak.

While id like to see Hagen arrive in thomond it wont be as a replacement of Botha. I think a situation where Ross and Bent share leinster, BJ and Hagen munster, Afoa and Fitzpatrick ulster and White/loughs connacht would have the current 5 best THs in ireland getting regular game time while keeping the provinces as competitive as possible is the best scenario for irish rugby at this time.

Sounds like the best ideal alright. Plus if Hagen moved it would give the likes of the one of Leinster's young turks such as Moore more gametime to develop.

connachtexile wrote: Did anyone see the article in the Indo that Botha is basiclly gone next year? Add this to the rumours I've heard about Hagan and Munster and I can see him heading there. To be frank as much as I'd like Jamie to come back to Connacht it could be the better move with Botha gone as Munster have no one left but Archer who can't scrummage. Would be good for Ireland as well having him getting gametime to keep Ross honest and push Bent for the number 2 spot.

Im still holding out hope that they will give him the 2 yr contract that he wants. Hes here since 2008 and his kids are in school here. in addition he does a lot of coaching with the development, acadamy and even schools/sub acadamy props so he is adding value to munster and irish scrummaging.

There has also been a precident set by irfu in that they granted Nacewa the 2 yrs extention when he was outside the age profile. hes also here since 08 and contributing off the field. he has kids in school here and his extension was reportedly granted because taking everything into account he added value and it was the decent thing to do for his family. I think Munster will be looking for a similar exception to be made.
While id like to see Hagen arrive in thomond it wont be as a replacement of Botha. I think a situation where Ross and Bent share leinster, BJ and Hagen munster, Afoa and Fitzpatrick ulster and White/loughs connacht would have the current 5 best THs in ireland getting regular game time while keeping the provinces as competitive as possible is the best scenario for irish rugby at this time.

Did anyone see the article in the Indo that Botha is basiclly gone next year? Add this to the rumours I've heard about Hagan and Munster and I can see him heading there. To be frank as much as I'd like Jamie to come back to Connacht it could be the better move with Botha gone as Munster have no one left but Archer who can't scrummage. Would be good for Ireland as well having him getting gametime to keep Ross honest and push Bent for the number 2 spot.

For the first time yesterday, Zebo convinced me that he is the real deal at this level. ROGs tactical kicking was good and kept Munster in it but defensively he's far too much of a liability at this stage. I dread to think of him starting a 6 nations game against any of the big 3. They'd run down his channel all day. Sherry and O'Mahony advanced their claims also.

In fairness to Munster they are missing a few players. Kilcoyne was a loss. Marcus Horan coming off the bench in a tight HC game is a disaster.

Thought Munster battled hard but Saracens were well organised defensively. Both sides probably should make the quarter final. Don't think either side will go past the quarter final in any case but its important for both sides to get that far anyway.