Ulster v. Connacht - 27th December - 735

Ulster: Jack McGrath, Rob Herring (Capt), Marty Moore, Alan O'Connor, Kieran Treadwell, Matthew Rea, Sean Reidy, Marcell Coetzee, Will Addison, Robert Baloucoune, Luke Marshall, Stuart McCloskey, Louis Ludik, Billy Burn

s, John Cooney.

Replacements: Adam McBurney, Kyle McCall, Tom O'Toole, David O’Connor, Nick Timoney, David Shanahan, Bill Johnston, Craig Gilroy..

Connacht: Paddy McAllister, Dave Heffernan, Finlay Bealham, Ultan Dillane, Joe Maksymiw, Eoin McKeon, Paul Boyle, Robin Copeland, Tiernan O'Halloran, John Porch, Tom Daly, Peter Robb, Matt Healy, Conor Fitzgerald, Caolin Blade (Capt).

Replacements: Shane Delahunt, Denis Buckley, Dominic Robertson McCoy, Niall Murray, Eoghan Masterson, Stephen Kerins, Kyle Godwin, Stephen Fitzgerald

We haven't been playing well for a number of weeks now. Poor against Munster. Poor away against Gloucester. Lucky enough to beat them at home. Very average against the Southern Kings. We need a passionate and committed performance this evening against an Ulster side who think they're going to win by 20pts or more. Time for us to refind our form. C'mon Connacht!

Didn't manage to watch it, but followed the live feed. Seemed like we were second to everything. Particularly the breakdown. If you don't win the collisions, you don't win.
The accumulative effect of the run of matches plus injuries is taking its toll, I think.

If we were to play a European final with a full deck to chosse from tomorrow we would probably select something like this:
1-8 McAllister, McCartney, Bealham, Roux, Thornberry, Boyle, Fainga'a, Butler,
9-15 Marmion, Carty, Healy, Farrell, Aki, Adeolokun, Leader
16-23 Heffernan, Buckley, Robertson-McCoy, Dillane, Sean O'Brien, Blade, C Fitzgerald, Godwin.

Only 3 of that first fifteen started last night, with the two props forced off after 20mins, but 7 of the 8 on the bench featured and put together a hugely disappointing performance. I know we are heavily penalised by injury at the moment, and Bundee and Jack are being rested under the national side protocols, but last night just wasn't good enough.

Andy F will have to question his own approach to this match. The vibe from the coaching team I thought was negative, certainly in comparison to how focused Dan McFarland was.

We have to face it that certain of our players are not up to this level or no longer are. Our back row, with the honourable exception of Paul Boyle, were not good enough. Copeland is an adornment. Good for the occasional 15-20min cameo, but with not enough dog in him to give 80mins in a hostile environment. Neither McKeon nor Masterson are good enough at this level and the return of Fainga'a, Butler, and SOB2 cannot come soon enough. We let the wrong back row go last season in James Connolly. Dillane fought hard and Maksymiw has potential, but we will miss Roux in January and Thornberry's return cannot come soon enough.

Similarly Kieran Marmion. Blade looks over-played and last night was his worst performance of the season. He needs to bench as soon as Marmion returns. Kerins has potential, and a sign of our malaise and languor on the night was that no one looked to take McBurney's fu@king head off after his cheap shot on a grounded Kerins. Wouldn't have happened in Muldoon's day.

Robb was anonymous while on, and Daly gave his worst ever performance in a Connacht shirt. His attempt of a tackle on Timoney for the last try was very poor. The back three - with the possible exception of Porch who seems to have potential - were awful. I know it was a lst minute injury change last night, but we keep having to play Godwin on the wing due to the lack of back three alternatives. Healy and Adeolokun again out last night, and the less said about TOH's outing the better. Failed in all the basics of FB play. Spilled every high ball. Should have prevented Burns grounding his try. We really can't be selecting him for these kind of games any more. Dragons and the Kings okay, but he's unable to perform at the premium level any longer. When is Darragh Leader due back?

Top of the shopping list for next season - a big durable ball-carrying back row (ideally from the Southern Hemisphere) who might actually have been able to force himself over somewhere during that 30 phases just before half time last night, a top quality hooker now that McCartney is nearing the end of his career, and a winger and a full back.

Tough weekend all round. Gone from second to fourth and two points off sixth.
Change in form needed soon.

McAllister has been cited, hearing in Dublin tomorrow.

McAllister has been cleared; incident deemed accidental and no sanction necessary. Bit of good news for us.

Lucky, was sure there was going to be a ban there.