LUCK OF THE IRISH

My my that was some weekend of rugby! After Ulster scared us half to death on Friday night, their wingers treated us to a try-fest in Dublin a day later as Ireland thrashed Argentina.

In fact, the comparison between the two matches couldn’t have been any different – Friday night had us hiding behind our sofas for the second week running, while Saturday’s game had us jumping up and down on them in delight.

Well, maybe that was just me…

Ulster’s Italian ‘Rob’

Despite playing some of their worst rugby this year, Ulster have managed to leave Italy 8 points better off. Somehow.

And both of the Italian sides will have sat down after the game and said to themselves, “How on earth have we lost that?” Last weekend Ulster required a dubious penalty try to snatch victory away from Zebre, and this weekend it was close to a miracle that saw them sneak past Treviso. Both sides will feel like they were robbed.

But there’s a whole other side to the story – we won. That’s now nine out of nine in the league, eleven out of eleven in all competitions and fourteen games unbeaten this season. Even if the performances aren’t brilliant, the results are, and that’s the thing that matters most.

However, similar to last weekend, beyond the win, there isn’t much else to cheer about. Ulster’s overall performance was very poor – it was sloppy, it was lethargic and it was thoroughly lacking in all departments. Unlike last week, there are no excuses this time – all you can say is that Ulster were poor.

As my title says – they got the luck of the Irish. That luck came in the form of the opposition – Treviso were, to coin a common phrase, the masters of their own downfall. Alberto di Bernardo’s kicking display let Ulster off the hook right at the very end of the game and their butchered opportunities only made matters worse. On any other night the result may have gone another way.

But most Ulster fans would claim that the result was justified with the TMO disallowing two Nick Williams drives – one of which appeared to be a clear-cut try. Although the overall performance was not up to the usual high standards that Mark Anscombe has set this season so far, if one of those tries had been given it would have been an easier ride.

I would go into more detail, but I actually missed the game, so I can only give a general view from what I saw in the highlights!

So Ulster now head to the Welsh shores for the fourth time this season to take on the Scarlets, hoping to make it four wins out of four in the land of the daffodil. Llanelli hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for Ulster over the last few seasons though and Anscombe will have to make sure his team are running smoothly again, or it could be a hard Sunday evening…

On a wing and a prayer

For the second week in a row, Craig Gilroy, take a bow.

Only ten minutes into his international debut, Jonny Sexton gave the young winger an inside pass, and from there it was a formality for him, ghosting between two Argentine defenders and then beating three more before crashing over for Ireland’s first of seven tries. It set up a brilliant performance for the Ulsterman (and Ireland) – and he will have played himself into contention for a 6 Nations starting place.

But, not to be outdone by his provincial team mate, Tommy Bowe stole the show with two tries of his own, firstly using his blistering pace to latch onto a Sexton grubber kick and then capitalising on a defensive error by the Argentinean defence to dot down for his second, proving why he is such a lethal player to have in any team.

And it wasn’t just Ulster players who impressed in the green shirt. Jonathan Sexton again had a magnificent game at fly-half, notching up two tries, while Richardt Strauss and Donnacha Ryan had big games in the pack, dominating the breakdown and bullying the Argentina forwards. It was a brilliant overall performance by Ireland.

Now it’s down to Declan Kidney to realise that this is the way to go for Ireland. It may be a high-risk strategy that he adopted for the game, but it is clear to see that it worked. Even though Ireland shipped 24 points, they ran in seven tries and 46 points in reply. If this is the policy that Ireland go with during the 6 Nations then they stand a real chance of winning.

And no, I’m not joking.

My predicted Ireland 6 Nations team:

15. Rob Kearney (Leinster), 14. Tommy Bowe (Ulster), 13. Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster), 12. Keith Earls (Munster), 11. Craig Gilroy (Ulster), 10. Jonny Sexton (Leinster), 9. Conor Murray (Munster); 1. Cian Healy (Leinster), 2. Rory Best (Ulster), 3. Mike Ross (Leinster), 4. Donnacha Ryan (Munster), 5. Paul O’Connell (Munster), 6. Stephen Ferris (Ulster), 7. Sean O’Brien (Leinster), 8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster).

16. Richardt Strauss (Leinster), 17. David Kilcoyne (Munster), 18. Michael Bent (Leinster), 19. Mike McCarthy (Connacht), 20. Chris Henry (Ulster), 21. Eoin Reddan (Leinster), 22. Paddy Jackson (Ulster), 23. Simon Zebo (Munster).

In squad: Sean Cronin, Tom Court, Declan Fitzpatrick, Donncha O’Callaghan, Dan Tuohy, Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson, Paul Marshall, Ronan O’Gara, Andrew Trimble, Fergus McFadden, Luke Marshall, Darren Cave

ULSTER'S ITALIAN JOB - PART 2

Ulster have never lost in Italy. They were minutes away from that record being broken last Sunday, and last season at the Stadio di Monigo it was almost a similar story, but for a last minute try.

And the Monigo is where Ulster find themselves once again in another crucial PRO12 match. In fact, all of Ulster’s matches these days are turning into crucial matches – because the unbeaten run is still intact. With every match won, the stakes get higher and higher.

Anybody fancy a trip to Milan?

United colours of Benetton Treviso

Speaking about the unbeaten run, if it continues this weekend, and results go our way, we could head to Llanelli next Sunday with a 10 point lead in the PRO12. That is a very attractive prospect.

But let’s not think about that. There’s 80 minutes of rugby to go first and it’s not a guaranteed win, by any stretch of the imagination. Treviso always provide stiff opposition and are the PRO12 ‘bogey’ team – the side you expect to beat, but then come unstuck against. They are one of the more annoying teams in the league. Of course, that’s just my opinion. But after last weekend’s difficulties, you would think Ulster would be dreading another Italian encounter.

Or actually, it could be a blessing in disguise. Ulster have an extra week of training, preparation and (most importantly) match experience under their belts due to the rearranged Zebre match. They didn’t return to Northern Ireland during the week. And even though Ulster are missing a lot of their first team players, their opponents are as well – 16 of their team are also away for the Autumn Internationals with Italy.

You would like to believe that this stat then means it will be an easy match for Ulster. Not a chance. Treviso boast a strong pack, bolstered from the back by the experienced duo of lock Valerio Bernabo and second row Cornelius van Zyl. Along the back line they boast ex-Italian international Fabio Semenzato at scrum-half and also Japanese international Christian Loamanu at centre. This is a side that will take some beating.

But there is one thing that Ulster have that Treviso don’t – Mark Anscombe. After the Zebre performance, Anscombe admitted his side weren’t as good as they could be and that they “got out of jail”, both of which are true.

What he communicated to his players this week will probably have been very different.

Back in New Zealand, Anscombe was known as the coach who told it as it was – if you played badly, he let you know about it. This will work in Ulster’s favour. Since Anscombe arrived he has adopted a strict policy of play-by-form – if you’re not playing well, you’re out of the team. Undoubtedly, this will have been mentioned to the players this week, and not only are they now playing for the win, they are playing for their positions. A bit of healthy competition won’t do anybody any harm.

Still undefeated, Ulster will head to Treviso looking to keep it that way. They may not be as high on confidence as they have been in previous weeks, but that shouldn’t matter – as I have said, Anscombe will have sorted that out.

I’m not feeling completely confident this week but I’m still going for Ulster. Like last weekend there should be only one score in it and the game will go all the way to the wire – and actually I’m going to predict the same score as last week. C’mon Ulster! Prediction: Ulster by 6.

TREVISO: 15. Brendan Williams, 14. Giulio Toniolatti, 13. Christian Loamanu, 12. Andy Vilk, 11. Ludovico Nitoglia, 10. Alberto di Bernardo, 9. Fabio Semenzato; 1. Matteo Muccignat, 2. Franco Sbaraglini, 3. Jacobus Roux, 4. Marco Fuser, 5. Cornelius van Zyl (c), 6. Valerio Bernabo, 7. Paul Derbyshire, 8. Marco Filippucci.

16. Enrico Ceccato, 17. Giovanni Maistri, 18. Ignacio Fernandez-Rouyet, 19. Filippo Giusti, 20. Andrea Pratichetti, 21. Angelo Esposito, 22. James Ambrosini, 23. Luca Morisi.

ULSTER: 15. Peter Nelson, 14. Andrew Trimble, 13. Jared Payne, 12. Paddy Wallace, 11. Mike Allen, 10. Niall O’Connor, 9. Paul Marshall; 1. Tom Court, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Declan Fitzpatrick, 4. Robbie Diack, 5. Neil McComb, 6. Nick Williams, 7. Mike McComish, 8. Roger Wilson (c).

16. Nigel Brady, 17. Callum Black, 18. John Afoa, 19. James Simpson, 20. Ali Birch, 21. Michael Heaney, 22. Stuart Olding, 23. Chris Cochrane.

Referee: Peter Allan (SRU, 49^th competition game)

Touch judges: Andrea Spadoni, Stefano Traversi (both FIR)
Citing commissioner: Alberto Recaldini (FIR)
TMO: Stefano Marama (FIR)

Argy bargy at the Aviva

For the first time in my life I am going to praise Declan Kidney on his selection policies. Because he has finally realised the quality of Craig Gilroy and has awarded him with his first full Ireland cap by starting him on Saturday. It’s nothing more than the youngster deserves. His brilliant play for Ulster this season means he is there by merit and, coupled with the signing of a new long-term contract yesterday, this is turning out to be a very good week for the 21-year-old.

The match itself is very interesting in terms of World Ranking points. If Ireland win, they are more or less guaranteed to be in Band Two for the 2015 World Cup draw, giving them a (supposedly) easier group to face. If they lose, then their fate is in other teams’ hands, mainly Wales and Scotland.

If the Irish play to their full potential then it should be a home win. But anything below perfect and the Argentinian machine will punish them. Wales felt the full force of their raw power two weeks ago and Ireland don’t want to be their second victims. Time for the boys in green to show the rugby world exactly what they’re made of.

Will they? I think so. Prediction – Ireland by 8.

Around the grounds

Just very quickly this week since I’ve taken up its usual space with the Ireland section:

Dragons v Connacht – Home win

Edinburgh v Ospreys – Away win (TBP)
Glasgow v Leinster – Away win
Zebre v Blues – Home win
Munster v Scarlets – Home win

ULSTER'S ITALIAN JOB

Imagine the headlines yesterday morning if we had crashed to our first defeat of the season at Zebre. Classic top vs. bottom game and it was nearly the shock result of the season (so far).

What went wrong? A lot actually. And it all began before Ulster had even got to Italy…

Part one complete – just

I’m unsure how it happened, but Ulster managed to arrive in Parma after a 14 hour bus journey. Yep, you read that right – 14 HOURS. Presumably it was a mix-up in travel arrangements, but certainly having such a long commute didn’t help Ulster’s preparations.

But to the match, and we have our scrum to thank – big time. That crushing drive at the end forced Neil Paterson to go under the posts for the penalty try, and for the majority of the match we pulverised them up front. Praise also goes to Niall O’Connor for his (almost) flawless kicking display which kept us in contention for the whole match.

Beyond that, however, there was not much to cheer about.

I’ll begin with the restarts. Tito Tebaldi scored one of the easiest tries of his career after, on their own restart, Zebre winger Alessandro Castagnoli caught the ball and off-loaded to the quick scrum-half who sauntered over for Zebre’s first try – their first of four. No Ulster player touched the ball from that kick-off. In fact, they didn’t even touch one of the Zebre players. There’s great defence for you.

It’s something that has plagued Ulster for years. In many games over the past five or six seasons, the restarts have been seen as an issue. With the addition of Johann Muller and Dan Tuohy we had added a degree of safety to them – but when they were missing, it was very apparent. Even at the lineout where we are usually quite dominant, there were several that went awry. In the short term, you can put that down to our second row shortage. But in the long term…

It was a severely weakened team, yes. Out of the 15 that started, you would say only four would start in Ulster’s strongest team (Payne, Wallace, Afoa and Wilson). But as I have probably said before in another article, this should be no excuse. To win the league, you need strength in depth. Ulster aren’t far away from that, but Sunday highlighted the fact there is still a long way to go.

Speaking of defence, Ulster didn’t do too well in that respect either. Conceding four tries to the bottom side is never good – and it’s even worse when that bottom side had only scored six tries in seven games coming into the weekend. Not only that, but we’ve tripled their points tally for the season in one game. There will be a lot for Mark Anscombe to go away and look at ahead of part two of Ulster’s Italian ‘mini-tour’.

There is one positive to take – we got the win. Despite being weakened, despite playing poorly and despite having our backs up against the wall for the vast majority of the game, we still managed to snatch the victory from the jaws of defeat. It is becoming a key feature of this team – even when not at their best, they can still grind out the wins (which explains why we are still unbeaten). That could prove crucial in May.

I would like to congratulate Zebre on their play and commiserate with them on the result – they played well for the entire match and have some very good players in there as well. If they play like this on a regular basis, then there is no way they will end the season without a win. They just have to persevere and it will come eventually.

The second part of the mini-tour takes place 2 ½ hours down the road in Treviso. After the disgrace that was Ireland ‘XV’ vs. Fiji, Ulster should have a lot of their international contingent back, and boy do they need it. Whoever they get back will more than likely be drafted straight back into the team – not only because they are better, but because it will also serve as a kick up the rear for those that did play on Sunday.

The ‘get-out-of-jail’ card has just been played. Next time, there will be no excuses.

Flying Fijians confounded by flying Ulsterman

Craig Gilroy, take a bow. When the young man was given his chance, he most certainly took it. Three tries, a man of the match performance, and not a single step out of place. There is no doubt that Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble will have to look over their shoulders now – this lad wants his starting position back.

He wasn’t the only one who impressed. Paddy Jackson was instrumental in the victory – his passing was pinpoint accurate, his kicking was on the money and he looked like he’d been playing international rugby for years.

Outside him, Luke Marshall and Darren Cave formed a special centre partnership at 12 and 13. It was a sight to behold – four young Ulstermen carving up an international backline with ease. Were we possibly watching the future Ulster backline in motion? Two of them already start on a regular basis, and the other two are on the verge of breaking into that first team.

So how many of those Ulstermen will get into the 23 for Saturday’s game vs. Argentina? Jackson has certainly shown he can mix it with the big guys and has given himself a great chance of displacing Ronan O’Gara on the Irish bench. Craig Gilroy has also played himself into contention, but may miss out – Declan Kidney seems to prefer Fergus McFadden. Luke Marshall and Darren Cave played superbly but will probably also miss out. Ireland’s loss, Ulster’s gain.

The only downside to last Saturday’s game? No caps. Please IRFU, get it sorted.

CHANGING FOCUS

Forget the internationals – there’s Ulster action this weekend! Parma is the location for the Ulstermen this weekend in the re-arranged game from Round Four, and Zebre are the opposition.

The term ‘underdogs’ isn’t a particularly nice one and in my opinion it shouldn’t be used very often. But if it was being used anywhere, here would be the best place to use it, because this weekend, it’s top v bottom, and the game should be in no doubt. But the players available to each team may make it a bit closer than we would presume.

To use another saying, it’s the ‘David v Goliath’ match. Let battle commence…

Stars and stripes

Not the best comparison, but it’s not far away, as the stars of Ulster take on the stripes of the Zebras.

By no means am I saying Zebre haven’t any stars though. But most of theirs have been taken by the Italian national side or injury. Fly-half Daniel Halangahu has made a great start at his new side, although that’s playing at centre and wing. Tomorrow, he’s playing at fly-half, his usual position, and is expected to flourish. Add in Tito Tebaldi, an ex-Italy international and Dries van Schalkwyk their South African back rower, you do have quite a few brilliant players.

And as Ulster have learned from the past two seasons, Italy isn’t an easy place to go and win in the league. Both seasons they required intercept tries from Robbie Diack to see off Aironi, and last season they needed a last minute Ian Whitten try to beat Treviso.

But if there’s one thing this current Ulster side can do, it’s win. And this year that includes away games. If they want to really consolidate their position at the top of the PRO12 table, tomorrow’s game (and Friday’s probably) is a must-win. And two bonus points aren’t out of reach either.

They need to meet the Italians head on in the scrum and then go one step further and beat them there. Nick Williams will be crucial in this area, on his return to Italy, and his brute strength should be what puts Ulster’s forwards at a slight advantage. Ulster’s front row bench is a lot stronger than the hosts’ as well boasting two Irish internationals in Tom Court and Declan Fitzpatrick, two players that can turn a scrum on its head.

The half-back battle will also be something to watch. Since returning from Connacht, Niall O’Connor hasn’t had many chances to impress so he will be eager to show what he can do once more. The same goes for Michael Heaney who will be trying to secure a long-term contract with his performances. The Ulster duo will go up against the aforementioned Tebaldi and Halangahu – two experienced players. It will be a big test.

And finally, before the prediction, I would like to express my delight at seeing the return of Michael Allen at wing. After suffering his unfortunate injury against Cardiff it’s good to see him back on the teamsheet once again – he has a great future ahead of him.

Predicting Ulster matches is getting harder and harder each week. With the teams that both sides have available it will be a very close game and I think it will be a one score game. Hopefully it will go Ulster’s way. Prediction – Ulster by 6.

Stadio XXV Aprile, Sunday 18^th November, 2:00pm GMT

ZEBRE: 15. David Odiete, 14. Leonardo Sarto, 13. Matteo Pratichetti, 12. Samuele Pace, 11. Alessandro Castagnoli, 10. Daniel Halangahu, 9. Tito Tebaldi; 1. Matias Aguero, 2. Andrea Manici, 3. Luca Redolfini, 4. Josh Sole, 5. Filippo Cazzola, 6. Filippo Ferrarini, 7. Filippo Cristiano (c), 8. Dries van Schalkwyk.

16. Andrea de Marchi, 17. Salvatore Perugini, 18. Flavio Tripodi, 19. Emiliano Caffini, 20. Nicola Belardo, 21. Alberto Chillon, 22. Ross McCann, 23. Nicola Cattina.

ULSTER: 15. Ricky Andrew, 14. Mike Allen, 13. Jared Payne, 12. Paddy Wallace, 11. Chris Cochrane, 10. Niall O’Connor, 9. Michael Heaney; 1. Callum Black, 2. Nigel Brady (c), 3. John Afoa, 4. Robbie Diack, 5. Neil McComb, 6. Nick Williams, 7. Mike McComish, 8. Roger Wilson.

16. Rob Herring, 17. Tom Court, 18. Declan Fitzpatrick, 19. James Simpson, 20. Ali Birch, 21. Blane McIlroy, 22. Stuart Olding, 23. Peter Nelson.

Referee: Neil Paterson (SRU, 44^th competition game)

Assistant referees: Matteo Liperini, Stefano Penne (both FIR)
Citing commissioner: Achille Reali (FIR)
TMO: Alan Falzone (FIR)

International issues

A brief note on the Ireland XV vs. Fiji match. In my opinion, this is a pointless and stupid game. No caps are being given and it is a humiliation to Fiji that they are to play in a match that doesn’t give caps. It’s a disgrace.

On the flipside, it’s great to see that so many Ulster players will be on show at Thomond Park and I wish them the best of luck. Time for them to really stake a claim for a starting place in the Ireland team that gives caps.

And in a final outburst – what does Paul Marshall have to do to get a start for Ireland? He’s by a long way the form scrum-half in Ireland, the only person that can’t recognise that is Declan Kidney. Wake up Deccie.

Prediction – Ireland by 13.

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A TALE OF TWO HALVES

How many times did I hear the words, “South Africa are there to be beaten tonight!” from the mouth of Phillip Matthews in the BBC commentary box on Saturday night. Drove me nuts.

But his words rang true. The Springboks were there to be thrashed – in both halves. But unfortunately, Ireland couldn’t capitalise on their shortcomings, and ended up coming up short themselves. It was a lacklustre, error-strewn performance that ended up the way it deserved to. In defeat.

For me, it’s pretty obvious where Ireland’s problems lie…

Left black and blue

Ireland were dressed like All Blacks, but they played close to the complete opposite of them. The performance was lacking in nearly every aspect, the only exception being Jonny Sexton’s great goal kicking. But apart from that, it was a dire game. Even the Springboks couldn’t play to their high standards – and they were lucky that they didn’t need to.

There are only a handful of positives you can take from that game. The first is that the losing margin was only 4 because it could have been a lot, lot worse. Another was the performance of Simon Zebo at full-back. While he didn’t do anything exemplary, he didn’t let himself (or Ireland) down and might have found a secondary position that will benefit him, Munster and Ireland.

The other two positives involve Ulster players. First was Chris Henry who had a great first half, making a nuisance of himself at the breakdown and put himself around the field well. If he wasn’t pushing Sean O’Brien for his place in the team, he will be now. The final positive is Iain Henderson making his Ireland debut at the ripe young age of 20 – hopefully the beginning of a brilliant international career.

But beyond that, the game was hard to watch. Ireland failed to create any clear cut attacking opportunities and struggled to cope with the opposition’s work at the breakdown in the second half. And it was just as my title suggests – a tale of two halves.

First half: Ireland dominant at the breakdown, Springboks rather submissive. Ireland lead.

Second half: Springboks dominant at the breakdown, Ireland have no reply. Springboks cruise to win.

That’s probably the biggest negative. The dominance that Ireland expressed in the first half deserted them in favour of the opposition and the tables were completely turned. The pendulum swung firmly in South Africa’s favour and the game was lost. Whether it was simply fatigue that hit the Irish forwards, or whether they thought the opposition would roll over like in the first half we don’t know. Whatever it was, it wasn’t what Ireland expected.

There are two players I don’t think should be anywhere near the Ireland squad, and a lot of people would agree with me – Gordon D’Arcy and Ronan O’Gara. Both have had their day and, in my opinion, Declan Kidney should be looking at younger alternatives ahead of the 2015 World Cup. O’Gara’s chip kick at the end summed up Ireland’s performance – aimless.

The whole backline is probably at fault. How many meaningful attacks did Ireland have? About two is my guess, and the backs are solely to blame for that. The aforementioned D’Arcy was two steps behind everybody else, Simon Zebo has to learn to pass the ball sometime soon and unfortunately from an Ulster perspective, Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble were simply passengers in a game that rarely came down their wings.

But the blame has to lie with the highest authority – the coach, Declan Kidney.  And in particular, his questionable selection process. Simon Zebo at full-back was a very risky decision considering he hadn’t played there, yet Kidney had Tommy Bowe and Keith Earls at his disposal who both have experience there. It could have been a big mistake.

At scrum-half, Paul Marshall, who is undoubtedly the form 9 in Ireland at the moment, was left out entirely and instead had to watch Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan struggle in his place. A very strange call. The same went for Dan Tuohy at lock who sat beside Marshall in the stands while seeing Donnacha Ryan and Donncha O’Callaghan play instead – another odd call considering O’Callaghan doesn’t even start for Munster anymore.

And despite being an injury doubt, Ireland’s favourite player Ronan O’Gara was put on the bench once again. Meanwhile, Paddy Jackson who has been in incredible form, was forced to sit beside Marshall and Tuohy and watch through gritted teeth. And to prove this isn’t simply an Ulster rant, I’ll make a case for Fergus McFadden starting over Gordon D’Arcy. My reasons have been mentioned several times already.

International rugby is a big step up from the provincial stage. Ireland have quality players in most areas of the pitch, but they cannot transfer their good form from the league to the international stage. Kidney has to begin choosing by form rather than past qualities or Ireland will slip into the dreaded Band 3 of the World Rankings.

The team wearing green deservedly won. Too bad this time it wasn’t Ireland.

Elsewhere…

I’d like to pass on my congratulations to Argentina – what a win in the Millennium Stadium. To be fair, Wales were very poor and showed no attacking flair, but unlike Ireland, Argentina used this to their advantage and easily beat the Six Nations champions.

Everybody expected England to hammer Fiji – so they did. Seven tries were scored by the Red Rose in a routine victory, and they move on to their real tests over the next few weeks. Fiji travel to Limerick next week to face us.

And finally, in Edinburgh, it was business as normal for the All Blacks who breezed past the hapless Scottish defence for a simple 51-22 victory. But what caught the eye were two individuals – Julian Savea is a phenomenal winger for the All Blacks, while David Denton had a good game off the bench, pushing for a Lions spot through the back door.

INTERNATIONAL INCIDENTS

The Autumn Internationals (or AIs as I will refer to them from now on) are back once more and I’m going to make a confession. I hate them. Complete matter of opinion obviously, but I do, I really do. In my opinion, they are simply a reminder that the international sides are still there – they serve little to no purpose for me.

Maybe I am slightly biased and a bit off the rails though. The AIs do provide IRB World Ranking points and they do give international coaches a chance to try out new players and new combinations before the Six Nations begin. Plus it’s a nice change for the fans to travel down to Dublin and see the best of the Irish take on the southern hemisphere giants.

For Ireland though, I’d limit that to two giants – the Springboks and Argentina. The All Blacks and Australia won’t grace the shores of the Emerald Isle this year, but will hopefully return soon. A Fiji XV will make the trip to Limerick next week instead.

First up are the Springboks on Saturday. Roll up, roll up, it’s time to be counted…

Shamrocks v Springboks

For once, Ireland fans won’t be cheering on the team in green. Because the team in green on Saturday will be South Africa! Ireland, in accordance with rugby tradition, will not line out in green and will wear their black away strip for the first time this weekend instead. Black isn’t a colour I’ve ever really associated with Irish rugby and I’ll be honest, I’m going to be quite interested in what it will look like on the pitch.

A quick mention on the captaincy debate as well before I get into the match itself. The armband has been passed to stand-off Jamie Heaslip and it’s a rather confusing call considering the Leinsterman has had no experience of being a captain at this level before. Although his Leinster team-mate Jonny Sexton was being tipped for the role, Heaslip has been preferred and I have every confidence he will do a good job.

The match itself won’t be as close as some think though. Well, that’s my opinion anyway. The Springboks are a world class side, busting with world class stars at the seams. You know a side is good when they have Morné Steyn ready to rip you to shreds off the bench.

It’ll be a one sided affair. I’m sorry but I think a lot of people can see that by now. One of these sides came very close to beating the All Blacks, while the other was beaten by a resounding 60-0 scoreline. No prizes for guessing which team is attached to which description.

The teams themselves have some interesting selections.

At hooker, it’s a family affair. You’re probably wondering how since it’s Ireland vs. South Africa this week, but if you look at the names then you’ll realise why. Cousins Adrian and Richardt Strauss go head to head in the scrum on opposite sides. Since becoming IQ recently, Richardt has been thrown straight into the action, taking on the role of stand-in hooker in the absence of Rory Best. Look out for that battle on Saturday.

Anybody see JP Pietersen’s press conference earlier this week? Upon being asked what he thought of Ireland’s backs, the quick thinking winger simply shrugged his shoulders and sheepishly admitted he didn’t know the names of any Ireland backs. Whoever said honesty was the best policy will be kicking himself now!

Here’s hoping the Ireland backs will leave a lasting impression on him this time around – one which he’ll take into the next press conference. But with the injury problems Ireland have, it’s a very makeshift back line, highlighted by the choice at full back – Munster winger Simon Zebo, who has little to no experience in that position.

And with injuries in the scrum to Rory Best, Paul O’Connell, Stephen Ferris and Sean O’Brien, it is a rather makeshift scrum as well. Chris Henry gets a long overdue start for Ireland alongside Peter O’Mahony and Jamie Heaslip in the back row, while Michael Bent arrives from New Zealand only to be put straight onto the bench for Saturday’s game since all other tighthead options are injured.

So Ulster have four players in the Ireland 23 – Tommy Bowe, Andrew Trimble, Chris Henry and a surprise call-up to the bench for Iain Henderson, although fully deserved for his brilliant form so far. We wish them the best for the game and more importantly, an injury-free one.

Ulster’s representatives aren’t limited to Ireland though, as Ruan Pienaar plays his 61^st game in a Springboks jersey. Even though he is now an ‘enemy’ so to say, we wish him the best, and an injury-free game.

With the side Ireland have been forced to put out and the experience South Africa have got, I can only see this game going one way, as much as I want it to go the other. The AVIVA should be half empty by the 70^th minute. Prediction – Springboks by 19.

AVIVA Stadium, Saturday 10^th November, 17:30

IRELAND: 15. Simon Zebo, 14. Tommy Bowe, 13. Keith Earls, 12. Gordon D’Arcy, 11. Andrew Trimble, 10. Jonny Sexton, 9. Conor Murray; 1. Cian Healy, 2. Richardt Strauss, 3. Mike Ross, 4. Donnacha Ryan, 5. Mike McCarthy, 6. Peter O’Mahony, 7. Chris Henry, 8. Jamie Heaslip (c).

Subs: 16. Sean Cronin, 17. David Kilcoyne, 18. Michael Bent, 19. Donncha O’Callaghan, 20. Iain Henderson, 21. Eoin Reddan, 22. Ronan O’Gara, 23. Fergus McFadden.

SOUTH AFRICA: 15. Zane Kirchner, 14. JP Pietersen, 13. Jaco Taute, 12. Jean de Villiers (c), 11. Francois Hougaard, 10. Pat Lambie, 9. Ruan Pienaar; 1. Tendai Mtawarira, 2. Adrian Strauss, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 5. Juandré Kruger, 6. Francois Louw, 7. Willem Alberts, 8. Duane Vermeulen.

Subs: 16. Schalk Brits, 17. CJ van der Linde, 18. Pat Cilliers, 19. Flip van der Merwe, 20. Marcell Coetzee, 21. Morné Steyn, 22. Juan de Jongh, 23. Lwazi Mvovo.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)

Assistants: Steve Walsh (Australia), Luke Pierce (England)
TMO: Giulio de Santis (Italy)

1000 up

Finally, I’d like to say a big thank you to everybody who has read my blog at any stage – it is very much appreciated and it’s fantastic to see that my blog views passed the 1,000 mark last Saturday. Thanks very much and keep on reading – there’s plenty more to come!

ULSTER ARE ON CLOUD NINE

For the fourth time this season, Ulster have walked away from a crushing victory with the maximum number of points available to them. That’s impressive, considering they’ve only played nine games so far.

Winning’s come easily to the Ulstermen this season. In fact, so easily they haven’t stopped. Seven wins from seven and 31 points in the league tells its own story – Ulster are on a roll. Add in a few more stats to that and it sounds even better: 278 points scored, only 125 conceded, 31 tries scored and only 10 conceded. That’s a book with a brilliant beginning.

Add in the Heineken Cup, and those stats get even better: 338 points scored, 150 points conceded, 36 tries scored and 13 conceded. Nine wins from nine, 40 points achieved altogether.

But it’s the middle that comes next, and it needs to match the excitement of the first few chapters. And hopefully the ending will be the best part of all…

Chapter One: How to win rugby matches…

Before we get to the middle and ending, we have the beginning to wrap up first. With seven matches complete, Ulster are a third of the way through the season and a third of the way through their season’s story. A game against Edinburgh composes the final chapter of the beginning, and what a game it was. For Ulster.

However, it didn’t start that way. Not for the first time this season, Ulster began slowly. Actually, slowly is an understatement because they didn’t really get going until the 28^th minute – and by then they were 10-3 down.

But after that, they sparked into life. Ulster crossed the whitewash three times in the next six minutes, and looked good for their money. Jared Payne showed his versatility by playing another blinder at outside centre, Ruan Pienaar was instrumental from fly-half and Roger Wilson had a solid game on his return to Ravenhill – nothing short of his high standards.

Wilson was signed to bring consistency to Ulster’s back row, and if you look at his high quality performances for Northampton over the last four years, you’ll see why he was first choice in David Humphreys’ book. Although he may not be the player that always grabs the headlines, he’s the one that is always playing well, will always get praised for his work and will very rarely let the team down. His performance on Friday was typical of him, and earned him the man of the match award, which was thoroughly deserved.

But it is not the individual performances that will stand out for Mark Anscombe. No, it is Ulster’s sheer dominance which will please him most. In the second half, Edinburgh barely had the ball, let alone a chance to score. Ulster squeezed the life out of their Scottish opponents and put 21 points on them in yet another merciless thrashing.

And it’s not often you come away from a 45-point victory saying you’re slightly disappointed. For Ulster, this has happened the last two weeks. So many errors have left fans wondering, ‘What if we’d got that try?’ The potential this Ulster side has is scary – when they click, they will put 50+ or even 60+ points on an unsuspecting team. Hopefully we will see that sometime soon, and not just once.

But even in a great win, there are two negatives Anscombe will take away and work on over the next two weeks.

First is the penalty count. It’s slowly crept up over the past few weeks and now it’s got to the stage where it could be a problem in a tight game. It’s not the fact that they’re being given away in kickable areas, but rather at the opposite end of the pitch – when Ulster are attacking. Were it not for these penalties, Ulster could have put three or four more tries on their opponents and really increased their points difference.

The other issue was Ulster’s first half defence, which was breached twice – and rather easily as well. Tom Brown sauntered in for a double in the first half and the Ulster defence parted for him like the Red Sea for Moses. Better teams will exploit this weakness to a far greater extent, so it needs to be dealt with as soon as possible.

But Ulster will be happy with the result. Another five points in the bag and another win that continues the unbeaten run for another two weeks anyway. Next up, Zebre in what may be an emotional match…

International fever in the Aviva

So we’re back to the international period once more. First up for Ireland are the mighty Springboks on Saturday. But instead of looking at the game in detail (that’s something for Thursday!) I will take a look at who we might see representing the Ulstermen in Dublin.

Obviously, there is Ruan Pienaar, who will probably start at scrum half for South Africa. Interestingly enough, this will be Pienaar’s fifth start for the Boks this season (if he does start), compared with only three starts for Ulster.

But in the green corner there will be a few more from an Ulster perspective to watch out for. Even with Rory Best and Stephen Ferris unavailable, there should still be a large Ulster contingent in the matchday 23.

In the front row it is likely that Tom Court will provide cover for Cian Healy off the bench as he has done for the past few seasons. Dan Tuohy will also be pushing for a place on the bench after Paul O’Connell was ruled out through injury last week. Chris Henry’s performances have certainly thrown him into the mix for a start at 7 in Sean O’Brien’s absence, and he may be the only Ulsterman to start in the scrum.

In the back line, Tommy Bowe looks set to start – the only question is in what position? There are rumours that he will fill in at full back in place of the injured Rob Kearney, but others say he will play at wing with Simon Zebo making the switch to 15. Andrew Trimble could be the one to fill the gap left at wing, but if not he should be on the bench. Darren Cave will also be looking to take the 13 shirt, but he may have to look to the bench as well.

ULSTER GUNNING FOR NINTH STRAIGHT WIN

When I sat down at the start of the season and perused the fixture list for the upcoming season, there were two periods I looked for specifically, the Autumn Internationals and the Six Nations. Well, I always look for these periods at the start of the season - because they’re the most important.

While the Heineken Cup is a test of your best team, the PRO12 is a test of your entire squad. No 23 players can go all season without either burning out or ending up on the injury table, and so a team has to cater for this. The league tests a side’s strength in depth over a period of nine gruelling months.

We now find ourselves in the Autumn International period, and for the first time in a long time (maybe ever), Ulster have the most representatives in the Ireland squad out of the four provinces – more than likely this is due to their brilliant start to the season.

But this makes the unbeaten start harder to maintain, with fourteen players away in Dublin. Ulster will have to be at the top of their game to stay at the top…

Scarlet Fever

…because coming steaming up behind them are the Scarlets. The Welsh region are only a point behind, and host Zebre in Llanelli at the weekend – a game which you would assume would be five points in the bag for the home team.

And, even though they have a game in hand, there is no doubt that Ulster will be taking occasional glances over their shoulder at the oncoming red storm. The Scarlets have been, much like Ulster, relentless in their scoring, notching up twenty-three tries in seven games and 173 points. Even more worrying, the Scarlets are more or less out of Europe after being thrashed in Clermont and falling to defeat at home to Leinster. They are free to concentrate on the league now.

But there is hope. Their shortcomings in the Heineken Cup highlight that they are not unbeatable – even at home. If a side goes to the Parc y Scarlets in the right frame of mind, then they can come away with the win. This will be important for Ulster – if they are still unbeaten by the start of December, they will need to believe they can come away from Wales with their fourth victory or they will be in for a shock.

Mark the date in your calendar – Scarlets vs. Ulster, Sunday 2^nd December, 16:00. It should be a cracking game.

Gunning for glory

Here’s me talking about games in December and we’ve only just entered November. Time to get back to what’s important right now.

The next hurdle in Ulster’s PRO12 race takes the form of Edinburgh – a side of whom Ulster will have favourable memories. Last season in the league, Ulster put 80 points on them and ran in 10 tries in two crushing victories, both at home and on the road. But it is the most recent game that will be the one that Ulster fans will cherish the most. The Heineken Cup semi-final victory in Dublin that sent Ulster to Twickenham for their first Heineken Cup final since 1999.

This time around, the stakes are not so high. Well, strictly speaking that’s not true. The stakes are pretty high for Ulster with the unbeaten run still intact, and Edinburgh will want to crash the party while at the same time propelling themselves up the PRO12 table. The Scottish side have found this season tough going and they languish in the bottom half of the table – unfamiliar territory.

Ulster will be boosted by the return of Stephen Ferris from injury. He’s joined by Paul Marshall and Craig Gilroy who are released from Ireland duty. Ruan Pienaar also plays his final match before joining the Springboks for their tests. The Ulster side, while depleted by international call-ups, still looks strong – a crucial element for winning the league.

Indeed, even with Ricky Andrew making just his second start at full-back it still looks strong, and three more on the bench could make their competitive debuts – Ricky Lutton, Stuart Olding and Peter Nelson. Anscombe isn’t afraid to play these guys and he is being rewarded for it. This is the chance for these guys to step up in the international absences.

But Edinburgh boast a strong team too, featuring ex-Lion Andy Titterrell at hooker and Scotland international Allan Jacobsen who will make his presence known off the bench. They may look like the whipping boys on the field at the moment, but in reality, they are anything but.

For a team to come away with full points, they have to be focused and precise. So far this season, Ulster have been focused and precise in every game. This week must be no exception. Edinburgh will come to play rugby. Ulster must match them.

And now the prediction! A quick stat to justify my decision: Edinburgh have lost their last three games conceding bonus points. Will it be four? I think so. Prediction – Ulster by 17 with a bonus point.

At Ravenhill, 7:05pm

ULSTER: 15. Ricky Andrew, 14. Chris Cochrane, 13. Jared Payne, 12. Paddy Wallace, 11. Craig Gilroy, 10. Ruan Pienaar, 9. Paul Marshall; 1. Callum Black, 2. Nigel Brady, 3. John Afoa, 4. Lewis Stevenson, 5. Neil McComb, 6. Stephen Ferris, 7. Mike McComish, 8. Roger Wilson.

16. Niall Annett, 17. Ricky Lutton, 18. Adam Macklin, 19. Robbie Diack, 20. Nick Williams, 21. Niall O’Connor, 22. Stuart Olding, 23. Peter Nelson.

EDINBURGH: 15. Greig Tonks, 14. Lee Jones, 13. John Houston, 12. James King, 11. Tom Brown, 10. Gregor Hunter, 9. Chris Leck; 1. John Yapp, 2. Andy Titterrell, 3. WP Nel, 4. Grant Gilchrist, 5. Rob McAlpine, 6. Sean Cox (c), 7. Roddy Grant, 8. Stuart McInally.

16. Alun Walker, 17. Allan Jacobsen, 18. Lewis Niven, 19. Izak van der Westhuizen, 20. Hamish Watson, 21. Richie Rees, 22. Dougie Fife, 23. Sep Visser.

Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 88^th competition game)
Assistant referees: Sean Gallagher, Brian MacNeice (both IRFU)
Citing commissioner: Murray White (IRFU)
TMO: Peter Ferguson (IRFU)

Around the grounds – again

So, where will the PRO12 games go this weekend?

Blues vs. Munster – This is a hard game to call. Cardiff have performed way below their usual standards, but I still haven’t seen enough of Munster to call them brilliant either. I think Munster will have just enough. Away win.

Warriors vs. Dragons – Glasgow will be hurt by the internationals, but the Dragons won’t put up much of a fight. Home win.

Connacht vs. Treviso – Connacht need something to kick-start their season, and this may be it. Treviso won’t like the Galway rain. Home win.

Scarlets vs. Zebre – We all know which way this is going. Home win with a bonus point.

Ospreys vs. Leinster – The game we’ve all been waiting for. The first replay of last season’s final, it will be slightly marred by the weakened squads, but will prove which side has better league credentials. Home advantage to sneak it. Home win.