ALBY MATHEWSON IS happy to talk.
That much was already borne out through his time with Munster. But coming up on 4pm in the middle of an Ulster training week, he appears all the more content to stay and chat.
An ordinary day, when heโs not put up for a virtual press conference after training, would already see him back to his Belfast digs by now.
It might be a stretch to call that place home. Mathewson is living by himself at the minute. His wife Cara and their three children are back in their home on Australiaโs Gold Coast, so there is an abundance of time to kill in between the time he slings his bag over his back at Ravenhill and 9pm, when his family get up to start their day.
Of course, a long distance status to the closest of relationships is not quite a new hurdle for the scrum-half. He has been racking up the Skype minutes over the past three years. This time around is different, though.
At Bristol, Toulon and Munster, he headed for Europe having committed to short-term contracts. His intelligent, energetic and high-skilled style ensured he became popular with fans and players alike in the southern province and his contract was extended and extended again.
He is enjoying his rugby with Ulster as a squad. Yet, while he has paid extra-curricular visits to team-mates, the times weโre in mean relationships have had to remain pretty professional. Being a seasoned pro playing far from home is a lonely business during a pandemic.
No team bonding sessions, no pre-match group breakfasts or Sunday Braais. The weeks ahead will ring in his birthday and Christmas. Sure, Northern Ireland is sneaking out of lockdown, but itโs not exactly living the dream.
โBit of reading, lot of podcasts,โ comes the list when Mathewson is asked how he keeps his mind busy. He adds video games to the list, admonishing himself by noting heโs 35 โ though he wonโt be until next month.
Otherwise, he jokes that he just โhangs around hereโ, gesturing to the Kingspan Stadium. Heโs not feeling sorry for his situation. So many rugby players donโt get a sniff of playing into their 30s and heโs not the only man in the group who go home to an empty apartment.
Still, it canโt have been what he imagined the twilight of his career to look like when he signed up for Ulster last winter. After his year in Munster, the half-backโs reputation was on the up in Ireland and the northern province knew the quality they were bringing on board.
Heโs enjoying the surroundings on the other end of the island. Itโs just not the same when relationships are so much harder to build.
โI really did love Munster. For me, I was there again by myself, no family or anything. Iโve got some really strong relationships with those guys there, theyโll be friends for life because they ended up being my family. I spent a lot of time with them outside of rugby.
Thatโs the tricky thing โ not being able to mingle outside of rugby. Although I have been to a few of the boysโ places, with the way things are at the moment itโs been tricky to do.โ
He adds: โBut the boys have been really welcoming and itโs been easy to fit in, in terms of rugby and that. Itโs difficult outside of our bubble here to get to know the lads well, which is always important in a team sport, getting to know the guys off the field, not just rugby.
โThe only time I get to spend with them is in training and the gym. Hopefully things will change soon enough and I can get to know them a bit better outside of rugby. All in all itโs been fun. Weโre winning, and you canโt complain with winning.โ
The winning streak now stands at six after swatting aside a poor Zebre outfit on Monday. Ulsterโs shot at a seventh on the trot will have the welcome quirk of a small crowd in attendance (kick-off 19.35, Sunday) against Scarlets.
While Mathewson was understudy to a marquee name and mentor to up-and-coming 9s in Munster and now again in Ulster, his role in the squad dynamic is a touch different in the northern province. The age profile in Munsterโs first team is markedly higher than Ulsterโs at the minute. So the All Black is not just one of the elder statesmen, he and Louis Ludik are a few years ahead of the other veterans.
One of the young men he did suit up with in Munster is again his team-mate this weekend. Bill Johnston has had to be relatively patient for opportunities in the Ulster 10 shirt, but these weeks with Billy Burns down in Abbotstown have allowed him to shine while guiding Ulster to their winning run.
โIโd be big on talking to my 10s,โ says Mathewson.
โThatโs what I talk about relationships outside as well. Like, when you get to know them, you get to know what makes them tick and how they see certain things.
โIโd very much be (whether) at training, off the field, on the go: โyou see this pictureโ, โif I see this picture what are you thinkingโโฆ blah blah blah. Iโd always be bouncing ideas.
โIโd be a people watcher as well, so Iโd sit back and watch how they play, and even from playing against them and analysing them Iโd have a fair idea of them. I like to think I can work people out fairly quickly as well.
โSo while it is handy to have played with Bill before, I find that Iโd be fairly comfortable with any sort of 10 coming in and playing with whoever. Even if it was Mike Lowry coming in as well. Just spending time with them and watching them play, you get a sense of how they like to play.โ
Ulster: Michael Lowry, Matt Faddes, Luke Marshall, Stewart Moore, Rob Lyttle, Bill Johnston, John Cooney; Eric OโSullivan, John Andrew, Marty Moore, Alan OโConnor (Capt.), Kieran Treadwell, Matty Rea, Sean Reidy, Marcell Coetzee.
Replacements: Adam McBurney, Kyle McCall, Tom OโToole, David OโConnor, Jordi Murphy, Alby Mathewson, Ian Madigan, Craig Gilroy.
Scarlets: Angus OโBrien; Ryan Conbeer, Steff Hughes (Capt), Paul Asquith, Steff Evans; Dan Jones, Dane Blacker; Rob Evans, Taylor Davies, Javan Sebastian, Sam Lousi, Danny Drake, Ed Kennedy, Jac Morgan, Sione Kalamafoni
Replacements: Daf Hughes, Phil Price, Werner Kruger, Jac Price, Uzair Cassiem, Will Homer, Sam Costelow, Tyler Morgan.
Thatโs a strong side and Porch is to be preferred at 15 ahead of TOH anyway. Surprising to see McAllister and Dillane not in the 23 as they would youโd imagine be in the reckoning for the Irish squad. They must be injured I guess.
@David Finn: I think Dillane failed a HIA in one of the matches after the restart? Might still be recovering
@Donogh OโLaighin: he did fail HIA so wasnโt available. Hopefully connacht get the season off to a good start but Glasgow team is very strong