ULSTER Rugby

Its about the cash. Leinster couldnt afford the money that sexton wanted and irfu prob wudnt let them pay it if they cud. Luke fitz got caught out in that he thought better offers were out there but they never materialised. He had to settle for 1yr deal with leinster in end believed to be less than irfu offer. It had renewal clause on better terms afaik if he returned to satisfactory performance and fitness. I think he signed that last month.
Ferris expects a big contract at this stage of career. He prob needs it. Ulster wont be allowed to up irfu offer imo so his best option may be japan. He wudnt survive a month in france or england with his injuries.

Leinster could have offered Sexton a contract but it would have been less than what the IRFU could afford (and would have knock on effects for the rest of their players' budget), and far less than offers from France. What they are not allowed do is "top up" a central contract.

With Luke Fitzgerald he turned down the central contract, then got injured and accepted a Leinster offer that, considering he was out of action, may have been smaller still.

Does it strike anyone else as odd that Trimble has been given a new 2 year central contract? He wasn't even a lock for the training squad much less in the running to make the game day 23 this 6 Nations. Even if he has shown some good form with Ulster this season, at 28 he doesn't seem a good candidate for a central contract when they have stopped handing them out so freely.

you wud imagine that gilroy or luke marshall wud have had a better shout for it.

I wouldn't think that 28 is too old to get a two year central contract but they do seem to be ripping up the pretend rule book on these contracts lately. Trimble has since admitted he was never going to go abroad and there's way too many talented wingers here for him to expect to be called up if he did leave. Really the IRFU should be cutting back on central contracts to wings if not cutting them out completely if a player can't also play other positions to a high standard. I always thought the point of them was for nailed on first 15 players that the IRFU want to keep but that's gone out the window completely this year.

connachtexile wrote: It's provincial horse-trading. A deal was cut so Trimble got a CC taking him off the Ulster wage books making their financial burden a little lighter (which is good with the new stand and all) while you can be dam sure that the others got something in return i.e Ulster withdrawing any objections to Botha being re-signed by Munster.

We're through the looking glass here people...

Plus (1) the other options (Gilroy, Marshall) at Ulster for a central contract can't get him out of the team; (2) Ulster will always get more central contracts than might strictly be deserved because the other provinces have a retirement taxbreak to keep players at home that Ulster players can't avail of; (3) and Ulster would blow a gut if they lost 2 experienced players (Ferris, Trimble) to the Dublin beancounters in quick succession.

And this is why I never went in to politics!

ulster beaten 14- 8 tonight by edinburgh. it cud be tight for a home semi now. ospreys into top4 after 7 try win v dragons. scarlets won as well but no bp.

Bad bad defeat for Ulster, the bottom has really fallen out of their season in recent times, wouldn't give them much hope against Saracens on present form. Bad result for Connacht too, looking at Edinburgh's run in they have plenty of favourable games coming up, having got rid of Bradley and got a win under their belt I'd now fancy them to finish the season strongly.

The only positive is we have to play Ulster at home yet and it could be looking much more winnable in a few weeks time.

if ulster keep falling and us winning, we could finish as the 2nd best province

Jackson missed a lot of kicks, big pressure on him to get those points from the tee now. Not sure if he can do it when it counts.

Murrayfield again!

john afoa misses tonight game vs leinster as he went home for the birth of his 3rd child.
baby is due early next week, 3 or 4 days before Ulsters biggest game of the season, quarter final of the heineken.

i find it both weird and unusual that
1) he desided to leave have 2 big games to play in 2 weeks.
2) that his wife is living in NZ while he lives in ulster.

not the first time he went home either, in january he went home

Rumour has it he is seeking to go home for good in summer but has 12mths left on contract. Ulster want him to stay and so far no one willing to buy it out from there

Is NoC going again?

1- ball needs to be grounded to score a try.
2- ref needs to see it to give a try.
3- if the ref cant see the ball grounded he cant give it.
4- if he checks with with his TMO if its a grounded, shouldnt the question be ''try or no try?''
rather why ask ''any reason not to award the try?''.
5- shouldnt common sense come in and point out ''if you didnt see it grounded, you cant give it!''.

sarries scored a try, ref and TMO couldnt see the ball grounded but it was given due to the question poite asked the TMO.
every time this happens it gets on my nerves. sort it out erc.

sarries 16 ulster 6