Ravens team for Munster A

Paddy Mac
Nigel Brady
Jerry Cronin
Tim Barker
Neil McComb
Conor Joyce
Ali Birch
Mike McComish
Blane McIlroy
Paddy Jackson
Chris Cochrane
Luke Marshall.
Chris Farrell
Michael Allen
Conor Gaston

Niall Annette, Conor Carey, Richard Lutton, Iain Henderson, James Simpson, Ian Porter, James McKinney.

TRhats a first someone I haven't seen paly - Lutton ?

I thought Marshall would return.
Good to see Paddy Jackson back as well.
Michael Allen on the wing ? - interesting

No Diack - must be with the first XV as 24th man.

Just for those who didnt get to see it

Ulster 9-20 Munster

A really really poor game it must be said and one which Munster won by simply being not awful. The Ravens gave what was in my opinion a dreadful performance and couldnt get even the basics right. Individually (because that is what they were) Luke Marshall looked really unfit and off the pace, Farrell looked good in patches but missed a few tackles. McIlroy and Jackson were really poor. The whole thing looked like they had never met before and despite having great success from hitting the first man and running straight but this was lost on them as they continually tried convoluted moves.

For Munster Chambers and Deasy stood out (CHambers set up both tries) and they were much more savvy (and illegal, but you play the ref) at the breakdown. O'Dea looks really dangerous when given space and Hanrahan showed up in glimpses.

One thing i noticed with Brady off and 10 mins left was the Ravens players looking at the bench to be told what to do with a penalty 5m from the munster line. That depressed me greatly as these guys should be able to think for themselves on the pitch.

Well done and a deserved victory for munster.

So Marshall wasn't good? Is there any highlights/link to the match Stand?

I have to say when I saw the teams I feared the worse.

We put out a weak backrow and an inadequate back three - we were always going to struggle.

Having said that there the objective at Ulster is quality not quantity and such a result is all about the better guys learning from the experience.

Glad I stayed in to watch the westies

Rory_Gallagher wrote:So Marshall wasn't good? Is there any highlights/link to the match Stand?

To be honest Luke Marahall hasn't been that great since his injury - bit of a worry

So Marshall wasn't good? Is there any highlights/link to the match Stand?

Not to my knowledge Rory. Marshall doesnt look fit at all. Tackled well but too often we tried wee wrap around moves and when he threw the pass there was no one there. Clearly they werent on the same page.

To be honest geoff i woud worry about the coaching when he has to tell the guys what to do with a penalty 5m from the opposition tryline.

THe halfbacks were the worst. jacksons kicking was dreadful and McIlroy makes Paul Marshall look like William Tell. Im being harsh of course but i really cant say one thing positive about it.

Hoiw McIlroy gets picked in preference to Porter is beyond me

He was really, really poor to the extent that he looked more accomplished at 15. Gaston didnt look good either which worries me although he may have been carrying a knock.

At one point we had a winger, No.8 and a SH in our own 22 and we threw it to the No.8 to kick it out.

From an Irish pov, how did the Munster second rows, number 7, Paddy Butler and JJ go? Was JJ kicking?

Also why is Porter on the bench? That seems like a mad decision if its not injury related.

Deasy was kicking an apart from missing a shocker he was good.

Hanrahan looked reasonably good i think but Chambers was the key along with Deasy. Paddy Butler i thought was the pick of both backrows and number 7 was lucky not to be binned. Mike Sherry took one for the team there but the Munster backrow were much better. I would suggest a better ref would ping them off the park but as a collective unit they are much much more savvy around the breakdown and contact area. I should add that Sherry looked very good in contact for the 5/10 mins he got on the pitch before being binned

Nagle was ok but not stellar. stole one lineout but lost at least one and might have lost more but the ref seemed oblivious to crooked throws. Scanlon and O'Dea looked decent to me and in space they could be very good.

At times Munster did look like they were being overpowered but they hung in there continually until the ravens (seemingly inevitably) made a mistake. definitely some positives but i cant emphasise enough how poor Ulster were.

Standulstermen wrote:Deasy was kicking an apart from missing a shocker he was good.

Hanrahan looked reasonably good i think but Chambers was the key along with Deasy. Paddy Butler i thought was the pick of both backrows and number 7 was lucky not to be binned. Mike Sherry took one for the team there but the Munster backrow were much better. I would suggest a better ref would ping them off the park but as a collective unit they are much much more savvy around the breakdown and contact area. I should add that Sherry looked very good in contact for the 5/10 mins he got on the pitch before being binned

Nagle was ok but not stellar. stole one lineout but lost at least one and might have lost more but the ref seemed oblivious to crooked throws. Scanlon and O'Dea looked decent to me and in space they could be very good.

At times Munster did look like they were being overpowered but they hung in there continually until the ravens (seemingly inevitably) made a mistake. definitely some positives but i cant emphasise enough how poor Ulster were.

Thats very dissappointing but I suppose it was a strong Munster team. It would be good if Sherry can come through because he looks like a fantastic prospects.

As an Ulster fan this match actually takes the shine off what was otherwise a fantastic night for our club.

I went to this match with high hopes, but geez, the Ravens were poor tonight. Munster took their two tries well, and defended very well in their 22, where Ulster had a lot of possession. But despite this possession ulster showed little guile or skill. There were so many poor passes combined with poor hands and so many turnovers at rucks, that there was little continuity. The kicking, from hand by everyone, and the ground by Jackson, was ineffective.....

As aluded to earlier the decision making on the pitch was pathetic at times, the passing in general exceptionally poor, and the senior members in the team failed to stand out. All in all poor.

Munster positives, as tradition dicates the collective effort was impressive, but hard to pick out individuals. Nagle was prominant at times, Chambers showed in patches, ODea had one super run. Deasy did okay.

Ulster positives.......Cochrane broke the gainline more than most, McComb started well, Henderson showed some spark when he came on, as for the rest, when I have nothing nice to say I say nothing....

Want to temper that 1st post by saying I still believe there is immense talent in this group of ulster players, just a shame we didnt see it tonight, it was a home cup QF after all....

Both the Ulster sub props did well and really gave us dominance. One thing that sticks out was when we had a 5m scrum and we got a good shove and turned the Munster pack towards the posts. McComish had simply to pick the ball up, go to the blindside and stroll over from 3 yards. there was literally no munster player anywhere near him.

He picked it up and went open.

That is a pretty good result for Munster A. Outside of Chambers, Holland, Williams and Deasy its a fairly young and inexperienced team.

Am sure there is immense talent in both teams but it seems that the talent in Munster has a little more nous about them.

Got to say, fair play to Munster A and hope they go on to do very well in this competition.

Very disappointing for the Ravens; apparently we simply didn't turn up and perform as we are capable of and thats damning in a QF.

Maybe they were just beaten by a better team?

Well, yes, of course they were. I don't follow you. Surely if they played very poorly then by implication Munster were the better team?

Yes of course....or maybe Munster didnt let them perform....and they played poorly because they were playing the better team?

I don't know mate, I wasn't there!

Me neither

Hah, touche. Well either way I wish Munster A all the best, would be nice to see another trophy coming back to Ireland.

DOD wrote:Yes of course....or maybe Munster didnt let them perform....and they played poorly because they were playing the better team?

DOD

I think both teams were 'let' perform as much as possible. Munster definitely are more streetwise but as i said previously there are no words to describe how poor Ulster were

Ah sure it depends what way you look at it. For me that was a young and very inexperienced Munster team, any win in ravenhill is a good one

It was a good win but by God if any other team in the B & I cup had played you they wouldnt have spurned the scoring opportunities. Better team won but i would be surprised if either went on to win. Like i say Munster were ordinary, Ulster were dreadful.