AS THE ENTIRE country united around Andy Farrell’s Ireland stars as they claimed the Grand Slam earlier this month, perhaps the most frustrated viewer was a winger left on the medical table at Kingspan Stadium.
That’s not to say Robert Baloucoune wasn’t happy to see his team-mates go five from five during the Six Nations and further cement their place as the world’s best ranked side. Of course he was. But, equally, he wished he could have been a part of it.
“It’s weird watching it, trying to guess what’s going on and what plays will be played and stuff like that,” admits the Enniskillen man.
“It’s different when you know the players. I enjoyed watching and thought about what I would do in that position as well. Just some of the habits off the pitch that I can bring in to my own training.”
Had it not been for a season plagued by hamstring injuries then perhaps the winger would have been involved. Instead, he was limited to a watching brief as a back three of James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Hugo Keenan started all three games and shone throughout.
Naturally, that opens up questions over what the future holds for Baloucoune in a green jersey, particularly with the World Cup on the horizon. He would desperately love to be involved but with the squad limited in how many can go, forcing himself into the mix will be tough.
The three aforementioned figures are already in barring injury, one would assume. Jimmy O’Brien has also been impressing for Leinster, while his provincial team-mate Jacob Stockdale had arguably his best game of the season against the Vodacom Bulls last weekend.
So for Baloucoune, he knows he’s playing catch-up due to events out of his control. This season he’s played just 376 minutes in an Ulster jersey, equating to around four-and-a-half games, which he knows is not enough to convince the national coaches he’s ready to go.
“Yeah, it has been a tough enough season for me, coming on the back of injury. I am getting (on top of it), just trying to get as many games as I can and playing to the best of my ability,” he concedes.
“I came in from pre-season flying, obviously played those kind of games for Ireland. It is tough enough when you are trying to play games… I was kind of struggling with my hamstring, kind of caused a fair bit of injury.
“It is about managing my hamstring. It is tough enough to balance between the two. All I can do is train, perform and try and get back to where I was. Carry on the rehab as much as I can in between the weeks of training. Not much else I can do.
“It’s always huge, it’s always great playing for Ireland. To get selected for the World Cup would be amazing. I will, week by week, have to build and perform as best as I can.”
This week could be a pivotal one in that regard, then. He is likely to line up opposite Lowe at the Aviva Stadium in tomorrow’s Heineken Champions Cup last-16 tie against Leinster and a big performance against one of his direct competitors would certainly turn the eye.
Alongside Stockdale, he had his own star turn against the Bulls, scoring a try in the opening three minutes that showed an impressive turn of pace and an eye for the try-line that has not left him during his time on the sidelines. How he would love for that to still be on show in Dublin tomorrow.
“I definitely could not ask for a better start, a couple of minutes into the game. Mikey (Lowry) did most of the work and got me into the corner. I was really pleased to be back on the pitch, feeling fit, and feeling fit after the game which was a priority coming into this week as well,” he smiles.
“It is huge, it is always in the back of your head, but you are playing against people in positions that I am fighting for so, it’s a big game for me to show what I can do. I will be trying to do that for the full game.
“(James) is a great lad, he’ll chat to me and he helped me whenever I was trying to learn my roles when I got capped. He’s a class player, you can see that on a pitch and what he has done for Ireland and for Leinster. That’ll be tough opposition to play against but it’s something I am looking forward to.”
It is set to be a barnstorming evening down at the Aviva, with Ulster banking on having a similar kind of performance as to the one they had back in 2019 when they pushed Leinster all the way in the quarter-finals, eventually being beaten 21-18.
Baloucoune started that day and would dearly love them to translate a run of five wins in their last six into a big performance on the big stage, and he believes there is no lack of confidence emanating from the visitors’ dressing room for a one-off clash despite their poor record in Dublin.
“I think anything can happen in playoff rugby, especially in these sort of occasions when Aviva is packed out and we have so much support there,” he adds.
“Judging by the past, the last time we did play them in Europe we were close to beating them. There is a buzz about the place, it’s definitely there, we believe in ourselves. That’s all you can do.”