Treviso players celebrate their first win over Ulster. Picture by rugbypicture.co.uk
It may not be the worst performance from Ulster over the last few years, but it can’t be that far off. The only thing stopping me from classifying it as the worst is out of respect to a gutsy Treviso side who at least made a bit of an effort in their composed, but limited, approach to the game.
Unfortunately, for the spectator, Ulster didn’t provide much of an opposition, so it’s hard to gauge how useful this Treviso side is, but, judging from the period where Ulster actually bothered to play a little rugby, the Italians will probably finish in the bottom four this season as few teams will roll over as easily as Ulster did last night. Whether Ulster will be down there with them is still in the balance.
Why Ulster have capitulated so easily the last three games is a frustrating mystery. You can point to glaring technical deficiencies in the front row, which is fair enough as there have been two shockingly poor performances in the last three games, but you could overlook that if there was a bit of compensatory effort elsewhere. Jeez we’ve all played in teams were someone has had an off day in their particular speciality, I myself was particularly poor with the darts, but you usually found some way to make a positive contribution even if you where having a mare elsewhere.
Too many of the Ulster forwards are playing by numbers, they are in the right places at the right time and seem to think this is enough to pick up their pay cheque. They then appear surprised when a little extra effort from the opponents kills the move or steals the ball as the Ulster boys stand around pointing their fingers and blaming someone else for some imagined misdeed. Maybe it’s a consequences of their commercial responsibilities where they are encouraged to whitter and Bakebook every free sausage, spa and high energy drink they get from their sponsors but maybe it would be better if they spent more time thinking of their collective responsibilities to their team mates and to the dwindling number of supporters who actually pay their wages.
While they seem able to communicate effectively on the blogisphere which is all good fun when you are winning, unfortunately all too often these days, it’s telling us how “gutted” they are after another poor display, and they seem to have lost the ability to communicate with each other and the officials on the pitch. Maybe they should take their phones on! ROFLMAO!
If you missed the game, you were lucky, but I can probably summarise in a few paragraphs.
Ulster started nervously and Treviso went ahead in the seventh minute from a penalty by playmaker Kris Burton and grew in confidence throughout the first quarter as Ulster showed poor basic skills in the tight and the loose. As a boring first half dwindled to a close a series of farcical scrums on the Ulster line saw Fitzpatrick yellow carded for failing to bind on several occasions. The strange decision to send on hooker Brady for Fitzpatrick should have seen the bemused Brady carded at the next reset for making no attempt to bind whatsoever but the ref turned a blind eye having as much sympathy as everyone else for the situation the hooker had been placed in. He couldn’t overlook the next reset though and awarded a penalty try, well it could have been for two or three reasons. Treviso lead 0 – 10 at the break, and it should have been more.
Ulster showed little desire or application after the restart and the visitors went further ahead with another Burton penalty and minutes later the outhalf put the game beyond doubt with a interception try, sprinting home from forty yards out, which he converted himself to give Treviso a twenty point lead.
Ulster eventually woke from their slumbers with Gilroy and Jackson (on for Whitten) injecting some pace into the attack and Ulster showed how easy this game can be cutting effortlessly through the Treviso defence with quick ball and a bit of application at the rucks sending Wannenburg over under the posts. Minutes later there was a fleeting possibility of an Ulster comeback when the big back row went over again from a miss throw at a lineout. Humphreys missed from out wide and with the miss Ulster appeared to just give up again.
Burton capped a fine personal performance with an injury time penalty to take the final score to Ulster 12 Treviso 23.
Ulster (15-9): Jared Payne; Craig Gilroy, Darren Cave, Nevin Spence, Ian Whitten; Ian Humphreys, Paul Marshall; (1-8): Declan Fitzpatrick, Andi Kyriacou, Jerry Cronin, Tim Barker, Dan Tuohy, Pedrie Wannenburg, Mike McComish, Chris Henry (c); Replacements (16-23): Nigel Brady, Kyle McCall, Adam Macklin, Lewis Stevenson, Robbie Diack, Ian Porter, Patrick Jackson, Adam D’Arcy
To make matters worse Payne now appears to be out for the season after snapping his left achilles tendon during the game.
Thanks to Henry for the videos.
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2 Responses to “PRO12: Ulster 12 Treviso 23”
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John, at least you were watching from the slippery confines of Mozambique Sadie’s thighs (allegedly) rather than having to suffer this one ‘live’. I lasted until half-time and then made some flimsy, muttered excuse to Dergman that I had to retreat 200 yards down the road to attend to a “domestic emergency”. This was a lie of course. Ulster were woeful. Utterly woeful. At least McLaughlin used the word “unacceptable” four times in his post-match summary – for that is exactly what it was.
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I’m afraid those slippery thighs have long remained closed Johnny!
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