Planet Rugby Forum

crouchy wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:06 pm

Floppykid wrote: ↑Tue Sep 15, 2020 8:25 pm

Liathroidigloine wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:27 am

earl the beaver wrote: ↑Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:23 am Stats don't make good reading at all for Ulster's attack or defence.

Ulster had approximately 60% possession and 60% territory in the first half, 50% in the second.

The had more passes, more carries, for fewer metres, conceded more line breaks etc. And despite every other stat being similar (ruck completion, tackle completion and so on) we lost by 22 cúnting points. Okay so Leinster have the best defence in the league but Ulster's attack did not click at all bar the first try.

I don't think Ulster's try was a result of great attack. Rather it was a lapse in Leinsters defence with spacing by James Ryan and Kelleher leaving Kelleher with too much to do. Good awareness by Hume but once again we saw Lowe miss a tackle he should have made.

It was also just really good power and pace from Hume to exploit it all.
Him and Marshall together would make a good pairing. McCloskey can be coached out of games completely.

It's not McCloskey's fault he can be coached out of games. He can only coached out of games because we are so lacking in ball carriers that oppositions can focus all their attention on McCloskey and Coetzee and it completely nullifies us.

McCloskey would absolutely excel at Leinster, but I suppose anyone would.

He'd only excel at Leinster because he'd only get a game against the likes of Zebre or the cows. Wouldnt be near the Heineken Cup side

I dunno, he's a very important player for Ulster, but I just don't think what he brings is particuarly effective at the top level. Defenses are too well organised and most players are powerful enough with good technique at that level that he can be largely contained.

He goes into contact too high.
Fine against shite teams as he can get an offload away or they struggle to tackle him.
Easy target for better defensive teams.

If he doesn’t get the offload away he’ll be slow getting to ground and the ball coming out of the ruck will be slow, allowing the defence to get sorted. Leinster bossed him on Saturday and given that he’s probably our main attacking weapon, we were impotent in attack.

He’s been great for Ulster over the years but he does have his limitations against better sides imo.

Nolanator wrote: ↑Wed Sep 16, 2020 1:15 pm I dunno, he's a very important player for Ulster, but I just don't think what he brings is particuarly effective at the top level. Defenses are too well organised and most players are powerful enough with good technique at that level that he can be largely contained.

Wouldn't agree with that really. He could be really effective if, as crouchy says, he wasn't so easy to focus on. You put your best tackler on McCloskey and double-team Coetzee and that will go a long way towards stopping Ulster. If you have a couple more power options closer in (a fully fit Hendo, plus one other say) then you start to get mismatches or Coetzee one-on-one that bit more. Teams like Ulster are desperate to get their strike runners into those situations, where as a team like Saracens actually want you to be overly concerned about Billy V, for example, and have a whole gameplan worked out to destroy you if you are.

McCloskey is a great player for us and despite being easy to put a man on he carries time and time again and breaks the gainline with those tacklers on him.

He also has good hands (although he's definitely offloading less) and has shown that he can be used as a decoy or can shift it on.

When we've had a full team, a fit Hendo as you say but also having more options in the backline.

I reckon ideally McFarland would have Jack McGrath on form and start TOT at 3 with Moore on the bench and then you have TOT, Henderson, Coetzee and McGrath and heavy hitters in the back (backed up Reidy/Murphy/Rea/Herring/AOC who won't shy away from carrying. That would give opposition something to think about outside of just man marking McCloskey and Coetzee. In the backline we seem loath to use our wingers on strike plays but we didn't at the start of the season, letting Balacoune or Stockdale take the ball at pace would also free him up and he could have Addison as an option out the back.

In some of our big wins against top sides (Clermont, Racing etc.) McCloskey has been great and across the season he's undoubtedly one of Ulster's most important players.