‘Tis a cruel, cruel championship that makes you play the same very, very good side two weeks in a row.
Ulster somehow managed to pull off an away win against Toulouse, but nearly threw it away at the end.
What was so scary about the champions?
- Their seven-foot (or nearly) line-out stealer
- Their incredible counter-rucking
- Their loosey-goosey attack
- Their more than solid defence
- The World Player of the Year™
We face them this weekend at Ravenhill, but they are going to be revved up, I reckon. The score was 20-26, and that’s not a comfy cushion (‘No! Not the comfy cushion!’)
Read on for the other fixtures.
Onna telly this week
Friday 15th April
| Leinster v Connacht | 17:e0 | BT Sport 1 |
| Bristol v Sale | 20:00 | BT Sport 1 |
Saturday 16th April
| Chiefs v Moana Pasifika | 05:35 | Sky Sports Main Event |
| Highlanders v Hurricanes | 08:05 | Sky Sports Arena |
| Western Force v Waratahs | 12:30 | Channel 4 / BT Sport 2 |
| La Rochelle v Bordeaux | 15:00 | BT Sport 3 |
| Munster v Exeter | 15:00 | BT Sport 2 |
| Leicester v Clermont | 17:30 | BT Sport 2 |
| Scarlets v Dragons | 19:35 | S4C / Premier Sports 1 |
| Ulster v Toulouse | 20:00 | BT Sport 2 |
Sunday 17th April
| Saracens v Cardiff | 13:00 | BT Sport 2 | ||
| Racing 92 v Stade Français | 15:30 | BT Sport 2 |
Ovally Balls 
Glaws battering Bath. 45-0. 20 minutes to go.
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Exeter players can have a nice long holiday now……………………
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Looking at the Bath line-up, just what is going on there??
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Ten to go, Sharks still 31-21 up. Fassi has done some lovely things from 15 this afternoon. Also getting wound up by the Connacht players. Needs to keep his cool. Mapimpi gets through traffic that he’s not supposed to. Really hasn’t had enough ball. Sharks with a penalty just outside the 22 and they opt for posts. 34-21 with 7 to go.
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Bath are all washed up. Sorry, I’ll get my coat etc.
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Sharks get back into the Connacht 22, take it quickly from the lineout and big Le Roux Roets crashes over. He’s about 135kg in the 2nd row and has lost 30kg or so. Not a dynamic lock, but takes some effort to bring him down and that he’s playing a full 80 is impressive! 41-21 into the last minute, by the way.
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Connacht kick a penalty to the corner. They’ve lost the 2nd half 31-0 as they knock on and it’s game over.
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64 – 0…………………………………Bath need a collective shooting!
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…………………………obviously, so ashamed to be only 24 – 0 down at half-time, they concede 40 points in the 2nd half
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more seriously, it looks like a major player revolt
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Bath are a complete shower.
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Stormers-Leinster underway. Is it Leinster B? Stormers score after 38 seconds although looking at a potential obstruction. Did he hold his line? No, penalty Leinster.
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Gloucester could have had more too – they missed out on a couple of tries and Adam missed some kicks at goal.
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Both sides looking to give it air, but not able to break the defences as yet. Malherbe and Kitshoff the props for the Stormers. Hooker had been plucked from the Cheetahs with all the usual Stormers ones out.
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Leolin Zas looking superb, as he has for most of the year – a Bok call up in June? Although huge competition in the back 3. Leinster looking composed thus far, but give away a penalty with the ball carrier isolated. Libbok lines up the kick and the Stormers break the deadlock. 3-0 after 15.
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Stormers don’t clear the restart properly and Leinster level it up.
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Ruddock busts downfield from the restart and Leinster have another shot. Frawley knocks it over! 3-6 after 20. Leinster getting into the game after a fast Stormers start. Stormers penalty though for crabbing round the maul. Leinster penalty for a high tackle after they won the lineout.
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Real arm wrestle this, with neither side able to make posession count. Stormers get a scrum penalty and there’s a bit of handbags to follow. Lineout 10m from the Leinster line. Stormers are comical at the moment, getting nothing right and Leinster have an attacking scrum 10m out now.
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This is a Bol-laden side and they simply look flat and disjointed. Leinster much better at the basics. Except the scrum where the Jinja Ninja floors his man.
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Not spag-bol a bit more pronking than that.
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Stormers score a try whilst I was watching Leeds-Man City. I’m embarrassed. 8-6 Stormers.
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Either an amazing try or sublime defence! Superb from the Leinster fullback, I think. No, Rob Russell tackles Senatla into touch inches from the line! Stormers are making all the running here though with Dayimani held up over the line superbly. Back for a penalty though and the Stormers call a scrum 10m out. Stormers hammer the Leinster scrum and get another advantage. Take it into midfield and back for the penalty. Scrum, fast hands and Senatla scores in the corner!
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Leinster squeeze and squeeze and get the penalties and warnings and drive over in the corner! Great patience, good skills. 13-13 with 20 to go.
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Cracking snooker semi-final just finished. Wrong man won, but a great game.
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Evan Roos gives away a stupid, petulant penalty but Leinster give it away at the lineout with an obstruction. Stormers penalty on the 5m. Penalty try! And the Leinster 9 binned. Still thinks that’s a crap rule. Penalty try is surely sanction enough?
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Small margins going the Stormers way now and Leinster are going backwards. Defensive lineout for them 8m out. They exit ok and then Gelant overcooks the return. Leinster over the 10m line and still well in the game. It’s tight and tetchy.
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Stormers with an option of scrum or 22m drop opt for the scrum. Risky, but they’ve got the penalty. Kick is up to the Leinster 10m, but they’ve overthrown it. Stormers have 2 minutes to get the bonus point. They won’t get it by giving away soft penalties! Leinster could tie this up with a converted try
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Final play is Stormers scrum just inside the Leinster half. A final try will get the Stormers to 2nd on the log. It would also mean Leinster aren’t guaranteed top spot. Leinster win the scrum penalty! And kick it out. Not a great game.
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Tractor porn!
… And MON ULSTER!
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Embra have lost their 12 to injury, and Timoney’s earnt himself a yellow card.
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Seems Hendo’s gone off as well – not sure why.
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Oh hell, we’ve lost McCloskey too.
Only 7 mins gone!
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BALOUCOOOOOOOUNE!
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McInally being helped off the pitch. There’ll be nobody left by half-time.
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Some penalties here and there. 3-13 at oranges.
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Ulster deserve to be in the lead without really doing anything with the ball.
We’ve blown at least three, probably four try scoring opportunities, I say opportunities rather than chances because they were simple “move it through the hands” and we’d have scored.
Some of the decisions have been questionable, I don’t know what the penalty count is but I’d guess at something like 9 -4 in favour of Ulster, but that is not why we are losing.
We are so fucking inaccurate it beggars belief
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It must be frustrating, Ticht – there were certainly several ‘oh, they must score now’ moments when brain farts then took over.
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Thaum, I’m hoping that facing the wind in the second half will blow the Ulster defence back onside :-)
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Ouf. That’s a nasty tackle.
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Think Doak should probably have had an HIA.
Now Embra’s replacement hooker is borked.
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Oh good, Cooney is coming on for Doak.
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… Although Doak’s just gone to sit on the bench instead of having any kind of assessment!
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AOC gets a yellow, but Ulster manage to prevent a try from the ensuing mêlée.
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Ulster were throwing a line out jumper across the line there in the same way that Edinburgh got penalised for twice
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Oh hell, now Lowry’s injured – looks like his neck.
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He’s off for an HIA. By the look of him, he won’t be back.
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Try Bennett!
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Now McIlroy is down after getting a bang to the head.
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Was just going to say that I don’t think we have any more backs on the bench, but Lowry’s by the side of the pitch with a massive bandage around his head.
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Commiserations, Ticht.
I did not enjoy that match at all. Too many injuries, on both sides. As someone posted recently, do we actually have to see a player die on the pitch?
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