QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT!

Hey guys - I'm now writing for a rugby website, RugbyFanCast! I would really appreciate it if you guys checked it out - my first article is up here:

http://www.rugbyfancast.com/2012/11/blogs/how-bright-is-the-future-at-ulster

And while you're there you can check out all the other articles on there as well!

But don't worry, I'll still be writing here as well twice every week (next post will be up tomorrow) so keep on coming back!

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.

ULSTER SHOWING THE WAY TO GO

The Ulster bandwagon keeps going. And going. And going. That’s eight in a row we’ve won now and the unbeaten run doesn’t look like being stopped any time soon. Ulster have been transformed into a formidable European force. Teams will now look at their fixture list and think to themselves, ‘Uh-oh, we’ve got Ulster next.’

But what is so different? Last season, we were good, but not great. This year we can’t stop winning. But why?

Walking in an Anscombe wonderland

It’s 56 days till Christmas so I’m getting in the holiday spirit!

Speaking of Christmas, anybody else think that we could still be unbeaten on the 25^th December? At the start of the season I think every Ulster fan would’ve laughed if we were seriously thinking that would even be a faint possibility let alone a real aim.

But, lo and behold, we enter November at the top of the tree with a game in hand and a big fat 0 under the Loss column in the table. Sometimes stats like that can be misleading, but for Ulster it is the complete opposite. Three wins away in Wales, two at home against Irish rivals and one at home to Glasgow confirm Ulster as a real and potent threat. And that’s not including two more wins in the Heineken Cup.

Look at the difference in Ulster’s games in Wales this season:

             Last season – Played 4, Won 0, Lost 4, Points: 2
            This season – Played 3, Won 3, Lost 0, Points: 14
That is some difference. Winning away last year was not Ulster’s forte, with only three wins (again, not including Heineken games) in Edinburgh, Monza and Treviso. This year, we’ve already matched that. In three away games. And we’ve yet to play Zebre, who are considered an easy four points.

And another stat: the record for an unbeaten run by Ulster is eleven. Two wins will do it, starting in Belfast against Edinburgh and then Zebre in Parma. Both are what should be considered easy victories. But Ulster will have to keep their composure, and heed Anscombe’s warnings to keep their feet on the ground, or it could just end up being an embarrassment.

But there is still that question on the table – what is so different from last year?

There would be the simple answer – the players are different. Well, not that different. But the new guys who have arrived in Belfast have made a massive impression. Rob Herring has proved himself to be an ample understudy to Rory Best;  Sean Doyle is a menace at blindside flanker; while returning faces Roger Wilson, Tommy Bowe and Niall O’Connor know what they’re doing. But the players tab goes beyond the new signings.

No, the young players making the move up from the Academy to the 1^st team are extremely important to the club’s development as well. Iain Henderson has stepped up in Stephen Ferris’ absence and managed to earn himself an Irish call-up, proving what talent is in the ranks. The same goes to Luke Marshall who has deputised for Paddy Wallace while he was injured, and is pushing the veteran for his place every step of the way. He’ll head to Dublin this week as well.

Mike Allen is another talent making the breakthrough as well, and he’ll get another chance to try and take Darren Cave’s place during the Autumn Internationals. The unfortunate Chris Farrell, who is now out for the season, was also very impressive at the beginning of the season and no doubt will get another chance next year. Not only that, but Rob Herring and Sean Doyle are both 22 and have great futures ahead of them.

So the players are one reason for the success. But there is more to it than that.

I was reading Munsterfans today (the Munster fans’ forum – please don’t judge me) and they were speaking about the unity and belief that Ulster seem to have at the moment. The fans, the staff, the players, everybody connected with Ulster seem to believe that we can win every game this season. And that is vital to keeping the run going.

So there’s two reasons. But there’s one more which I think is the most important. Or rather, who I think is most important. A certain man by the name of Mark Anscombe.

Before he arrived in the province, many had their doubts, myself included. This was a guy who led Auckland to mid-table finishes in the league for five years straight. Why am I complaining? One reason - Auckland are arguably the best side in the league. That’s like Leinster finishing sixth in the PRO12 from now until 2017.

On the flipside, he led the New Zealand U20s to the 2011 Junior World Championship. This is an obvious success, but considering the ‘Baby Blacks’ have won the competition four out of the five times they’ve entered and only lost twice ever, this could be called no more than formality.

But the past has been forgotten within two months of his first game in charge. Anscombe has shown that he has the ability to turn Ulster into a trophy-winning team – not just in Europe, but in the league too. If the team’s current form is anything to go by, he will have no problem in stepping up for the ‘Coach of the Year’ award at the end of the season.

But most of the plaudits are not being given to him. What is being noticed is the work on the field of the players and, as I have mentioned, they have a big part to play. But off the field, on the training ground, it is Anscombe who is making the moves, making the tactics, picking that match-winning team and making sure those players will win that game – no matter what.

Another person who was considered to be a risky addition to the side was Nick Williams. But back with his old coach in New Zealand has brought the best out in the Kiwi back rower once again and he is playing the rugby of his life. Even the style that Anscombe has brought to the table is one which Ulster have never seen before, but have grasped and embraced. It is the quick off-loading style that is most usually seen in the Southern Hemisphere, and more locally at Leinster (under the tutelage of another New Zealander, Joe Schmidt). And it is working up north as well.

So hats off to Mark Anscombe. What he has done for Ulster is fantastic. How long is his contract – two years? Might be a bit longer if he keeps this form going…

Dragons’ fire extinguished

I’m giving just a brief recollection of the game from Friday since I watched it on Sky+ at double speed last night. After being away for the weekend, it was nice to come home and watch a super victory.

It was good to see Andrew Trimble play so well ahead of the Autumn Internationals. A performance like that surely grabbed the attention of Declan Kidney. And with Ireland’s injured wingers, Trimble could be just what the team needs. It seems likely that Tommy Bowe will be forced to play at full-back in the absence of Rob Kearney and Keith Earls, leaving the 14 shirts up for grabs.

But the main thing that I took from the game was Ulster’s ability to take the bonus point away, even with the many, many, many, MANY mistakes that they made. They managed to notch up six tries over the course of 80 minutes, and managed to butcher about another six with basic errors. But rather than look at the negatives – I say look at the positive instead. Five points gained in the quest for the league title and the unbeaten run is still intact.

It’s good to be an Ulsterman right now.

OLD GUARD IN NEWPORT

I have that feeling this week. I have no idea why. I just have it.

You know that feeling where everything is just going to go wrong. That’s the feeling I’m referring to – and I do not like it one bit. Rodney Parade is one of those awkward grounds where you’re unsure how the game is going to play out. Despite being eleventh in the league, the Dragons have a terrible knack of pulling off shock results.

Here’s hoping this week isn’t the same…

Ulster on Parade

Ulster are two from two in Wales so far this season, and three from three is a real possibility. And it seems Mark Anscombe wants that to be the case as he has selected a very strong side for the game. With Tommy Bowe moving to full-back, it allows Craig Gilroy to once again make a claim for a spot at wing. Declan Fitzpatrick returns after injury to play at 3, while Lewis Stevenson replaces Johann Muller at lock.

But the big news is the change at half backs, as Paul Marshall returns at 9 to partner Ruan Pienaar who moves out one to play at fly-half. An ample duo without a doubt, but not one Ulster would be looking to use much, especially with Paddy Jackson playing out of his skin.

My suspicions are that it all feeds back to Dublin. Good ol’ Declan Kidney will be sitting back in his chair, on the phone to Mark Anscombe saying, “Yeah, I want a look at Paul Marshall to see if I should add him to my squad. You must play him this week.” If this is the case, then unfortunately Ulster probably have to comply.

But before I get into a whole debate I have to remember we have a match tomorrow. Time to get down to business.

Ulster’s scrum was pushed around by Glasgow last Friday night. This is the chance for them to redeem themselves and show that they can stand up to other sides like they did in the pre-Heineken Cup games. The lineout will also be under a bit of scrutiny as well – it wasn’t as solid as it has been before.

But aside from that, this is a game where Ulster will be targeting a big win. Maybe even a bonus point win. Good teams make sure they win these games - great teams make sure they get maximum points. Ulster want to be in that great team category. A bonus point tomorrow will be another step closer to that.

As I have already said, the Dragons are not the greatest team in the world. But they cause problems. Chavhanga with his pace on the wing, Tuilagi’s power at centre, Rob Sidoli’s presence in the line-out and Toby Faletau’s might in the back row are the stand out men. All big guys, but easily stopped.

A staggering fact to finish with – Ulster have only won one of their last six games in Newport. Yep, just one. Against the fourth best region in Wales, that is a terrible stat. The side that we’ve chosen shows that we do not want it to become one from seven.

Not only that, but the unbeaten run would end. That crucial unbeaten run that makes us the team to beat. Over the next month and a half, there are two banana skin matches. This is the first one and Treviso is the other. Both are winnable. Both are losable. If the Ulster heads are in the right place, we could head to Llanelli in December with our unbeaten record still intact. Now wouldn’t that be something.

Ah, prediction time. Sometimes I wonder why I bother, since I change it every five minutes. This week my problem is whether I should risk predicting the try bonus point. Yes, I know I had that bad feeling, but I guess that’s just initial nerves. You know what – I just can’t see us getting the bonus point. Might go close, but not close enough. Prediction – Ulster by 19.

At Rodney Parade, 7:05pm

DRAGONS: 15. Tom Prydie, 14. Will Harries, 13. Adam Hughes, 12. Andy Tuilagi, 11. Tonderai Chavhanga, 10. Lewis Robling, 9. Jonathan Evans; 1. Owen Evans, 2. Steve Jones (c), 3. Nathan Buck, 4. Adam Jones, 5. Rob Sidoli, 6. Tom Brown, 7. Jevon Groves, 8. Toby Faletau.

Subs: 16. Sam Parry, 17. Nathan Williams, 18. Dan Way, 19. Ian Nimmo, 20. Nic Cudd, 21. Liam Davies, 22. Steffan Jones, 23. Pat Leach.

ULSTER: 15. Tommy Bowe, 14. Andrew Trimble, 13. Darren Cave, 12. Paddy Wallace, 11. Craig Gilroy, 10. Ruan Pienaar, 9. Paul Marshall; 1. Tom Court, 2. Rory Best, 3. Declan Fitzpatrick, 4. Lewis Stevenson, 5. Dan Tuohy, 6. Iain Henderson, 7. Chris Henry (c), 8. Nick Williams.

Subs: 16. Nigel Brady, 17. Callum Black, 18. John Afoa, 19. Mike McComish, 20. Roger Wilson, 21. Paddy Jackson, 22. Luke Marshall, 23. Jared Payne.

Referee: Peter Fitzgibbon (IRFU, 42^nd competition game)
Assistant referees: Leighton Hodges, Neil Perkins (WRU)
Citing commissioner: Russell Howard (WRU)
TMO: Neil Ballard (WRU)

Around the grounds

And so to the other games in the PRO12 this weekend...

 

Edinburgh v Scarlets –  I am so tempted to go for a home win, you never know what Edinburgh are going to do. But their European form shows us how fragile they are. The Scarlets will have the firepower. Scarlets win.

Munster v Zebre – I don’t need to explain where this will go. Munster win.

Ospreys v Connacht – Almost as open-and-shut as the Munster game, but Connacht love to give teams a scare, so there may be a chance. BIG emphasis on maybe. Ospreys win.

Leinster v Cardiff – Last year, Leinster thrashed Cardiff in the league by 43 points and in the Heineken Cup by 31 points. It’ll be something similar on Saturday. Leinster win.

Treviso v Glasgow – Glasgow were poor last week in atrocious conditions. Away in Treviso, they shouldn’t improve. Treviso are in good form and may really attack this game. Treviso win.