URC round 16: A potential tipping point?

[Amiga500]

Not long in, we were sh!te.

Lowry is miles away from being a 10 at this level. The change in the game when Madigan came on was night-and-day.

Another 10 minutes of Madigan on the field and we'd likely have rescued that.

As far as Munster go, loads of honest endeavour and a lot of huff and puff. But a good team would have beat us by 40.

 

[munstermuffin]

Not long in, we were sh!te.

Lowry is miles away from being a 10 at this level. The change in the game when Madigan came on was night-and-day.

Another 10 minutes of Madigan on the field and we'd likely have rescued that.

As far as Munster go, loads of honest endeavour and a lot of huff and puff. But a good team would have beat us by 40.

It a good thing we left alot at home so

Delighted to get a win there against a strong Ulster squad (admittedly Lowry at 10 weakens it)
Young lads in pack

 

[collace]

Ulster were brutal tonight. Just doing what Ulster do - look like world beaters early in season then fall when it counts.

Some things to take away:
- Billy Burns is underappreciated. He adds a huge amount of structure to the Ulster attack.
- Mike Lowry may prefer playing 10 but right now he is a much better 15 as there is so much more space to operate in.
- Cooney hasn't been the same player since gis return from injury. His box kicking tonight was awful.

 

[saulan]

Some very interesting results last night.

I expected the Stormers to win, but expected it to be within 7 points and without the BP. This gives the Stormers a massive leap and out of nowhere potentially puts them in a fight for 1st, due to some other results and depending on how the Sharks do later. Was very impressed with the scrumming and play of the forwards- great strong carries and very dominant. Our lineout seriously needs sorting out though. Our backline though is something else. You just never know when something is going to spark off and the offloading is crazy. Those in the north also won't realize how much of a breath of fresh air this is. Stormers for the last ~15-20 years have been renowned for massive strong packs, but mediocre predictable backlines. Bonus points were not something we would get and we could never chase a game as we won on defense and pressure points/mauls (very few back plays). This is really a joy to watch and credit to the players but especially Dobson, because honestly at the start of the season Stormers were expected to be the 3rd or 4th SA team, but have been the best and gotten this team to click and get massive confidence despite all our backroom issues and the fact that a lot of these players didn't show their full potential at other teams.

Munster win I didn't expect after their result against Leinster, but puts them in a great position given they're up to 3rd and have already completed their SA tour and they have Cardiff in their next game. On the other end, it's looking like a tough run in for Ulster with the Sharks and Edinburgh to go, although they could be a bit heartened by the fact that Edinburgh struggled yesterday (acknowledging their cards).

Zebre Edinburgh was nice to see that it was competitive given where Zebre are on the table. Edinburgh would have really wanted to get the BP out of that one given how tight the log is and how tough their future fixtures are (Ulster, Glasgow).

Most teams fates remain in their hands due to how many top 8 clashes remain in the final rounds of the season. The one I'm actually most interested in now is Leinster Munster, as this will likely be the deciding factor of who tops the log. Things are incredibly interesting and tight in the league right now, and it's great. It's very possible that the difference between 2nd and 8th by the end of this weekend will be 4 points. BPs are going to end up being incredibly important.

 

[Groundhog]

Delighted with that result against Ulster. Lowry at 10 has not worked either time Ulster tried it against us. I don't know if they were off days, but he just doesn't look a 10 at this level. Thought Cooney had an off day too.

Really happy with how we played though. Fronted up really well. I was cautiously optimistic when I saw the team. Wasn't able to fully focus on the match, but Kendellen is different gravy. Has an unbelievable engine. De Allende again was so good. His defending when Ulster were looking to go wide was so impressive. Need to give the game another look to say more to be honest.

 

[munstermuffin]

Rewatched and saying it now. I'd really consider Tom Ahern for NZ tour. Jean Kleyn massively underrated too.
Irish backrow options is ridiculous now.
On Lowry. His strong parts are from open space and with more heads up. He can't do that from 10. I'd call him a test match level 15 who wants to be a 10 but is barely Pro14 level 10

 

[Amiga500]

On Lowry. His strong parts are from open space and with more heads up. He can't do that from 10. I'd call him a test match level 15 who wants to be a 10 but is barely Pro14 level 10

I doubt it'd come up and I'd think he's far too polite to have said it - but I hope Keith Earls had a word with Lowry after the game last night. No better man to talk to him about best position vs. desired position in the team.


World class winger that burned several years trying to be something he wasn't but wanted.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I expected the Stormers to win, but expected it to be within 7 points and without the BP. This gives the Stormers a massive leap and out of nowhere potentially puts them in a fight for 1st, due to some other results and depending on how the Sharks do later. Was very impressed with the scrumming and play of the forwards- great strong carries and very dominant. Our lineout seriously needs sorting out though. Our backline though is something else. You just never know when something is going to spark off and the offloading is crazy. Those in the north also won't realize how much of a breath of fresh air this is. Stormers for the last ~15-20 years have been renowned for massive strong packs, but mediocre predictable backlines. Bonus points were not something we would get and we could never chase a game as we won on defense and pressure points/mauls (very few back plays). This is really a joy to watch and credit to the players but especially Dobson, because honestly at the start of the season Stormers were expected to be the 3rd or 4th SA team, but have been the best and gotten this team to click and get massive confidence despite all our backroom issues and the fact that a lot of these players didn't show their full potential at other teams.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Its a real pity Gelant is leaving us. Between him and Willemse they are creating magic. And it takes the pressure off of Libbok and the rest who are looking legit (just Jantjies needs to find the form that saw him become a Bok). Nothing like Stormer teams of the past. If anything we are lightweight in the pack. Not long back we could've fielded a pack boasting 1Kitshoff, 2Mbonabi, 3Malherbe/Koch/Louw, 4Etzebeth, 5PSdT, 6Kolisi, 7Elstadt, 8Vermeulen yet if we let 1 try in that was it- we couldn't chase a game like you mention nevermind thinking about bonus points for scoring 4 tries!

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

I truly did not expect the Bulls to trail vs Benetton. Would've given it less chance than us currently occupying 2nd place on the log despite the "Rainbow Cup" thrashing the Bulls had. Talk about a bogey side. Might the Bulls claw back 2nd half?

 

[saulan]

I truly did not expect the Bulls to trail vs Benetton. Would've given it less chance than us currently occupying 2nd place on the log despite the "Rainbow Cup" thrashing the Bulls had. Talk about a bogey side. Might the Bulls claw back 2nd half?

Yea feels like they haven't rocked up. The breakdown is also being reffed quite loosely and Benetton have adjust to this while the Bulls have not been committing players to the breakdown. They really need to wake up in the second half. Could be a try from the maul here though which gets them close before the half ends.

 

[saulan]

Honestly the try probably ends up being the better result for Benetton. Pretty sure there was some warnings for penalties there. Penalty advantage was there. If they didn't score there I think it could've been a card and then a potential try to follow that. 12-16 at half times has the Bulls in a good position given altitude.

 

[unrated]

I am suprised that the Lions vs Connacht game is a very good and entertaining game.

Connacht coming in hard early, lions fighting bravely to stay in touch, but you can see they have tenacity.

 

[big ginger 8]

Kelleher out with a shoulder injury, McKee starts and Barron benches. Massive blow.

 

[saulan]

Two good games again in terms of tightness. Scarlets get the try BP but there's a serious risk they might not win this game.

 

[saulan]

Nevermind, Scarlets pulling away while Dragons crumble. Meanwhile seems the altitude factor is kicking in up in Joburg. All square with ten to go.

 

[unrated]

Epic game

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Oy. Tough at the end. Lions showed real heart. Could've, would've, should've though.

 

[big ginger 8]

Huge result for Connacht despite their best efforts.

 

[Groundhog]

Good result for Connacht. Thought they'd do a Connacht special and blow it.

 

[big ginger 8]

Bit harsh calling that no arms. Looks like we'll be competitive for a while but fall off, especially if we can't get the ball.