PLANET RUGBY

Compiled by GAVIN CUMMISKEY

Ulster stars in line for international recognition

ULSTER outhalf Ian Humphreys (this was his second big win at Thomond Park having been on the Leicester Tigers side that ended Munster's perfect European record last year) and Darren Cave are suddenly in line for national recognition in the seemingly impregnable outhalf and outside centre positions.

"Ian's really come on especially in his defence and we wouldn't let him in the team until he got his tackling right," said Williams. "Even if it meant he stayed out of team for six weeks. Every challenge we've put there in front of him, he's risen to it and I think also the fact people talk about him now as a player, not the fact that he's David's brother. He's just growing in maturity and in stature; his self belief is growing. There's a lot of pressure on him in Ulster because he's David's brother, but he's establishing himself in his own right.

"I do think he's got a future at 10. He's a really exciting player; he's got great vision and brings his players around him into the game well. His running game is very good, he's quick himself. "I thought Darren Cave had a magnificent game, too. Again he is someone who has improved more than we thought. We knew he was good, but we didn't know how far and how quickly he'd improve. He just keeps getting better. That was a big stage and a big occasion and he was very, very good out there." Cave has been a coming force since nudging Keith Earls onto the wing for the 2007 Grand Slam winning Irish under-20s.

Naturalised Irishman Tom Court also had a great night at loose-head prop and natural speed merchant Mark McCrea looks to have a bright future.

Then there is the cast iron certainty for the Irish Six Nations team: Stephen Ferris. Nearing Paul O'Connell-esque standards, there is even talk of Ferris being the front-runner for the Lions blindside flank next summer.

Holding court in Limerick

THE 2008-09 meetings between Ireland's professional teams have proven highly unpredictable with Ulster doing the double on Munster; Leinster and Munster both losing in Galway, Munster hammering Leinster in Dublin only for Michael Cheika's men to win up in Belfast.

It was easy to dismiss Ulster coach Matt Williams' constantly "positive" perspective of attaining a performance and the results will eventually follow when they seemed incapable of winning away from Ravenhill this season. But Ulster are the only team to hold an Indian sign over Munster after Saturday's emphatic 37-11 win in Limerick.

Williams rightly held court in Thomond Park on Saturday night and informed everyone that he was actually carved from Munster granite: "My grandfather is from Limerick and I was thinking about him a lot during the week, and I think he might be proud."

Cheika frustrated over scrums

THE scrum was a mess on Friday night at the RDS with Michael Cheika citing only two playable balls in Leinster's eventual quelling of Connacht. Afterwards, we sought his take on the constant collapsing.

"As a coach I'd be lying if I said I wasn't frustrated, but we have to work with the referees to get their interpretations clearer so we can help our props.

"Even if we think we're right and they're wrong we still have to go by their interpretation. That's what counts. We have to say, okay, what are you looking for in the scrum? And try and make that happen on the field.

"I felt that Stan Wright was hitting and John Lyne was turning in. It looked like he couldn't take the hit so Stan was going aground.

"The instruction we were given before the game was that anyone who was scrumming down would be penalised.

"I don't blame the ref because he is not a front rower either. He has got to have certain triggers that he looks at," he said.

Bradley not happy with ref

UP and coming Irish referee Peter Fitzgibbon came in for criticism from Michael Bradley after Luke Fitzgerald's decisive try at the RDS, the Connacht coach claiming everyone but the officials noticed the knock on. Granted, Fitzgibbon consulted his touch judge but the brave Connacht defence, at the very least, deserved a second opinion from TMO Dermot Moloney.

The frustration was etched all over captain John Muldoon's face as the try effectively killed off the chances of a bonus point.

"We're shockingly disappointed inside (the dressingroom)," said Muldoon. "First of all for losing the game because to be honest we were in it for a long time and to come out of it with nothing at all is bitterly disappointing. We deserve more than that."

In their defence, it is easy to pass judgement from the sanctuary of a laptop.