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Ulster Rugby the Season ahead
by Ian Frizzell
Picture the scene. In May 2011 over a four week period, Ulster had just lost to Northampton Saints in the Heineken Cup Quarter Final and had put up a gutsy performance in the RDS in going down to a strong Leinster team in the Magners League semi-final playoff.
Was this a season of overachievement or a sign that this Ulster team had arrived?
Fast forward 12 months and we are in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup on the back of some fantastic performances including an historic home group win against Leicester Tigers and that never to be forgotten semi-final triumph in fortress Thomond.
The result at the home of rugby against Leinster is now confined to the history books and although disappointing it would be very easy to say that last season was an improvement. But was it? Teams are usually judged by their performances in the league over the course of a season and with ten losses and a sixth place finish it was, quite simply, not good enough. The soft underbelly that was a lack of squad depth was cruelly exposed at times and with the Heineken Cup taking precedence towards the end of the season our efforts to get into the playoffs were jettisoned.
Cue the new season. A new head coach is in place with a reputation for being a bit of a hard task master and, perhaps more significantly, an expert at the breakdown. This is one area where we can improve. I suspect that Mark Anscombe will have been set a healthy target in his first season. I would expect that greater league success will be paramount.
David Humphries, as ever, has worked his magic in the recruitment department with some stellar signings, not least the welcome return to a white shirt of Tommy Bowe. Equally significant though may be the return of Roger Wilson and Niall O’Connor, as they should be available for selection throughout the season without the constraints of the IRFU player welfare program which will restrict the appearances of our established Internationals to the Heineken Cup and a handful of league games. How pleasing it is that we have been able to attract some promising young Irish Qualified players to the ranks. This has been a positive response to the restructuring policy announced last season in the IRFU.
I’m sure there are many Ulster supporters, like myself, who look forward to the day when we field a competitive team of only IQ players.
Was this a season of overachievement or a sign that this Ulster team had arrived?
Fast forward 12 months and we are in the quarter-final of the Heineken Cup on the back of some fantastic performances including an historic home group win against Leicester Tigers and that never to be forgotten semi-final triumph in fortress Thomond.
The result at the home of rugby against Leinster is now confined to the history books and although disappointing it would be very easy to say that last season was an improvement. But was it? Teams are usually judged by their performances in the league over the course of a season and with ten losses and a sixth place finish it was, quite simply, not good enough. The soft underbelly that was a lack of squad depth was cruelly exposed at times and with the Heineken Cup taking precedence towards the end of the season our efforts to get into the playoffs were jettisoned.
Cue the new season. A new head coach is in place with a reputation for being a bit of a hard task master and, perhaps more significantly, an expert at the breakdown. This is one area where we can improve. I suspect that Mark Anscombe will have been set a healthy target in his first season. I would expect that greater league success will be paramount.
David Humphries, as ever, has worked his magic in the recruitment department with some stellar signings, not least the welcome return to a white shirt of Tommy Bowe. Equally significant though may be the return of Roger Wilson and Niall O’Connor, as they should be available for selection throughout the season without the constraints of the IRFU player welfare program which will restrict the appearances of our established Internationals to the Heineken Cup and a handful of league games. How pleasing it is that we have been able to attract some promising young Irish Qualified players to the ranks. This has been a positive response to the restructuring policy announced last season in the IRFU.
I’m sure there are many Ulster supporters, like myself, who look forward to the day when we field a competitive team of only IQ players.
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With this recruitment and the emergence of some young talent from the Academy there will be increased competition in nearly every department, with more strength in depth to cope with the loss of the International players in autumn and spring and during periods of absence due to the welfare program.
The coach is on record as saying he will target a win in every game we play this season. We can only do this on the back of a strong and determined squad. The noises coming out of the training camps and the success in the first pre-season friendly against Bayonne in France are encouraging. So what of the players then? Enough has been said about the likes of Afoa, Best, Ferris and Pienaar, who along with Bowe would surely be in most peoples Fantasy Teams. We need the second layer guys to deliver results. Fringe Internationals such as Tuohy, Cave and Henry must continue the upward progression as they will be crucial, along with Muller and Payne, to ensuring we have a successful season. |
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Add experience from Wilson, Diack, Williams, Wallace and O’Connor and we have the core of a side to compete on both league and cup fronts. Time will tell if trusting Paddy Jackson with the 10 shirt is a bold move but having NOC, Pienaar and Wallace as parachutes should limit any potential damage.
I will leave the potential shirt tug of wars at 13 and 14 for others to debate but it can only be healthy to have such competition for a starting place. We have so many young and promising players just ready to make the cross over from Academy to senior ranks. I predict that we will see a lot more of Ali Birch and Luke Marshall this season as well as the exciting lock/flanker Iain Henderson, of whom a great deal is expected.
This year we have avoided a “group of death” in the Heineken Cup. Of course we still have difficult games to play and there will be no room for complacency. However with the players at our disposal for that competition we should surely be looking at a home quarter final.
In the league we play Glasgow, Ospreys and Munster in our first three games. All three of these sides finished in the playoff places last season and the results of these games could potentially shape our season. By the time Castres arrive in October for the first HC match Ulster would hope to be in the top four if not already on pole.
It promises to be a huge season ahead for Ulster on the pitch and I can’t wait for the season to start. As for off the pitch it will be interesting to watch the ground redevelopment as it happens when the Contractors get started in November. Success on both fronts would be phenomenal in the current climate and put a huge smile on the faces of Ulster Rugby fans.
You can follow the Ian on twitter @rava_ian
To discuss this further with our members, please visit the 606v2 forum here
(c) Copyright 606v2 2012. Please do not reproduce without permission
I will leave the potential shirt tug of wars at 13 and 14 for others to debate but it can only be healthy to have such competition for a starting place. We have so many young and promising players just ready to make the cross over from Academy to senior ranks. I predict that we will see a lot more of Ali Birch and Luke Marshall this season as well as the exciting lock/flanker Iain Henderson, of whom a great deal is expected.
This year we have avoided a “group of death” in the Heineken Cup. Of course we still have difficult games to play and there will be no room for complacency. However with the players at our disposal for that competition we should surely be looking at a home quarter final.
In the league we play Glasgow, Ospreys and Munster in our first three games. All three of these sides finished in the playoff places last season and the results of these games could potentially shape our season. By the time Castres arrive in October for the first HC match Ulster would hope to be in the top four if not already on pole.
It promises to be a huge season ahead for Ulster on the pitch and I can’t wait for the season to start. As for off the pitch it will be interesting to watch the ground redevelopment as it happens when the Contractors get started in November. Success on both fronts would be phenomenal in the current climate and put a huge smile on the faces of Ulster Rugby fans.
You can follow the Ian on twitter @rava_ian
To discuss this further with our members, please visit the 606v2 forum here
(c) Copyright 606v2 2012. Please do not reproduce without permission