This
was the sort of game that us Front Row Union boys
dream off. Eighty minutes of knocking lumps put of each other with
the nancy boys in the backs with nothing to do but stand and freeze!
Ulster
played the elements exceptionally well in the first half by maintaining
close control when in possession and driving out the hard yards
up the pitch. More importantly they were constantly in Llanelli's
faces when they had possession making it very difficult for the
Skaalets to make any use of the elements.
It was testimony to Ulster's defensive display
that they limited Llanelli to one penalty in the first half and
with Hugo finishing off an impressive forwards rumble Ulster were
fairly confident when they turned round 5 - 3 in the lead.
Ulster increased their lead soon after the break
with a long-range penalty by O'Connor.
But the Skaalets drew level when Priestland got
away from O'Connor's tackle to slip in for the try, which he failed
to convert. Much has been made of this defensive lapse by rugby
legends GerryO and NeilF over on the UAFC site - they obviously
have missed every other game that O'Connor has played this year
as his defence is not an issue.
Ulster went straight up field to camp on the Scarlets
line with some more impressive drives and were duly rewarded when
a neat off-load by The FRU El Presidenté Justin Fitzpatrick
saw McCullough dive over.
McCullough's replacement, Neil Best, made the score
more reflective of Ulster's dominance when he broke free from another
forward rumble, O'Connor converting.
The FRU Man of the Match
goes to Matt McCullough who stood
out in a excellent performance by the pack in general.
~
~ ~ ~
~ ~
Ulster Rugby Demand Death
of Second Barrier Crew For Financial Reasons!
"Commemorative
memorabilia spin-off would be a bonanza", claims Marketing
spokesman.
Although
an official announcement has not yet been made by
Ulster Rugby a source close to the 'movers and shakers'
at Ravenhill has informed the FRU about a top secret meeting held
recently to explore ways to increase the financial standing of Ulster
Rugby. A meeting was called by CEO Mike Reid who asked for some
'blue sky thinking' to improve the immediate financial
situation. Apparently the Marketing department at Ravenhill made
a very powerful presentation to the CEO and the PTMC which called
for the demise of the 2BC in order to exploit the opportunities
this would present in the lucrative field of commemorative memorabilia.
Members of the PTMC wept openly
as the marketing experts showed a mock up, made of delph,of a commemorative
plate showing the 2BC in the centre entitled 'In Memoriam',
with a 'Dodgy,dodgy kicker' or 'There's only one F
in Ferris' inscription on the outer rim. Being only a mock
up it was pointed out that the genuine article would be cast and
fired from authentic polystyrene to keep production costs as low
as possible. It is anticipated that the plates will be sold for
around £50 each. As the CEO wept, his giant body racked with sobs,
he said,
"We shall not forget
what a great bunch of gormless jerks they were!"
However,he had to call on all
his powers as an expert mediator when the methodology of the 2BC's
demise was discussed because a furious argument broke out about
the method to be employed. Some argued for a targeted salmonella
outbreak in the burger van, while others wanted an overdose of Horlicks
to be slipped into the Magners in the beer tent. The CEO managed
to restore order when he said that he would approach Freddy Benson
to conduct a poll amongst supporters to ask them to vote for the
most appropriate method. The Marketing Department finished their
presentation by saying that it was a win, win, situation and they
could not see any downside to the proposition.
The meeting ended with the CEO
saying, "God forbid that anything should ever happen to
our Second Barrier Crew. But if it must, let there be merchandise
to help us cope".
~
~ ~ ~
~ ~
Rugby on TV
Friday
7th March
17:00 Bulls v Lions Super 14 Sky Sports Xtra (17:00-19:00)
19:30 Castres v Biarritz Top 14 British Eurosport 2 (19:15-21:15)
Saturday 8th March
06:30 Chiefs v Cheetahs Super 14 Sky Sports 3 (06:30-09:00)
09:00 Reds v Stormers Super 14 Sky Sports 3 (09:00-11:00)
13:15 Ireland v Wales Six Nations BBC2 (12:45-14:20) BBC1 (14:10-15:00)
BBC Interactive (12:45-15:00) S4C (12:40-15:25)
15:15 Scotland v England Six Nations BBC1 (15:00-17:10, from 13:00
in Scotland) BBC Interactive (15:00-17:10) BBC HD (15:00-17:15)
17:30 Gloucester v London Irish Guinness Premiership Sky Sports
2 (17:30-19:30) Sky Sports HD2 (17:30-19:30)
Sunday 9th March
08:00 Western Force v Crusaders Super 14 Sky Sports 3 (08:00-10:00)
15:00 France v Italy Six Nations BBC2 (14:45-17:00) BBC Interactive
(14:45-17:00)
Friday 14th March
19:00 Wales v France U20 International BBC2 Wales (19:00-21:00)BBC
Interactive (19:00-21:00)
19:30 TBC Top 14 British Eurosport 2 (19:15-21:15)
19:30 England v Ireland U20 International Sky Sports 3 (19:30-21:30)
Saturday 15th March
06:30 Crusaders v Cheetahs Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (06:30-08:30)
08:30 Reds v Bulls Super 14 Sky Sports 2 (08:30-11:00)
13:00 Italy v Scotland Six Nations BBC1 (12:45-15:50) BBC Interactive
(12:45-15:50)
15:00 England v Ireland Six Nations BBC1 (14:50-16:50) BBC Interactive
(14:50-16:50) BBC HD (14:50-16:50)
17:00 Wales v France Six Nations BBC1 (16:50-19:30) BBC Interactive
(16:50-19:30) S4C
Sunday 16th March
12:30 Worcester v Leeds Guinness Premiership Sky Sports 2 (12:30-15:00)
Sky Sports HD2 (12:30-15:00)
14:00 Belvedere v St. Marys Powerade Leinster Schools Senior Cup
Final Setanta Ireland (13:40-16:00)
15:00 London Irish v Wasps Guinness Premiership Sky Sports 2 (15:00-17:00)
Sky Sports HD2 (15:00-17:00)