Ulster Rugby have announced the squad ahead of Saturday’s match against Connacht at the Sportsground. KO 7:30.
After last weekends victory over Edinburgh at Ravenhill Ulster will hope to continue their winning campaign as they travel to Galway.
Ulster’s Head Coach Brian McLaughlin has named a 28 man squad ahead of this weekend’s clash against Connacht in the Magners League on Saturday 25th September.
The kickoff is at 7.30pm, Galway Sportsground.
Forwards: Tom Court, Paddy McAllister, Bryan Young, Chris Henry, Rory Best, BJ Botha, Andi Kyriacou, Tim Barker, Johann Muller, Ryan Caldwell, Willie Faloon, Nigel Brady, Robbie Diack, Stephen Ferris, Pedrie Wannenburg, Dan Tuohy. Backs: Adam D’Arcy, David McIlwaine, Andrew Trimble, Paul Marshall, Ian Porter, Paul Emerick, Jamie Smith, Darren Cave, Ian Whitten, Paddy Wallace, Ian Humphreys, Niall O’Connor.
So there you go, every one that is available has been included. The highlight is the possible return of big Dan Tuohy after his extended rest/injury though it’s more than likely that the big man will be eased back in against Glasgow and Aironi.
There has been talk of experimenting with the side before settling on the Heineken Cup squad for a run out against Glasgow but my feeling is that this game is more important, and more difficult, than the Glasgow game at home next week and it’s here, with the exception of Pienaar, that we’ll see a closer indication of the starting team than we will against Glasgow.
Connacht have had a particularly good start to their season and seem to be playing an abrasive type of rugby with an excellent team spirit, but at the end of the day, if Ulster match the Westies for endeavour, they should win this one and win it reasonably comfortably. I’m looking for Ulster to take them on up front and look to dominate from there, exactly the sort of game they’ll be looking to play against Biarritz.
There are difficult decisions all over the team, and all of the decisions are difficult due to increased competition which is a good sign, so I think the selection has to go on team balance and current form rather that reputations which has been the case in the past. To that end I’d go with the starting XV from last weekend with the only changes being on the bench with Brady in for Best and Wallace in for Humphreys.
The FRU 23 reads as follows:
(1-8) Young, Kyriacou, Court, Muller, Caldwell, Ferris, Henry, Diack. (9-15) Marshall, O’Connor, Emerick, Whitten, Cave, Trimble, Smith. (16-23) Brady, Botha, McAllister, Barker, Wannenburg, Porter, Wallace, McIlwaine.
Though I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wallace start at OH with O’Connor benching. As I said I wouldn’t be surprised, but I’d be disappointed for both of them.
I’m pretty sure Wallace will get some game time at 10 and I’d like to see Wannenburg on for Ferris and not Diack, ideally after a storming sixty minutes from Ulster’s own wrecking ball!
10 Responses to “Paddy or Niall? Squad for Connacht.”
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I expect McGlock to say same again in the backs with the exception of the well leaked Wallace at 10 fiasco resulting in O’C being dropped to bench and Humphreys out of 23.
Smith and Emerick are under most pressure.
In the pack I expect Best to replace Kyriacou not because he deserves his place but because it doesn’t matter how bad he plays McGlock will always pick Best. Caldwell and Barker will be scraping it out in the second row. Barker should be a shoe in but as McGlock taught Caldwell at school he may well be the teachers pet.
Hopefully teacher will have learned his lesson last week and now knows what the rest of us knew sometime ago, Diack in the best No. 8. Ferris and P3 to share 6 and Henry and Faloon fighting it out for 7. I expect Ferris and Henry to start.
It is a week too early for Big Dan whom I expect to be cut.
Despite the Westies optimism I expect a big win for Ulster.
……. “it doesn’t matter how bad he plays, McGlock will always pick Best” …..
Or, to look at it another way, it doesn’t matter how good Kyriacou plays ….. after what we all witnessed last week it seems that performance counts for nothing.
Yeah guys – i detect a lot of interference from the men in D4 in the team selections in that the rumours/fact that they want Paddy to play 10 … why???? as he is a 12, and obviously Best to get game time at whatever cost regardless of whether he is playing well or not. We all have seen that both NB & AK performances in the past couple of weeks have outshone the Ireland hookers performances by far and therefore Rory should be the third choice at the minute…
I must give Caldwell praise for a penalty free performance last week, I hope it can continue, but would like to see Barker & Muller up against the westies as their pack has been pretty good and abrasive in their 3 games to date.
I am not to sure what match you guys were watching but the scrum improved immensely when Best came on .
To take on the westies
I expect
Botha Best Court Muller Barker Wannenberg Ferris Henry
Marshall O Connor Emerick Wallace Cave Trimble Smith
Bench Brady Young McAllister Touhy Diack Porter Humphreys D’Arcy
I expect the forwards on the Bench to get game time between 50-55 mins and Porter at 65 -70
Cardwell has had is game and Barker has none nothing to be justify Benching – Touhy will need some time on the field to become match harden before a starting place and therefore I expect him to on the bench and to play sometime in the second half.
While I personally prefer Whitten’s defensive game Beemac will possibly want flair at inside centre and playing Wallace at Centre provides an alternative kicker if O’Connor gets the first couple wrong
RR your posts have the content of one with an agenda forget the Agenda forget prejudice and apply logic
My intuition is that because the game is away Ulster will be hoping to play the game in the Connaught Half and attack when inside the 22 therefore a tight forward game could be on the cards thus what I believe is Ulsters best backrow to play that game. ie 3 potential ball carriers
Mistic Mote ……………… and what agenda would that be?
The scrum improved slightly when BJ came on. Generally it is the props not the hooker who establishes stability in the scrum . The lineout went to shit when Best came on.
We will see who is prejudiced and applying logic when the team and replacements are announced whereupon I expect an apology.
Though it pains me, I tend to agree with RR regarding Roary the Racing Car. He’s struggling for form, particularly at the line-out. I would keep George Michael at hooker. Also, I have given instruction that Paddy Wallace is to be taken out with a head shot should he ever again appear at 10. He’s a 12 and that’s that. By the way, did I mention that Ryan Caldwell played a blinder against Edinburgh?
It is a reported that the Irish props agree that Best is the scrummager because he binds his props — as a former prop a good hooker and second row can improve any prop
I’ll get in here before the Raven has a Rant but I don’t think we were talking about scrums but rather the lineouts with Rory’s arrows being a bit wayward compared to Andi K’s.
The problems I had with the scrums were Wannenburg was not as effective off the back as Diack had been.
JK well said. (I never thought I would say those words)
Admin we were talking about scrums my point was that it was the change of prop ie BJ Botha being brought on that attributed to the slight improvement and not as Mote has stated, the hooker, Best. I would have expected the same improvement had Kyriacou hooked with Botha.
I am surprised that Mote as an alleged former prop thinks so little of the props influence at scrum time.
If memory serves we lost some lineouts before Best came on –admittedly due to some none to subtle barging
secondly no account is being made for the fact that jumpers may have been a bit tired by the time Rory came on
My chief concern would be that Rory actually did not appear fit and seemed to spend time out on the wings running in to join the set piece ( note I used the word appeared ) which maybe done to the fact he has actually had very few starts to date ( 40 mins leeds 60 mins Ospreys 20 mins Edinburgh)
And you guys are riding his back
And while I do not deem the importancy of the lineout nobody opts for a lineout if given a free kick Penalty yes free kick no
The one thing everybody moaned about in the pre-season was the Ulster scrum during the last 20 mins when both Botha and Best were on the scrum was really performing
pick Lineout or scrum
For my money it is far to easy to blame the throw — there is a lot more things come in play in the line than a scrum
The opposition may not challenge
The opposition may take out the jumper
The lift maybe mistimed
The call maybe misheard
The line may not be straight
The ref decides to call a crooked throw ( sometimes they do many times they don’t due the opposition failing to challenge or player watching instead of throw watching )
Similiarly due to the fact that Rory has a reputation of a crooked throw refs are more inclined to look for it which puts pressure on the thrower
Ie you maybe right but personally for the reasons above I consider you are far to quick to condemn