Ulster Rugby sustained a number of new injuries in Friday’s URC defeat against Leinster Rugby.
Angus Bell (foot), Scott Wilson (ankle), Tom O’Toole (hand), James Hume (neck), Jude Postlethwaite (hand) and Bryn Ward (shoulder) all suffered injuries that leaves them unavailable for this week’s fixture.
Nick Timoney (hip), James McNabney (knee), Rob Herring (calf), Robert Baloucoune (elbow), Rory McGuire (shoulder), Stewart Moore (knee) remain on the current injured players list and are also unavailable for selection.
Michael Lowry has reintegrated into team training following recent injury and his fitness for selection this week will be assessed through the week.
Worse than feared! 12 injured players at the critical part of the year. I mean what sort of “weak” team can we send down to muster? we are going to struggle to send any team down
Edit, my guess at the team
1: Crean/EoS
2: McCormick
3: Bryan O’Connor/ Tom McAllister
4: Irvine / Hopes
5: Sheridan
6: Dalton
7: Reffell
8: Lorcan McLoughlin
9: Conor McKee
10: Flannery
11: McIlroy
12: Carson
13: KoK?
14: Moxham
15: Lowry
Maybe they will pop some more experience into the team, but hard to find anyone that has not played alot recently. But either way, look like it will be massacre. Odds are giving Munster 17 points favourites already
well that’s at least something
and
Congrats on the site launch DS69. Horrible injury list for your boys. Is the suggestion that Ulster intend to rotate that many other front liners? Doak, Stockdale, McCloskey, Augustus, Henderson, Stewart etc are all absent from your expected team?
Before Leinster game/injures it was always suspected that a weakened team would be sent down to Munster, because we have been mostly playing our best team ( bar injures) for the last 6 weeks, so players need to be rested at some stage, but with injuries the hand is forced. I think Doak, Murphy and a few others will be on the bench, and one or to others will start ( but then they will need rested later. I guess the team I listed is a conservative/worst case.
I guess it depends how far off players are coming back from injury, ie if Herring is near back, then Stewart could start ( so he can be rested when Herring is back). But we are really in trouble in the front row and centre.
Munster Rugby: Shane Daly; Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Andrew Smith; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; Jeremy Loughman, Diarmuid Barron, Oli Jager; Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (C); Tom Ahern, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Lee Barron, Michael Milne, Michael Ala’alatoa, Edwin Edogbo, Brian Gleeson, Ben O’Donovan, Dan Kelly, Alex Kendellen.
I thought it would be tomorrow they would name the teams. Looks like they are playing their strongest team ( makes sense)
@ds69 I think we were always going full tilt in this one. We left Tadhg Beirne behind when we did our tour of South Africa after he 6 Nations and we had rest weekends when you played La Rochelle and next week when you are going to play Exeter. I think if we come away with a win or hopefully a bonus-point win, we can have a look and see whether we rest Casey and Crowley for the Connacht game or for the Lions game in the last round. I think if Ospreys beat Cardiff, it makes this a little bit of an easier decision.
For some reason I thought Izuchukwu was injured, but he’s not, he trained fully, he might play. Makes sense to for Munster to target this game for the 5 points. Richie has been talking up Tom McAllister a good bit in the media briefing, I think he will start with O’Connor on the bench. I think we will do well to get a losing/ 4 try bonus point.
btw rumour is Hume has shoulder nerve damage, so could be out for a while
- Eric O’Sullivan (134)
- James McCormick (16)
- Bryan O’Connor (4)
- Harry Sheridan (58)
- Charlie Irvine (10)
- James McKillop (Academy year 2)
- Tom Brigg (Academy year 3)
- Lorcan McLoughlin (3)
- Conor McKee (19)
- Jake Flannery (36)
- Ben Moxham (40)
- Ben Carson (19)
- Ethan McIlroy (73)
- Aitzol Arenzana-King (Academy year 3)
- Michael Lowry (C) (131)
Replacements:
- John Andrew (136)
- Callum Reid (34)
- Tom McAllister (2) (Academy year 1)
- Joe Hopes (10)
- Marcus Rea (58)
- David Shanahan (103)
- James Humphreys (7)
- Jonny Scott (1) (Academy year 2)
wow, I wasn’t too far off but its even more inexperienced than I thought, 3 academy players starting 2 on the bench!
Result more or less as expected, the scoreline was a bit harsh on us. Our young lads showed some good fight but too many balls were dropped, and we got overpowered at times. So it goes.
I liked the look of our starting backrowers, also Scott looks like he could be a good pro. Irvine and Sheridan went well (we kind of expect that now from them).
they did a lot better than I thought, did really well in the first half, and did cross the try line 4 times, maybe with a bit more experience they would have not been held up for 2 of them. Pleasantly surprise with McIlroy at 13, he did ok. Its been so long since we have seen John Andrew play and was solid considering hes dropped to 4 choice. Was the yellow harsh on Briggs? I thought he was going for the poach while the Munster players offload it , didn’t see the replay properly. King went well to I thought as did Tom McAllister.