Ulster
won a hard fought battle in Galway. In
the end it was a comfortable victory, but the game could
have gone either way in a bruising and error strewn first
half. As the game wore on the Ulster Front Row started
to completely dominate their Connacht counterparts and
once the men from the west lost their forward firepower
there was very little left.
The forwards all come out with plus marks
following a ferocious, and sometimes illegal, onslaught
from their counterparts in the first half. Boss and Wallace
varied play well with Boss looking particularly sharp
getting the ball away. Things still look too crowded for
Ulster in the middle of the park and the timing of passes
and poor angles of running led to Ulster spilling the
ball or getting turned over too often. Things clicked
better in the second half but plenty of work is still
required.
This game should instill some confidence
into the pack for the next series of games, against Edinburgh
and then back to back with the Ospreys. Three more wins
would certainly pick things up for Christmas.
The FRU MotM was a difficult
decision with Bryan and Rory
having great games but for a first half display, where
his dominance over his opposite number got Ulster out
of a few scrapes, the award goes to Justin Fitzpatrick.
After
getting a few tips from the FRU's Larne Branch at the
Bourgoin game FRU President Justin Fitzpatrick
gets his first FRU Man of the Match Award.
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Caption Competition
The
caption winner is Dunny who sent in the
caption shown.
Well done Dunny that's a free pint at your next home
game.
Good to see Paul back after his injury
scare, lets hope he can keep his head out of harms way
for the remainder of the season!
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Letters to the editor.
Dear
Editor,
I was shopping in my local supermarket
when I spotted the following item; -
At first I was worried that the recent events had become
too much. Had Ulster’s poor form and the loss of
the coach caused this? Never mind the defeat of the much
loved Panthers in the final and the pony tail assault
on Dewi's favourite Brittany Biedenbender. (Also
what exactly were the 2 circles over the U?)
My concerns were allayed however, when
all was revealed; -
The description on the back is very apt.
"Far from humble",
"we like a bit of rough" and"Perfect on its own, with a Scoop"are too close to the truth to be mere coincidence.
Have you fat boys in the Front Row Union finally stopped
eating the puds and started making them?
Yours etc,
Stormin Norman & Dunny Ed - Look out for our new ranges
Rory Roly Poly, Fitzy Flambeé and Bryan's Babas!
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News
from the Colonies
The
FRU needs your help.
At a time when the reputation of Ulster
rugby supporters is at an all time low the visit of the
UW Milwaukee Lady Panthers in January
gives us a chance to show the generous and fun loving
side of the Ulster Rugby family to a world wide audience.
Already we have had great help from Andy
and Jayne in finding accommodation and training
facilities and from Ulster Players prepared
to give up their free time to coach The Panthers in technique
and fitness. (I assume it is rugby
technique!)
The FRU have offered to help The Panthers
with their fundraising for their week long trip to Ireland
as the exchange rate has pushed the cost of the trip up
dramatically over the last few months. To this end we
will be selling UWM Lady Panthers Raffle tickets
at the Edinburgh and the Ospreys home games.
The raffle tickets are priced at $5 with
a top prize of $1000 and will sell here at £2.50.
There will also be EXCLUSIVE Panthers
T-shirts, training tops and rugby shirts up for grabs.
We
need people to help sell tickets at the next two home
matches.
Time is limited and we need to shift as
many as possible. All helpers will be entered into a draw
for Panthers tees, rugby shirts and tops. (Don't
worry we're getting some brought over in mens sizes!)
Plus you'll meet the girls.
If you can help please contact
me at editor@thefru.co.uk
as soon as possible.
Don't
be shy.
If you think you can sell
5 or 50 tickets please get in touch.
We need people selling
tickets in all areas of the ground.