Ulster Rugby have no fresh injury concerns ahead of Saturday’s BKT United Rugby Championship Round 5 fixture against DHL Stormers. Tom Brigg, Sam Crean, Jed Findlay, Rob Herring, James Hume, Martin Moloney and Zac Ward have all joined the squad in Cape Town.

I know there was a few others down in camp and maybe are being considered for the Clubs Team.

Such as Adam Crone from Wallace Tighthead

Would have featured in the U20s but had a horrible run of Injurys good to see him on the pitch again.

Hi everyone,

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Please have have a look and let me know what you think and any tips/suggestions more than welcome

The provincial teams have two purposes - to develop players for the national team, and to do well in the URC and European competitions.

Currently, Munster are doing well in the URC and Europe, and have two players in the Ireland squad. Us and Connacht are well behind them on results, but way ahead of them on Ireland representation.

When Dan McFarland was our coach, we generally got good results, but our Ireland representation was poor. Since Richie took over, form has gone backwards, but Ireland representation has gone up. It seems like, for the IRFU, we can either be successul on the field, or provide players to the Ireland team, but not both.

We've let go of a lot of players over the last few seasons who were reliable URC-level performers but not international prospects. Billy Burns and Kieran Treadwell were former internationals but unlikely to be again, Andy Warwick and Alan O'Connor were never on Ireland's radar but could do a job for us in the league. If we'd kept them, maybe we'd have a better team, but there'd be less opportunity for the likes of Cormac Izuchukwu, Jack Murphy, Charlie Irvine and Joe Hopes, and there wouldn't have been such a gap at loosehead to allow Tom O'Toole to switch.

It seems to me that recruitment since Richie took over has been primarily to make space for players Ireland are interested in, at the expense of our performance as a team. Munster have gone the other way. But surely a better balance can be found? Connacht's league and European form has improved, at the same time as their Ireland representation going up.

Sat 24th Oct

Energia Men's A. I. L Round 4
Ballynahinch 21 Lansdowne 17
Blackrock 19 C of Armagh 17
Instonians 32 Naas 27
Dungannon 14 Shannon 9
Galwegians 12 Ballymena 17
Queens 7 Greystones 17
Banbridge 18 Enniskillen 17
Navan 13 Ballyclare 8
Rainey 10 Malone 15
Skerries 19 Clogher Valley 24

Energia A. I. Junior Cup
Dromore 54 Creggs 7
Dunmore 14 Omagh 43
Portadown 29 Bandon 6
Tullamore 19 Lurgan 16

B. O. I. Towns Cup
Ards v Carrick p/p
Ballymena 2s v Cooke p/p
Ballynahinch 2s 64 Ballyclare 2s 0
CIYMS 29 Banbridge 2s 7
Clogher Valley 2s 12 v Ballymoney 5
Coleraine v Academy p/p
Dungannon 2s 13 v Bangor 26
Instonians 2s 48 B. Harlequins 0
Larne 16 Limavady 19
Malone 2s 12 Strabane 36
Queens 2s 28 v Rainey 2s 24
Randalstown v C of Armagh 2s p/p

Championships 3
BHSFP 30 Monaghan 15
Donaghadee 43 v Newry 7
Grosvenor 69 Cavan 0
PSNI 31 v C. Service 7
Ulster University 0 v Virginia 56

https://www.irishnews.com/sport/rugby/from-21-points-down-to-having-the-bulls-rattled-three-things-we-learned-from-ulsters-pretoria-defeat-EMQ4LFWJTVF5ZAWC6AG3XK2P5U/

We are 1 point off 6th and we were quite hard-done-by today getting that point snatched away from us with a penalty at the death.

Our defence looked much better and we scrapped well against a very physical Bulls pack.

With quite a few people on here saying recently that we have no chance of being top 8, should we be being a bit more positive or am I being too optimistic?

More like it. Commitment much better. Defense tighten up which is pleasing to see. Kick at the end taking away the losing bonus point a kick in the balls at the end.

Queens lost to Greystones today who where previously 2nd from the bottom of the table. Feel like the lads will be lucky not to get relegated this year....

On a Postive Ballymena & Dungannon have remained undefeated in division 2A ...

COA lose narrowly and not for the 1st time this season leaving points on the field in conversions albeit can definately forgive slotting a few wide today.

Instonians get there season started with a convincing win over Naas.

Hinch beat Lansdowne in a result that gos against the narrative hopefully this is the kick start to their season.

Will we even have a 23 next week?

Queens:

Tyrese Abolarin
Paddy Woods
Conor McVicker
Dan Green
Tom Bell
Clark Logan
Blake McClean
Charlie O’Connor
Josh Gibson
Charlie Hargy (NTS)
Connor Patton (NTS)

Instonians:

Adam Boyd (NTS)
Jacob Boyd

City of Armagh:

Owen O’Kane (NTS)

Ballynahinch:

Mahon Ronan
Joe Hopes

Donnell there is baffling. Sheridan nowhere to be seen.

I get maybe 1 but 3 feels like they’re trying to gaslight us

-Ireland XV v Fiji ‘A’ – Friday, 20 November, Virgin Media Park, Cork (7.45pm)

- Ireland XV v Chile – Friday, 12 February, Queen’s University, Belfast

- England ‘A’ v Ireland XV – Saturday, 20 February, Sandy Park, Exeter

Coaching Ticket

- Mark Sexton Head Coach

- Jimmy Duffy Forwards?

- Jared Payne Attack/ Defence?

- Seamus Toomey Scrum?

Forwards:
Eric O’Sullivan, Tom O’Toole, Tom McAllister, Tom Stewart, Henry Walker, James McCormick, Keynan Knox, Scott Wilson, Eli Snyman, Ben Donnell, Harry Sheridan, Cormac Izuchukwu, James McKillop, David McCann, James McNabney, Nick Timoney, Juarno Augustus.

Backs:
Matthew Devine, Nathan Doak, Conor McKee, Jack Murphy, Jamie Benson, Jake Flannery, Michael Lowry, Stuart McCloskey, Ben Carson, Daniel Hawkshaw, Chay Mullins, Ethan McIlroy, Jacob Stockdale.