What the Papers Say 2015/2016

Talk about the men in white, and everything Ulster!!

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Mac
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Tuesday 30th June 2015


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Returning Faloon tells Ulster fans he is better than ever
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Willie Faloon has signed a one-year deal with Ulster Inpho
Although returning flanker Willie Faloon feels like he has never been away from Ulster, the 28-year-old says the Kingspan Stadium faithful will barely recognise him :roll: when the new GUINNESS PRO12 season begins.

Faloon, who started his career with Ulster, has spent the last three seasons with their inter-provincial rivals Connacht, helping them to eighth, tenth and, most recently, seventh-place finishes in the GUINNESS PRO12 table.

The Armagh-born star has now returned to the same house he left in 2012 and is surrounded by friends and family to make him feel instantly at home.

But Faloon believes the Ulster fans will see a different player to the one they waved goodbye to.

"There is no doubt I have developed as a person and a player having been away for three years," he told Ulster's official website.

"If I knew back then what I know now I would have been a much better player. I train a lot harder now and I take care of the smaller details, which I didn't do three years ago.

"I have learnt that I need to look after my all-round game and take care of every detail in order to perform well.

"I have moved back into the same house where I stayed before, back into the same bedroom, so you could say it's like I've never been away.

"It will be great to pull on an Ulster jersey again and get involved in what should be a really exciting time for the province."
http://www.pro12rugby.com/news/17535.ph ... 7IpdLYw.97


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Summer’s over: Here’s how your favourite Irish rugby stars spent their holidays
Jackson and Henderson went to the woods, Heaslip acted out some Will Smith lyrics and everybody broke their diet plan wide open.
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More..... http://www.the42.ie/ireland-rugby-playe ... 4-Jun2015/
Last edited by Mac on Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:02 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Thursday 2nd July 2015


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Getting to Know Sam Windsor
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Australian outhalf, Sam Windsor, who is Irish qualified through his parents, arrived in Belfast last week to get settled in before the start of pre-season training. We caught up with him to get to know the 27 year-old and find out what his first impressions of Ulster are...

“I found a place close by and it is fully furnished so I have landed on my feet,” says Sam. “I took a few strolls into town over the weekend to have a look around but I haven’t done too much exploring yet. I enjoy coffee and food and the boys have shown me a few good spots already, so far I am really impressed.

“The facilities here are unreal and are obviously really new. It is a privilege to come in and be a part of this squad. The coaching staff are really serious about getting the job done so we are in good hands. I visited in February and May so I had seen and toured around the stadium and was extremely impressed.”

Sam is an alumni of the ACT Brumbies Academy and before moving to Worcester Warriors in the later part of the 2014/15 season he played for his home side New South Wales Country Eagles. He describes the main differences between the set up in Oz and the set up in Ulster as:

“Here everything is centralised in one base, and I think that is really important. At Kingspan the all-weather pitches are at the back and you are just a short walk away from the Pirrie grass pitches. In Australia everything is a bit more spread out. Teams usually share the facilities with other sports. When I was in Canberra, the Brumbies shared theirs with the AIS and the University so to have our own place solely for team use is pretty cool.

“I think Irish people are definitely more passionate, supporters and players. The rugby culture here is a lot different to Australia, there you have a few other distractions, beaches and nicer weather so boys can potentially lead off track. But over here, there is a huge amount of seriousness that comes with rugby. So when you are training or in game time it is all systems go, which I like and I think that’s what breeds success - Irish rugby has shown that in the last few years.”

Speaking at the beginning of a tough few weeks of pre-season Sam is looking forward to getting past his shoulder injury and had his sights set on playing as many games for Ulster this season as possible…

“The first few weeks will be a building stage for me, lots of weights, anaerobic stuff and speed exercises to build on muscle and prepare us for what’s going to be a tough season. Last year I injured my shoulder in December so the last six months have been rehab for me. I am sure the S&C guys will be looking to get some size and strength back on my upper body also.

“It is a really exciting time to be joining Ulster, the squad is full of talented guys but teams wouldn’t be successful if there wasn’t pressure or competition for positions from guys coming in. The more competition, the better players perform because they know there is always someone knocking on the door. I am excited about that and looking forward to the challenge.

“My goals for this season at Ulster are really just to play rugby regularly, coming off the shoulder injury, I haven’t played for six months so my first goal is to get on the field and then string as many games together as I can. I hope to remain injury free and ultimately win games. I am really looking forward to experiencing the renowned support and atmosphere here, I have watched it on TV so the first home game at Kingspan Stadium is going to be pretty special.”
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestN ... ndsor.aspx

Blah, Blah, Blah........ but can he play :roll:
Last edited by Mac on Mon Jul 13, 2015 8:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Friday 3rd July 2015


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Getting to know Peter Browne…
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Peter Browne is another one of the new arrivals to Ulster Rugby this week. He has played for Harlequins, Newcastle Falcons and London Welsh in the English Premiership. At 6ft 7 inches, he is an imposing presence and can play either in the second row or the back row. The 27 year old is glad to be in his new surroundings at Ulster and pleased with what he has seen in his first few days at the province:

He says: “It is great to be here, I am really excited. It is an amazing opportunity and I am looking forward to getting stuck in. I arrived a few weeks ago but since then I have been sailing in the South of France with friends so it was a nice little break before pre-season.

“Belfast is really nice, I come from London so it’s a lot different but in a good way. It is a lot greener, less traffic, the people are friendlier and it’s really great to be here. The boys have been really welcoming so I am looking forward to getting to know them.”

Like all new players at Ulster, Peter is impressed with Kingspan Stadium and the facilities that it offers:

“The stadium itself is incredible,” he says. “It’s state of the art and at a different level to what I have experienced before. It’s a place that puts the players first and gives them the opportunity to reach their potential which is one of the reason why I wanted to come here.”

However, he is quick to point out that facilities are nothing without effort:

“The next few weeks will require a huge amount of hard work, lots of good food and nutrition and laying the foundations for a long and hopefully a really good season ahead. I will be doing some weights and conditioning work and getting stuck in with the other lads.

“The GPS monitoring, the facilities, the nutrition work and all the detail that goes into player welfare are amazing.”

Even though he has only been in Belfast a few days Peter has already set himself some big goals for the campaign ahead:

“I wouldn’t be here if it didn’t motivate me and excite me that the quality of play here is really high and therefore I will have to push myself to learn and keep improving to get game time. I hope to play as many games as I can, on a winning team and I want to play the style of rugby that Ulster are playing. Expansive play really excites me, it puts teams under pressure and that should allow us to win games. Of course, this is only my first week but if we all work to better ourselves by those small degrees then hopefully that will lead to good performances this season and the whole being better. The old saying the sea is made up of droplets, is cheesy but true!”

Welcome Peter and look forward to seeing you in an Ulster jersey!
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestN ... 80%a6.aspx
Last edited by Mac on Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:59 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Monday 6th July 2015


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How waking up became a nightmare for Tom Court Image
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Stressed: former Ulster star Tom Court has revealed how he struggled to sleep because of the pressure of the international game
Tom Court wouldn't swap his old life but that doesn't mean he misses it either. He certainly doesn't miss the sleepless nights. The anxieties that accompanied the too regular waking hours in the dead of night.

The short fuse that ignited an otherwise blissful domestic scene. The nagging self-doubt.

Am I good enough? If I am good enough, do they think I'm good enough? Will I be good enough next week?

A Grand Slam win during a six-year career amassing 32 caps while also playing 104 times for Ulster may indicate that others thought more of him than sometimes he did himself.

Nevertheless, having admitted to growing "stale" at Ulster, from where he joined London Irish for a fresh challenge last summer, the 34-year-old Brisbane-born loose-head is still happy to have discovered a renewed ease in his daily life.

His was a pressurised existence few professionals publicly voice. But a recent survey from the Irish Rugby Union Players' Association (IRUPA) would suggest most privately struggle with the levels of stress to which Court had become accustomed.

Their survey revealed 67% of respondents admitting to regularly/always spending time worrying about playing performance while 74% of players have admitted suffering from excessive lack of sleep; four in 10 agree that performance worries affect relationships outside the sport.

Court candidly attests to a phenomenon that, largely, remains undiscussed. Stress attacks sleep which itself arouses stress; it's an unforgiving cycle.

Court's introspection was magnified by his sense of being an interloper who, rightly or wrongly, felt he had to over-reach himself to make an impression in the land of his Limerick-born grandfather, Patrick.

"I suffered massively from it, especially when involved in the Irish set-up," he reveals. "I always felt like I was the first guy they were trying to get out of the team whereas it seemed like others, even if they had a nightmare game, couldn't get dropped if they tried.

"I joked once that when I had a shocker from the bench I never got promoted to start a game!

"But yeah, I suffered terribly from stress and all that because I always felt I had to perform a lot better than some of the local, born and bred guys in order to maintain my place on the team.

"It always felt to me like form was something where reputations weren't really matched up with form all the time. It's one of those things where you always felt under pressure to perform because your position was always under threat.

"My wife deserves more credit than I do because the amount of my sleep I lost, and the amount of stress I caused her and the kids over the years, it's probably hard to quantify it all.

"Add in young kids, that piles on the pressure. That's why the move over here was a watershed moment. I had to clean my hands of it, tell myself it's all over and start fresh.

"Now I can focus purely on the club and day-to-day, not to have to switch camps. It's very tricky to handle. People joke about Joe Schmidt and how intense he is. I only had a taste of it but I can only imagine what it is like now. Some players can deal with it better than others."

Court's warning signs had consequences for the harmony of home life. He was bringing his stress home as, he suspects, most do. Few speak about it, though.

"Definitely, I don't know many players who it wouldn't affect. The top guys obviously manage it well and have relationships outside the game that can help. It was an enormous strain on my marriage.

"You're away for weeks on end. But then when you're home, you're totally occupied with your Ireland form or your form leading into tournaments. You're playing well to get into the team but always second-guessing yourself, have you done well enough to get in or will they look for someone else?

"Even in the Province, the guys who are conscientious and give a damn, they'll take it home.

"The older I get, the better I am with sleep hygiene, winding down by reading books or listening to something. You need that routine or else you'll never get out of your head what you should have done or what might have been.

"This year, I dealt with all that and made peace with it all. I've been like a spectator, being happy for them. It's been great watching Jack McGrath in my position, probably Ireland's most consistent performer.

"And being happy for Robbie Henshaw and older guys like Paul O'Connell. It's great to wish them well and feel part of it that way."

It will help knowing that, whatever happens Ireland or himself, he won't be losing that much sleep.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 53094.html


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Getting to Know Paul Rowley
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Paul Rowley, who is 26, began his career at the Munster Academy and played for the province’s U19 and U20 sides. He moved to English Championship side, Plymouth Albion, at the start of the 2011/12 season and became a first team regular, making 41 appearances and scoring three tries.

He then moved, along with other new arrival Peter Browne, to London Welsh last season, before signing for Ulster.

“It’s great to have arrived at Ulster,” says Rowley. “The boys have given me a good welcome, I knew Ruaidhri Murphy a bit before so he has shown me the ropes and given me a tour of Belfast. I have been here for two weeks now so I am getting used to things and I am feeling settled in.

“The city is great, Ruaidhri has got me on to 5A coffee shop down by Stranmillis and Kaffe-o on the Ormeau Road. I have had a walk around a few of the parks which are nice. I have a little dog, a French bulldog/border terrier he’s a weird looking little thing but he is certainly enjoying the local parks. I have made a trip out to Helens Bay which was really nice and the dog loved there too!

“The stadium itself is unbelievable, I came over the Easter weekend and had a look around but the pictures you see definitely don’t do it justice until you actually see it, it is an amazing set up. The facilities were certainly a driver which made me want to come here, but also the fact that so many talented international players are here and the club has big aspirations - that is what I wanted.”

Last week saw the beginning of pre-season training and he has no doubt it is going to be tough:

“Pre-season has just started so my focus for the next while will be a lot of speed work and building my fitness in preparation for game time. It’s not actually a long time, four or five weeks until the season starts, which is shorter than previous pre-seasons I’ve had. I am sure it’s going to be tough, but I’m prepared for that.

“There is a lot of competition in the side but that means you can only get better. It is going to take a huge amount of effort to get game time, I am fully aware of that. All I can do is try my best, give it all I’ve got and see what happens.”

Having had a disappointing season with London Welsh, Rowley is looking to turn his fortunes around with a successful campaign at Ulster:

“It is the same for both Pete (Browne) and myself, it gives us more motivation, coming off a season like that, it is one to forget for a lot of reasons but at the end of the day, we won’t let that happen again. It gives us extra motivation to work harder and amend what happened to us last season in terms of our personal reputation.”

It is early days but he already has clear ambitions for the season:

“I want to get on the pitch as much as I can. I am older now, more mature and my role within the squad has changed from previous years. I have a bit of experience under my belt now so I will try to bring something different to the team. If the kit sale queue is anything to go by, I can’t wait to see the supporters on match nights!”
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestN ... owley.aspx
Last edited by Mac on Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:56 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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I often thought TC was given a hard time by fans from the other provinces (Munter mainly,) and by Ireland under Deccie especially. Most of it grossly unjustified. Agreed, They never rated him, and couldn't, it seemed, get him out fast enough. Scapegoat comes to mind, especially the Twickers debacle, when Ross phoned in sick. I agree, reading between the lines, that his face didnt fit because he spoke with an Aussie accent. There always seemed to me an undercurrent of latent (often blatant) Xenophobia about it; He wasn't Oirish enough for Munter fans (ironic given ROGw as born in USA etc..,) and that magnified his mistakes and lessened his achievements in the eyes of some- media AND players- shame on them. (DOC, I recall, always seemed to have an edge with TC.)

Seems like a more extreme version of some of the historical undercurrents around some of own our Ulster- born players too- Paddy Wallace, Caveman, AAT, DHumph, to name but a few, going back to Paddy Johns and beyond (who said in his biography, an Ulster player needed to be twice that of the Munter or Ladybois competition for the same jersey to get into the ireland squad. And there has been some shyte from those provinces who have disgraced an Irish jersey)

TC wasn't a natural born prop, but was strong and smart enough to make up for coming late to it. Bear in mind he regularly took on the best in Europe, including France and England, and was rarely bested. Include Tiggers, Saints, Clermont, Stade etc in that rolecall. We often saw the best of him after he'd been pished about by Ireland, and Angry Tom vented spleen. Maybe we should be thankful that DK was such a one eyed tw*t.

Personally I think it was sad TC drifted away from Ulster unheralded, whilst Johann, rightly, was applauded from the pitch. He gave us his all, when many good players wouldn't touch us with a barge pole. Fair do's to the big man, and I hope he bears no bitterness to Ulster, who (fans included) always backed him. By the time he left, it was obvious that CB was the coming man, in the natural order of things.

Aw, CB, now there's another puzzlement- not even near an Ireland training squad- is he really that far behind Cronin, Buckley, McGrath, Healey, the hilariously named Killer- history repeating?............ :banghead: >flog :red:
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

Post by rorybestsbigbaldnoggin »

CIMANFOREVER wrote:Personally I think it was sad TC drifted away from Ulster unheralded, whilst Johann, rightly, was applauded from the pitch.
Agree with you on that CIMAN; would only point out that TC's eagerness to try out the "piledriver" position with sexy Devin Toner cut short his last games for Ulster.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Thursday 9th July 2015


The following sent to me by one of our regulars...... :thumleft:

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Ruan to ride to Bok ‘rescue’?
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He falls short of being everyone’s cup of tea, but Ruan Pienaar seems the most likely, immediate beneficiary of Fourie du Preez’s Springbok injury setback.

It was confirmed by the Boks on Monday that the Japan-based Du Preez will miss the next four to eight weeks with a medial knee ligament injury, picked up in training with his Suntory Goliath club a few days back.

A quick mathematical exercise tells you that if the 33-year-old recovers on the rosier side of that prognosis, he might be able to squeeze in some activity in the two Tests against Argentina (one at the end of the Castle Rugby Championship in Durban on August 8, and the other a non-tournament additional fixture away a week later).

But if he requires the full eight weeks for recovery, then Du Preez is only going to return to green-and-gold duty in time for the start of the World Cup; they begin their pool journey against Japan in Brighton on September 19.

What is certain now is that he sits out the two most critical Championship matches against Australia (away) and New Zealand on SA soil in the condensed tournament, which would have been particularly fitting examinations of his ongoing suitability to top-level rugby after many months of first-class idleness -- even before the latest blow.

So in the shorter term, the Boks have to find a suitable alternative at No 9: the Sharks’ Cobus Reinach is the incumbent, if you consider that he wore the jersey in the 12-6 loss to Wales at the Millennium Stadium at the end of last year.

But the six-capper – all of them earned in 2014 – is currently among a 13-strong “rehab” squad just beneath the able-bodied party of 36 named by coach Heyneke Meyer at the weekend.

So Reinach seems unlikely to be in a position to open the Bok season when they tackle a World XV at Newlands on July 11.

That leaves Meyer for the time being, then, with the options of Pienaar – easily closest to Du Preez for pure Test experience and game-management style – plus rookie squad call-ups Rudy Paige (Bulls) and Faf de Klerk of the Lions.

There is the chance, assuming Reinach remains a no-go for the moment, that he may take the daring, experimental step of fast-tracking either of the uncapped Super Rugby 2015 standouts, but it is difficult to look beyond 80-cap Pienaar as likely favourite for the job.

The Ulster-based customer, 31, can be a frustrating presence at times for the Boks, as he has a fairly languid style and somehow gives the impression that he could clear the ball more smartly in times of major need.

But his kicking game and all-round footballing acumen is as well-established as that of Du Preez and his several years of nous picked up in northern hemisphere conditions stands him in good stead for European autumn involvement for the Boks, come the World Cup.

Pienaar last started for South Africa in the tight 14-10 defeat to the All Blacks in Wellington last year – he succumbed to injury just before halftime – and when the Boks avenged that loss 27-25 in the Johannesburg follow-up, Francois Hougaard was the starting scrumhalf.

The versatile Hougaard, however, has been pointedly snubbed by Meyer after a disappointing Super Rugby campaign with the under-achieving Bulls.

You have to think, like it or not, that most signs point to Pienaar at No 9 for the next few weeks ...
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Springbo ... e-20150629


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Andrew Trimble makes baby steps towards comeback
Injury and the recovery process have not stifled Ireland winger’s desire for the game
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“The moments when I missed it (playing) most was when they (Ireland) won the (2015) Six Nations,” says Andrew Trimble Inpho
Injuries challenge the player mentally and physically. Setbacks double the tariffs. Andrew Trimble suffered a toe injury last October and in February, on foot of diligent rehabilitation, was informed that to resolve the issue, an operation was required.

The surgery didn’t so much signal an end to his season as declare it a washout.

Fate stripped bare his aspirations not once but twice and they were lofty as Ireland’s Player of the Year in 2014 and an integral member of the victorious Six Nations Championship winning team of 15 months ago.

It was his first enforced playing sabbatical to boot.

‘Accomplish something’
Speaking at the launch of BT’s new sponsorship of Ulster rugby, Trimble admitted: “The moments when I missed it (playing) most was when they (Ireland) won the (2015) Six Nations. I just thought ‘I was there last year’.

“No one cares about 2014 anymore, apart from me. The feeling whenever you accomplish something like that is just out of this world.

“The feeling of how you’ve done yourself justice and you’ve been a part of something really special. Just watching it on TV and knowing that those guys were feeling like that, you want to be a part of that. That moment I thought, I want more than anything to get back on my feet.”

Those feelings surfaced again when he watched Ulster dismantle Leinster in a Guinness Pro12 match.

He continued: “That evening I thought ‘this might be a really special Ulster season, the start of a an unbelievable climax to the season when we just kicked on and improved week on week’.

‘Mentally struggling’
“Those were the two nights when I was really missing it and was mentally struggling a little bit. I never quite reached the point where I was rushing for time.

“I wasn’t going to be fit before the end of the season so I always had that window of four weeks to make sure I got fit for the start of pre-season and then you’ve obviously got the five weeks of pre-season to make sure you’re there.”

Trimble, who recently celebrated the birth of a son Jack, focused on the tiny milestones in the rehabilitation process; two weeks on crutches, four in a boot, the first time he got a little bit of movement back in his toe, returning to the gym, starting to do jumps and the moment when he got a glimpse of grass.

He explained: “Week 10, 11, 12 you start getting out there jogging and getting the lungs going again. Over the course of three or four weeks, it develops more into your top-end speed and then changing direction. It sounds a lot more straightforward than it felt at the time. But yeah, I had to do that twice.

“The guy I went to see in London, James Calder the surgeon, he was brilliant. I really appreciated picking his brain and finding out exactly what it was. He broke it down in layman’s terms so I knew what my goals and targets were.

“Any problems that I had that were unexpected, I just went straight back to him. He made the whole process far easier.”

To fight the onset of mental torpor, he trained as a mechanic, alongside team-mate and fellow invalid Iain Henderson.

The pair bought a couple of mini cars. He also did a post-Grad in management choosing a different course to Tommy Bowe because “I think we’ve dragged each other back when we’ve done the same exams in previous years”.

He admitted to being a little relieved but excited when included in Ireland’s 45-man World Cup training squad and that he’ll draw confidence from his last full season of rugby.

“Personally, I know I’ve done it before and I know I can do it again. It was a big challenge for me to get up for 2014 because it was the first time I really felt in the centre of what we’re doing and what we were achieving.

“I was contributing, I was doing my bit. So for me to go from not having done that to doing that was a big challenge. It’s really important that I have that to look back on if ever something big is asked of me in the future. If I need a big performance or to execute a task, I know I can do it because I’ve done it before.

“Hopefully I get an opportunity (to play in the World Cup warm-up matches). If I don’t get an opportunity, I’ll be disappointed. If I do get it, I know I have to take my chance. Joe (Schmidt) talks a lot about how we’re systems driven and I think that’s something everyone takes into account.

“If you can contribute that little bit to the team performance, that’s really important and Joe more than anyone I know, looks at the small details. That’s something I’ve got to keep in mind as well.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/a ... -1.2278171


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Six Nations pain fuels my hunger for World Cup spot - Andrew Trimble
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Out of action due to injury, Andrew Trimble hasn’t played since October, which makes Ireland’s warm-up games more crucial for him than a lot of others in the squad
It's been a long and gruelling road to recovery but as Andrew Trimble settles himself into the familiar surrounds of Ravenhill, the smile returns to his face.

Nine months after suffering a toe injury, the winger can finally see light at the end of a tunnel that for a while, seemed to darken with every passing setback.

Having arguably had the best season of his career in 2013-14, Trimble was forced to painfully watch on from the treatment table as Ireland won back-to-back Six Nations - with rival wingers playing their way into Joe Schmidt's World Cup plans.

The Ireland coach has long been an admirer of Trimble and prior to damaging ligaments in his toe, the Ulsterman was a certain starter.

Trimble spent last week with the Ireland squad and, although some aspects of his training were modified, he is further down the line in his recovery than he had anticipated.

"I'm way, way further ahead than what I thought I would be, so I'm really pleased," he said.

"I did a week before we started with the team. I did an extra conditioning session last week and ramped up the intensity, the amount of metres covered and the pace.

"Since I've got back on my feet, things have gone unbelievably well for me.
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Andrew Trimble scores a try for Ireland against France last year

"I'm pretty much there - as long as I don't have any more setbacks, I'm where I want to be.

"I've got back up to a good bit of pace. I'm running well. I'm really just so pleased to be back in the mix and back, hopefully, fighting for a spot," he added.

"Mentally towards the end of the season it was tough," he admits. "When they won the Six Nations, I just thought 'I was there last year'. No one cares about 2014 any more, apart from me. The feeling whenever you accomplish something like that is just out of this world.

"The feeling of how you've done yourself justice and you've been a part of something really special. Just watching it on TV and knowing that those guys were feeling like that, you want to be a part of that.

"That moment I thought, 'I would more than anything love to get back on my feet'.

"I never quite reached the point where I was rushing for time. I was never going to be fit before the end of the season so I always had that window of four weeks to make sure I got fit for the start of pre-season and then you've got the five weeks of pre-season to make sure you're there.

"I always had plenty of time so I just wanted to make sure I used that time wisely, to be in as good a position as I can."

Trimble hasn't played since October, which makes Ireland's warm-up games more crucial for him than a lot of others in the squad.

Making Schmidt's 45-man training squad was seen as the first hurdle and now that he is involved, he is desperate to make up for lost time.

"I was relieved," Trimble sighs. "The standard is so high at the minute.

"I think there's eight wingers in the squad at the minute and every one of them is quality. They're all playing good rugby and they're serious athletes, their skills are good.

"You're looking at them going 'right, where can I get the edge on these guys?'. But you're struggling to work it out.

"There's a lot of quality there. There's a lot of quality in Irish rugby. Irish rugby is going in an unbelievably good direction at the minute.

"We won two Six Nations on the bounce and I want to be a part of that. The standard has really moved on again in the last six or seven months when I haven't been on the pitch.

"In some ways, I've got to play catch-up and make sure I get back in there and try and impress, get on the pitch, try and get a jersey and play some good rugby."

The 2014 Six Nations title will forever remain a watershed moment in Trimble's career and it is something that he is keen to use to his advantage as he looks to secure a spot in the 31-man World Cup squad.

"It was a big challenge for me to get up for 2014 because it was the first time I really felt in the centre of what we were doing and what we were achieving," he explains.

"I was contributing, I was doing my bit. So for me to go from not having done that to doing it was a big challenge. It's really important that I have that to look back on if ever something big is asked of me in the future.

"Joe talks a lot about how we're systems-driven and I think that's something every player takes into account.

"If you can contribute that little bit to the team performance, that's really important, and Joe, more than anyone I know, looks at the small little details - and that wouldn't be the stuff that the commentators are picking up on, not getting the big headlines.

"Joe appreciates the small things and that's something I've got to keep in mind as well."

Away from the pitch, Trimble has recently become a father, sat post-graduate exams with Tommy Bowe and worked on cars with Iain Henderson.

Life outside of rugby moves on, just as those who are inside the bubble also do, but Trimble has timed his comeback well and is hungrier than ever for success ahead of the World Cup.

"This was the first time I missed all the Ireland games in the season - all the big games, all the big occasions, all the big nights at Ravenhill," he says.

"I wasn't a part of them so it just leaves a gap that makes you realise how much you love it and how much you want to be out there performing, playing with your mates and doing special things in a green jersey."

Music to Schmidt and every Ireland supporter's ears.
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/w ... 63139.html


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‘Joe, more than anyone I know, looks at the small little details’ – Trimble
The Ulster wing is heading back towards full fitness after enduring a frustrating 2014/15 season.
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Trimble was superb in the 2014 Six Nations. Inpho
ATTEMPTING TO FIX up a Mini, studying towards a post-graduate degree in management and, in his own words, “making a baby” – just some of the things that helped to keep Andrew Trimble sane as he endured a frustrating 2014/15 season.

A star of Ireland’s 2014 Six Nations success, the Ulster wing originally suffered ligament damage to a toe in his right foot in October of last year. Trimble slogged his way back towards fitness only to suffer a reoccurrence of the injury in February, undergoing a second bout of surgery as his season was ended.

The most exasperating part of it was that the 30-year-old had started the campaign in scorching form, scoring four tries in four starts for Ulster.

Trimble is happily now back in the thick of pre-season as part of Ireland’s 45-man World Cup training squad, cautiously optimistic that the worst is well behind him. Though he acknowledges the competition for a place in Joe Schmidt’s final 31-man group to travel in September, the Belfast man is beyond determined to play a central role.

Trimble was in relaxed form yesterday at Kingspan Stadium, reporting that he is “way, way further ahead than what I thought I would be” in terms of his fitness.

There are still steps of progress to be made in terms of his side-stepping and change of direction, but that pesky toe injury is not causing any unexpected trouble.


The toe has been grand, really good actually,” said Trimble. “When you’ve been off your feet for a while there’s always a couple of niggles and then the four weeks over holidays, I was maybe hoping to do a bit more training than I have done.

“I got back in (for pre-season) and since I’ve got back on my feet, things have gone unbelievably well for me. I’ve been really, really pleased.

“My lungs are still struggling from being off my feet for so long but that will come. My foot, my toe and everything else… I’m running well. I’ve got back up to a good bit of pace. I’m really just so pleased to be back in the mix and back hopefully fighting for a spot.”
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Trimble was on hand as BT Sport announced that it is to continue its partnership with Ulster Rugby under a new four-year deal. Inpho

Trimble got back a week earlier than most of his Ireland teammates for pre-season as he looked to begin with a bang, and reports that the time off his feet through injury actually left him in an excellent place in terms of his strength and gym work.

Like the rest of Schmidt’s 45-man squad, Trimble has so far split his time between Carton House and training with his own province, but looks forward to reconvening with the national team in Galway this Saturday.

With his physical condition improving all the time, Trimble now has the task of battling back into Schmidt’s thinking in terms of final selection for the World Cup.

Having started all five games of the 2014 Six Nations triumph, scoring three tries, Trimble had almost become one of Schmidt’s stalwarts. Since then, other wide men have put their hands up in his injury-enforced absence.

Trimble takes major confidence from that 2014 experience, however, the first season he really put his hand up as a player of genuine importance to Ireland.

For me personally, I know I’ve done it before and I know I can do it again,” said Trimble. “It was a big challenge for me to get up for 2014 because it was the first time I really felt in the centre of what we were doing and what we were achieving.

“I was contributing, I was doing my bit. So for me to go from not having done that to doing that was a big challenge. It’s really important that I have that to look back on if ever something big is asked of me in the future.

“If I need a big performance or to execute a task, I know I can do it because I’ve done it before. I’d say it’s more important to me than it is for Joe.”
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Trimble celebrates with Johnny Sexton during the 2014 Six Nations. Inpho

The impression in 2014 was that Trimble was the prototype of a Joe Schmidt wing; hard-working, eager to dominate contact, excellent in the air, strong at the breakdown and always looking for an involvement even when the ball wasn’t in his hands.

Many a supporter and critic looks to moments of attacking flair from wings, but Trimble is aware that Ireland’s head coach sees well beyond the superficial.

“Joe talks a lot about how we’re systems driven and I think that’s something everyone takes into account,” said Trimble.

“If you can contribute that little bit to the team performance, that’s really important and Joe, more than anyone I know, looks at the small little details and that wouldn’t be the stuff that the commentators are picking up on and not getting the big headlines.

Joe appreciates the small things and that’s something I’ve got to keep in mind as well.”

But has Schmidt’s system not moved on since Trimble was so integrally involved in 2014? Has the Ulsterman fallen behind in knowing the crucial details?

“I thought I might have,” said Trimble. “Even just trying to remember the Ulster calls and the Ireland calls, there’s a big overlap.

“We did a session on Friday and there was a few little patterns; it’s amazing how quickly it all just slots back into place. A couple more weeks of that and plenty of homework, I just don’t want to get caught out. Anything new coming in, I just want to make sure I know what I’m doing and then hopefully go out on the pitch and execute.”
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Schmidt is a big fan of Trimble's skillset and work-rate. Inpho

After enduring one of his most difficult seasons in rugby in 2014/15, Trimble is eager for this World Cup challenge, the enthusiasm coming from every pore on his body.

Watching Schmidt’s men go to Scotland on the final day of this year’s Six Nations and run in those thrilling tries that brought them a second consecutive title was about as difficult as it got for Trimble mentally during his stint on the sidelines.

“I just thought ‘I was there last year’,” said Trimble of being on the outside. “No one cares about 2014 anymore, apart from me. The feeling whenever you accomplish something like that is just out of this world.

“The feeling of how you’ve done yourself justice and you’ve been a part of something really special. Just watching it on TV and knowing that those guys were feeling like that, you want to be a part of that.

That moment I thought, ‘I would give more than anything to get back on my feet.’”

He’s back on his feet now alright, amped up and ready to take on the extensive competition for a place in Schmidt’s 31-man group that will head for Cardiff in September to take on Canada at the Millennium Stadium.

Last season taught Trimble all about switching off from the frustrations involved in his chosen profession, and though he enjoyed some of it, he’s still a rugby player to the very core.

Himself and Iain Henderson “trained as mechanics” after buying a pair of old Minis, attempting to soup the cars up: “His, at least, is on the road but it’s probably in worse condition than when we started!”
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Trimble's most recent Ireland appearance came on the tour of Argentina last summer. Inpho

Otherwise, he studied a post-grad in management through Hibernia College and the University of London.

Most importantly and life-changingly of all, Trimble and wife Anna had the small matter of welcoming their first child, Jack, into the world.

Trimble now hopes to create more memories to tell his son about in the coming years. The hard work has only started, but Trimble is built for exactly that.
http://www.the42.ie/andrew-trimble-irel ... 6-Jul2015/


Wing competition heats up for Trimble ahead of Ireland’s RWC warm-ups
The 2014 Six Nations winner is back in the mix for Joe Schmidt’s final 31-man squad.
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Trimble is one of a range of excellent wing options for Schmidt. Inpho
AS HE RECOVERS from a season of injury problems ahead of the World Cup, Andrew Trimble is aware that he has a battle on his hands to earn a place in Ireland’s 31-man squad for the global tournament.

The Ulster man is one of 10 players in contention for the wing positions in the finalised group to travel to the World Cup, each of those men feeling confident that they will make the cut.

A list of Trimble, Luke Fitzgerald, Tommy Bowe, Fergus McFadden, Craig Gilroy, Simon Zebo and Dave Kearney offers Schmidt a range of high-quality, proven options, while Munster’s Felix Jones has also been used on the wing in the recent past.

Trimble excelled in the 2014 Six Nations but missed almost the entirety of last season with a troublesome toe ligament injury. Above all, he’s happy to be back in the current 45-man training group despite not having a recent body of work behind him.

“I was relieved, the standard is so high at the minute,” said Trimble at Kingspan Stadium yesterday.

I think there’s eight wingers in the squad at the minute and every one of them is quality. They’re all playing good rugby and they’re serious athletes, their skills are good.

“You’re looking at them going ‘right, where can I get the edge on these guys,’ but you’re struggling to work it out. There’s a lot of quality there. There’s a lot of quality in Irish rugby; Irish rugby is going in an unbelievably good direction at the minute.

“Obviously two Six Nations on the bounce and I want to be a part of that. The standard has really moved on again in the last six or seven months when I haven’t been on the pitch.

“In some ways, I’ve got to play catch up and make sure I get back in there and try and impress, get on the pitch and try and get a jersey on and play some good rugby.”

The first target in Trimble’s mind is a return to his peak physical condition. When that is achieved, the World Cup warm-up fixtures against Wales on Cardiff on 8 August, Scotland in Dublin on 15 August and Wales in the Aviva Stadium on 29 August come firmly into view.

By the time Ireland play England at Twickenham in their final warm-up game on 5 September, Schmidt will already have finalised his 31-player World Cup squad.

They’re very important,” said Trimble of the summer games. “The squad is picked after the third one. It’s a big squad of 45 at the minute so realistically you might get one game – maybe a 60 and a 20, I don’t know.

“Hopefully I get an opportunity. If I don’t get an opportunity, I’ll be disappointed. If I do get it, I know I have to take my chance. It’s going to be difficult going from not having played any rugby to performing straight away when I get out on the pitch.

“It’s a big ask but I’m up for it.”
http://www.the42.ie/ireland-andrew-trim ... 1-Jul2015/


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Fighting fit Andrew Trimble out to make up for lost time
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“Nobody thinks now about the 2014 Six Nations — except me, of course!” jokes Ulster and Ireland winger Andrew Trimble, at last confirming himself ready, willing and healthy to return to rugby after an injury-ravaged year.

Voted the Championship’s Player of the Year just 12 months ago the engaging 30-year-old is pointing out that his heroics in that winning season for his country won’t count when coach Joe Schmidt finally trims his 45-man World Cup squad on September 5..

Trimble was released briefly from the second week of a reportedly very tough pre-season training itinerary to help announce that communications giant BT is extending its current lucrative three-year sponsorship deal with Ulster Rugby for a further four years.

“I was relieved to be in the preliminary panel after being out for the longest time I’ve ever endured with an injury. The toe fracture was a serious one, but I knew exactly what I had to do to get back to the level of fitness I have now.

“I’m really excited by the next year, but I am very aware that I must hit the ground running when the four-game series of warm-up internationals arrive.”

Schmidt will finalise his tournament squad of 31 after the third of those matches, against Wales in Dublin in late August.

Trimble’s performances in the Six Nations triumph of last year finally seemed to copper-fasten his place in the side.

“I suppose I did think I’d shown what I could do at the highest level, and reaching 50 too caps gave me added confidence — for Ireland and for Ulster. But you can never take anything for granted, I never have, and the last year has been tough.

“But everybody has been so supportive, and Joe has always kept in touch and been encouraging. But there were two matches last year when it really hit home how much I missed the game. First was when Ireland completed back-to-back Six Nations successes, knowing what it’s like to be involved in that.

“Then Ulster beat Leinster at the Kingspan Stadium near the end of the season in the Pro 12 and looked set for a run to the title.

“Those are the games you miss, where you think you can and want to bring something to the table,” he says.

And how did he fill his time away from the endless rehab?

“Well Iain Henderson was in the same long-term injury boat and the two of us ‘trained’ as car mechanics trying to fix up two old Minis!

“And Tommy Bowe and I have been studying for post-graduate qualifications. And, of course, I was making babies,” he joked, clearly delighted by the arrival recently of son Jack.

For the moment Ulster’s ambitions will take a back seat as Trimble is clearly determined to bring his committed, all-action, match-winning pace back to the Irish side.

“There are eight quality wingers in the enlarged squad just now, all with talent to burn, all bringing the competition for places that Joe demands.

“Yeah, I want to be in the World Cup and hopefully I can take the opportunity to stake a claim when I get back on pitch.”
http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/rugb ... 41580.html


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Trimble targets World Cup glory after his injury hell
Ulster winger Andrew Trimble feels he is close to full fitness as he aims to nail down a spot in Ireland's squad for the World Cup in September.

Having suffered a setback in his rehabilitation from an injured toe earlier this year, the 30-year-old has not played since sustaining ligament damage against Glasgow Warriors in October but he was included in Joe Schmidt's 45-man training squad last month and is out to prove he is back to his best before a final 31-man panel is named on September 6.

Speaking at the Kingspan Stadium as BT announced they would continue in their role as Ulster Rugby's Official Communications Partner for a further four seasons, he offered an encouraging update on his progress.

"The toe has been grand, really good actually," said the 57-times capped international whose wife Anna gave birth to a son this summer.

"With just being off my feet for a little while there's been a few niggles getting back into it," he added.

"With the four weeks off on holiday I was hoping to do a bit more training than I have done but since I got back in and since I got back on my feet things have gone unbelievably well for me.

"I'm really pleased," Trimble commented.

"The lungs are still struggling just from being off my feet for so long but that will come.

"I'm running well, back up to a good bit of pace, and I'm really just so pleased to be back in the mix and hopefully fighting for a spot."

With Ireland's World Cup hopefuls released back to their provinces this week ahead of an upcoming camp in Galway, Trimble has been working with his Ulster team-mates after a week spent at Carton House where he was almost able to take a full part in training.

Of his pre-season to date, Trimble recalled: "I was in Carton House all week last week, I did a session Monday, Wednesday, Friday and then back up with the boys on Friday.

"(We're) back up with the provinces this week and then down to Galway on Saturday so I'm pretty much on the same schedule as everybody else.

"I did a week before we started with the team and I did an extra conditioning session last week.

"Just ramping it up, the amount of metres covered and the pace, and then more or less back doing everything.

"I did pretty much everything on Friday with just one little tweak, I didn't change direction as much, but I'm pretty much there.

"I did everything yesterday with the boys and it was a tough old session.

"As long as I don't have any more setbacks I'm where I want to be."

Andrew Trimble was speaking at the announcement that BT have signed a new four-year agreement to continue as Ulster Rugby's Official Communications Partner, seeing the BT Sport logo retain its place on the team's jersey.
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport ... 63160.html


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BT announces new four year partnership with Ulster Rugby
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BT today announced that it is to continue its partnership with Ulster Rugby under a new four year deal, which sees the two brands team up until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Continuing its role as Official Communications Partner to Ulster Rugby, the BT Sport logo will retain its prominent position on the Ulster Rugby shirt sleeves for all friendlies, the European Rugby Champions Cup and Guinness PRO12 matches as well as retaining its significant brand presence at Kingspan Stadium, the home of Ulster Rugby.

Peter Russell, General Manager, BT Business in Northern Ireland said: "We are delighted to continue our partnership with Ulster Rugby, demonstrating the commitment of both BT and BT Sport to the game of rugby and to supporting Ulster's continued growth at a provincial and international level.

"Over the past three years, we've built a strong relationship with Ulster Rugby that has successfully delivered on each of our ambitions for the partnership. In that time, both brands have evolved. Ulster has proven itself to be a leading light in professional rugby with its progressive and ambitious plans, while BT has transformed the sports broadcasting landscape with the establishment of BT Sport and our continued innovation in communications technology. As we begin this new long-term partnership we look forward to reinforcing our commitment to Ulster Rugby and bringing the game of rugby closer to the fans, to our employees, to our customers and our suppliers."

Phillip Polack, Business Development Manager, Ulster Rugby said, "BT has been a dedicated partner for not only Ulster Rugby and our professional players, but also for our thousands of supporters by creating exciting opportunities on match nights via the BT Cross Bar Challenge, the BT Speed Test and BT Tweet Seats. Ulster Rugby is thrilled that these supporter opportunities are set to continue and many new initiatives will be in place for at least another four years, as provided by one of our most valued partners, BT, to whom we share many values and the highest of ambitions."
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestN ... Rugby.aspx
Last edited by Mac on Mon Jul 13, 2015 7:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Friday 10th July 2015


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Ulster rugby star Roger Wilson given three-year road ban after second drink-drive offence
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Roger Wilson in action for Ulster
Ulster rugby player Roger Wilson was yesterday banned from driving and fined for refusing to give police a breath specimen.

The former Ulster player of the year and Northampton Saints man (33) pleaded guilty at Ards Magistrates Court to driving near Mount Stewart, Portaferry Road, while unfit through drink or drugs, driving without insurance, and two counts of failing to provide a breath specimen to police while under suspicion of drink-driving, all on March 22.

He was originally listed to contest the case.

Wilson, of Burghley Mews, Belfast, was previously convicted of drink-driving in 2008, when he was caught driving at approximately twice the legal limit. With the latest offence, the court heard that police received a report around 4.50pm on the day in question from a member of the public who said a vehicle in the Ards area was being driven on the wrong side of the road.

Police caught up with the car, which they found stationary and containing two men, with the professional rugby star in the driver's seat.

The front of the vehicle had been damaged and a tyre ripped to the rim.

Officers noted Wilson's speech was slurred and said he had displayed delayed reactions.

When police asked him to disembark the vehicle, he was unsteady on his feet.

Wilson refused three times to give an evidential breath sample at the roadside, and then again in Bangor custody suite.

His lawyer told the court his reputation had been tarnished by the affair, and that the Ulster Rugby organisation had taken a stern view of his behaviour and docked him two weeks' wages.

Representatives from the body were in court but were not asked to give evidence.

Wilson's lawyer said his client had been at home drinking with a friend, and that he accepted his behaviour that day was "nothing but foolishness". He added that the player had genuinely believed he was insured under Ulster Rugby's company car scheme.

District judge Eamon King said it was "a big problem" that Wilson had a previous conviction.

He disqualified the player from driving for three years on the alcohol charge, and imposed a £250 fine with a £15 offender's levy.

He gave him fines of £250 and £50 for failing to give specimens, and fined him £250 and imposed a six-month concurrent ban on the insurance charge.

The judge also signed Wilson up for a drink-driving course.

And he even asked: "The only question I have for Mr Wilson is, 'How did Ulster lose that game against Glasgow'?"
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... 65742.html
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016 .........TAXI !

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Stupid boy!
Nevin Spence 26 April 1990 – 15 September 2012 gone but never forgotten
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016 .........TAXI !

Post by Snipe Watson »

Roger is not renowned for making good choices. Just think how fit he will get on his bike.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016 .........TAXI !

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No sympathy for Roger at all, once bitten twice shy.

A drunk driver almost killed my sister many years ago, there is simply no excuse for it nowadays, none.
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Friday 10th July 2015

PART II


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Assistant Coach Joe Barakat arrives in Belfast
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DicksonDigital
Joe Barakat started work at Ulster Rugby this week and the Province’s new Assistant Coach says that he can’t wait for the season to start.

Having already been involved in some pitch sessions and having enjoyed a tour of Kingspan Stadium, he has been impressed with what he has seen so far:

“The facilities are second to none and the people have been really welcoming. You do your homework before you go anywhere and what I see is probably what I expected. The friendliness of the players and staff has been great and people are going out of their way to help.

“It’s always good to progress in what you want to achieve as a coach. Coming to Ireland and coaching rugby and being part of a Province that has a large band of passionate supporters is a fantastic opportunity,” he continued.

Joe is hugely experienced, having spent five years with the Waratahs where he worked as Defence Coach, Scrum Coach, Academy Head Coach and Head Coach of the Junior Waratahs. He has also coached Australia U21s and has been employed as a technical consultant to the Fijian Rugby Union, which included World Cup campaigns.

After watching Ulster from afar over the past few seasons and having detailed discussions with various members of the management team in the past few months, Barakat has a good grasp of the challenges ahead.

“First of all, the greatest attraction to Ulster is the playing group - it’s outstanding. Les [Kiss] said to me that this team can win a European Cup. Obviously people are disappointed with the result last year, but that gives us a chance to change and take a step forward.

“Neil Doak has got the guys attacking really well. My focus will be on getting more aggression in our defence to ensure it’s having as big an impact as our attack. Winning the gainline will be critical.”

For the past five seasons Joe has worked in Japan, first as Forwards and Defence Coach at NTT Communications Shining Arcs, before joining Toshiba Brave Lupus as Set Piece, Forwards, Attack and Defence Coach. He describes it as a unique experience:

“Where else do you go in the world where 12 to 20 companies will spend up to $14 million on their rugby programme and get zero in return? They do it for the workers in their company. But they are prepared to spend money and for myself, having the opportunity to work with the likes of Richard Kahui and Francois Steyn has been great.”

With experience of heading up the world-renowned Waratahs Academy and coaching Australia U21s, Barakat is well placed to develop the young talent coming through the ranks at Ulster, something he is relishing: “Les wants me to have a strong association with what our Academy is doing. I ran the Academy at the Waratahs and had fantastic success with bringing through some good players. We’re only as good as our succession plan and the structures we have in place from U17 level up is strong and improving all the time.”

Welcoming Joe to Ulster, Team Manager, Bryn Cunningham, said: “Joe has settled into our environment very quickly and he has already shown an appetite to drive standards to help Ulster achieve silverware. He’s a very talented and experienced coach who is full of fresh ideas and I’m sure he’ll be a huge success here.”
http://www.ulsterrugby.com/News/LatestN ... lfast.aspx
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Monday 13th July 2015


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Tommy Bowe endures pre-season pain with World Cup in focus
Ulster and Ireland wing looks to World Cup warm up matches to make case for selection
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Tommy Bowe believes the Ireland team have learned from the 2013 defeat to New Zealand Inpho
Tommy Bowe’s naturally sunny disposition intermittently clouds over for a moment or two when the word ‘pre-season’ is introduced to the conversation.

It’s emblematic of the physical distress that the players are currently enduring both with province and - for those in Joe Schmidt’s 45-man World Cup training squad - Ireland. While England are in Colorado, France and Scotland in the Pyrenees and Wales in Switzerland before heading for Qatar, the Irish players are splitting their pre-season between province, the national team’s base at Carton House, and this week, Galway.

Bowe isn’t pining for foreign climes, focused instead on a day in the foreseeable future when the aches and pains are less severe. “Pre-season is going to be a little shorter because of the games coming up,” he explained.

“It’s a case of trying to get our fitness and strength levels back up to where they were at the end of the season as quick as we can. Players were told to go off and put your feet up, enjoy your recovery but at the same time not lose your shape. It was very important that players came back to training in shape because we have to get ourselves up to international level is a very short time.

“I went away and had a great holiday, got married, enjoyed myself, put the feet up and enjoyed a bit of sunshine. Pre-season is as tough as ever, if not tougher.

“Last Sunday week we (Ireland) came together. There was a huge buzz around the squad. Everyone was in great form. We hadn’t seen each other since the end of the Six Nations; we’d just come back from a couple of weeks holidays and everyone was refreshed. Everyone always comes back the first day looking forward to it and excited and then you hit the pitch and they send you off to do crazy stuff to break you. Then it suddenly gets very quiet, people stop talking.”

Rather than travelling abroad the Ireland and Ulster wing espouses the value of being able to spend some time at home given the playing commitments in August, September and October.

“I know a lot of the Welsh guys who are off up in the Swiss Alps and heading off to Qatar and doing all sorts of crazy stuff; I’m sure their training is exceptionally difficult but I don’t think you need to go too far to feel the sort of pain I was in last Tuesday or Friday.

“The Ireland squad is very close knit. We get on very well with each other. I think that going into a World Cup some of the senior players would have chatted to the coaches and pointed out how nice it would be to spend a bit of time at home because when these four internationals (in August and September) come up you are going to be spending a lot of time together.

“Then the squad will be going off to a World Cup for an even longer duration of time. It’s very important to keep players fresh, down to getting home to your own bed and making your own food in the kitchen adds to that freshness. As a squad we are very happy with the set-up we have here and hopefully it works.”

The disappointment of previous World Cups is not a millstone for the current Irish squad. The genesis for the mental resolve can be traced back to the New Zealand match in the autumn of 2013. Whatever the public expects it’s nothing that the players don’t demand of themselves and each other.

Bowe explained: “In years gone by I think Ireland have enjoyed being the underdogs but with the players we have in the squad now, the coaching staff, the fact that we have won back to back Six Nations Championships, we can shoulder the expectation. Everybody in Ireland wants us to be out there winning things.

“I suppose that comes with being successful and I think that sort of expectation is great. It drives us forward as a team. But for us to hold it together the whole way through (a World Cup), I think that is something we have been building on since that All Black game, two autumn international series ago, where we let it slip in the last couple of minutes.

“That was a real shock for the team, a real learning curve. Since then we have learnt a lot of things and hopefully when it comes to the crunch matches like it has in the last couple of Six Nations (Championships) that we can be strong and get the wins.”

The Ireland wing understands the four World Cup warm-up matches will define the composition of the final 31-man tournament squad. “The amount of players that are in the squad, in the back three positions ... every player will get an opportunity to put their hand up. I don’t know how much of an opportunity we’re all going to get but for me if you get three chances or one chance you have to take it.

“That’s the way Joe is; if you don’t look like you are up to the mark and you can’t do the job for the team, then you would expect to be cut.”
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/rugby/i ... -1.2282440


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Bowe: We can shoulder the expectancy
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Tommy Bowe has been in this situation before but it doesn't make it any less exciting than it was for him four years ago.

Missing out on Ireland's 2007 World Cup squad was branded an "ultimate low" by Bowe himself and although he exorcised some of those demons in 2011, he still feels as if he has something to prove on the world stage.

As the squad enter their second week of training camp, the winger, more so than most, understands the small margins and although he is considered to be a vital cog in Joe Schmidt's master plan, Bowe isn't taking anything for granted.

In 2007, he had completed Ireland's gruelling training camp under Eddie O'Sullivan's watch, only to be left of the eventual 30-man squad and as the intensity is ramped up this week, Bowe is relishing the "huge amount of competition" for places.

"I probably have had one of my biggest highlights of my career in a World Cup and probably the biggest disappointment of my career," Bowe admits.

"That's what a World Cup brings and that's the sort of excitement you can look forward to.

"There's always more for me to do. I enjoyed the last World Cup but in the pre-season, I was a bit hampered with a few niggles and maybe wasn't up to the fitness level I might have wanted to be at.

"Hopefully I can get myself through this pre-season to the sort of fitness and strength levels that I want to be at; hopefully be a part of the squad and show my best.

"We have a couple of key players, senior players whose last World Cup it will be, but we also have a huge amount of young fellas who have come in and added a bit of energy, taking it up a whole new level with their enthusiasm and excitement.

Huge

"As a squad we have a great blend and that's been shown in the last couple of competitions we have played. It is a huge opportunity for us."

The bitter disappointment of the defeat to New Zealand in 2013 still lingers, according to Bowe, but he, like those who were involved that day at the Aviva Stadium, have used it to fuel their fire.

On the back of winning two Six Nations Championships, the level of expectation surrounding the Ireland squad has arguably never been as high, but the fact they have yet to get beyond the last eight of a World Cup remains a significant hurdle that must be surpassed -especially now with the players at their disposal.

"In years gone by, I think Ireland have enjoyed being the underdogs, but with the players we have in the squad now, the coaching staff, the fact we have won back-to-back Six Nations Championships, we can shoulder the expectation that certainly the Irish public have for us," Bowe explains.

"Everybody in Ireland wants us to be out there winning things. I suppose that comes with being successful and I think that sort of expectation is great. It drives us forward as a team.

"I think that it's something we have been building on since that All Blacks game, two autumn international series ago, where we let it slip in the last couple of minutes. That was a real shock for the team, a real learning curve.

Strong

"Since then, we have learnt a lot of things and hopefully when it comes to the crunch matches like it has in the last couple of Six Nations (Championships), we can be strong and get the win."

As Bowe casts a despondent eye back on how Ulster's season was abruptly halted, the 31-year-old concedes it was "borderline heartbreak", however, he is adamant that the winning mentality amongst the Irish players has them primed, less than 10 weeks out from their opening game of the World Cup.

"In the squad, there are a lot of players, like those from Leinster and Munster, who have won trophies in the last couple of years and are used to shouldering that responsibility, that expectancy.

"There are players who are used to it and thrive on it. The Six Nations is such a tight competition, as you saw on the last day, but we have that confidence. At the same time we know one slip, one dropped ball, one missed tackle can mean a completely different result."
http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/w ... 71339.html


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‘There’s always more for me to do’ – Tommy Bowe not content to stand still
The Ulster winger knows his jersey is never safe
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Bowe isn't getting complacent in his 14 jersey. Inpho
WITH GREAT RESULTS, comes great responsibility.

Back-to-back Six Nations titles and a clean sweep in the 2014 Autumn Internationals means the long grass is no longer an option for Irish sides.

It’s been a favoured entry point for them down the years, but sooner or later the plucky underdog has to learn how to bite like a rottweiler.

Now one of the senior players in the Irish set-up, Tommy Bowe knows this more than most. While he wasn’t part of the squad in 2007 when Ireland came into the World Cup with expectation outweighing hope, he’s aware of the pitfalls, and eager to sidestep them.

“In years gone by I think Ireland have enjoyed being the underdogs but with the players we have in the squad now, the coaching staff, the fact that we have won back to back Six Nations Championships, we can shoulder the expectation that certainly the Irish public have for us.

“Everybody in Ireland wants us to be out there winning things. I suppose that comes with being successful and I think that sort of expectation is great,” he says.

If Ireland do beat their previous best of a quarter final appearance at the tournament, they may look back at the agonising defeat to the All Blacks in 2013 as the inspiration.
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Bowe says the New Zealand defeat in 2013 was a turning point for the squad. Inpho

The Ulster winger says the lessons learned in the Aviva Stadium that November have been the catalyst for the their form since.

“But for us to hold it together the whole way through (a World Cup), I think that it something we have been building on since that All Black game, two autumn international series ago, where we let is slip in the last couple of minutes.

“That was a real shock for the team, a real learning curve. Since then we have learnt a lot of things and hopefully when it comes to the crunch matches like it has in the last couple of Six Nations (Championships) that we can be strong and get the win.”

When fit, Bowe has had his hand locked on the number 14 jersey like a vice over the last six years, but despite this he’s not content with his status.

He’s one of 10 back three players looking for one of the six or seven places in the final squad going to the tournament, and with the quality of options available, he knows as soon as he lets his guard down, his jersey will be stripped off his back.

“The first camp of the year was fun, or at least the start of it was. Once the pleasantries were exchanged, the reality set in.

“Everyone always comes back the first day looking forward to it and excited and then you hit the pitch and they send you off to do crazy stuff to break you. Then it suddenly gets very quiet, people stop talking.

“There is huge competition for places in the 45-man squad. Everyone knows what’s at stake and on hand. We know there is a big competition ahead, the expectations but it is very much a case of getting ourselves through the pre-season to get ourselves into the best shape going into the four big matches leading up to it (World Cup) that will decide who gets on that plane and who doesn’t.

“There’s always more for me to do.”

While other countries are heading away on multiple training camps around the globe, home comforts are being preferred by Joe Schmidt for his pre-season.

Between the tournament itself and the warm-up games in August, there’ll be enough time as it is spent in hotel rooms and airport lounges without adding to it in July.
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The winger has no problem preparing from the comfort of home. Inpho

If it means they get results this September, Bowe says he’ll train anywhere.

“I know a lot of the Welsh guys who are off up in the Swiss Alps and heading off to Qatar and doing all sorts of crazy stuff; I’m sure their training is exceptionally difficult but I don’t think you need to go too far to feel the sort of pain I was in last Tuesday or Friday.

“I think that going into a World Cup some of the senior players would have chatted to the coaches and pointed out how nice it would be to spend a bit of time at home because when these four internationals come up you are going to be spending a lot of time together.

“Then the squad will be going off to a World Cup for an even longer duration of time. It’s very important to keep players fresh, down to getting home to your own bed and making your own food in the kitchen adds to that freshness,” he adds.
http://www.the42.ie/tommy-bowe-world-cu ... 0-Jul2015/
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Wednesday 15th July 2015


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Barakat: Ulster are thinking big
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Ulster made the PRO12 play-offs for the third time in the last three years Inpho
New Ulster assistant coach Joe Barakat admits the scale of ambition at the club made the opportunity too good to turn down after starting life at the Kingspan Stadium earlier this month.

Barakat arrived with a hugely impressive CV, having performed various roles for Super Rugby's NSW Waratahs in the recent past, including defence coach, scrum coach and academy head coach.

He will bolster a backroom staff that so nearly led Ulster to a GUINNESS PRO12 home final last year before falling at the semi-final stage to Glasgow Warriors.

Les Kiss will also return as director of rugby after finishing his commitments with Ireland at the World Cup - and Barakat is confident the Irish province can make progress bother domestically and in Europe over the coming seasons.

"First of all, the greatest attraction to Ulster is the playing group - it's outstanding," Barakat told Ulster's official website. "Les (Kiss) said to me that this team can win a European Cup. Obviously people are disappointed with the result last year, but that gives us a chance to change and take a step forward.

"(Head coach) Neil Doak has got the guys attacking really well. My focus will be on getting more aggression in our defence to ensure it's having as big an impact as our attack. Winning the gainline will be critical.

"The facilities are second to none and the people have been really welcoming. You do your homework before you go anywhere and what I see is probably what I expected. The friendliness of the players and staff has been great and people are going out of their way to help.

"It's always good to progress in what you want to achieve as a coach. Coming to Ireland and coaching rugby and being part of a Province that has a large band of passionate supporters is a fantastic opportunity."
http://www.pro12rugby.com/news/17554.ph ... H3DpuKD.97
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Re: What the Papers Say 2015/2016

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Thursday 16th July 2015


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Pienaar warns Giteau and Mitchell
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Springbok scrum-half Ruan Pienaar has warned returning Wallabies Matt Giteau and Drew Mitchell about the speed of southern hemisphere rugby.

Pienaar, who plies his trade at PRO12 outfit Ulster, believes Giteau and Mitchell, who play in the Top 14 with Toulon, will be surprised by the fast-paced tempo of the game when they run out for Australia against South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener in Brisbane on Saturday.

"The pace of the game is a massive difference," said Pienaar.

"Where I'm playing at the moment (Belfast), the weather's not that great. Northern Ireland gets all the wet weather in the northern hemisphere. I hardly see the sun.

"I really need to work hard on my fitness and getting around in the game and I guess that's going to be the same for them.

"For me, watching Super Rugby, the games have been really quick.

"For us coming from the northern hemisphere, it's adapting to that again. That's the biggest thing."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,2588 ... 00,00.html


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