NORMALLY THE FESTIVE inter-pros are when players get the chance to stake a claim for Six Nations honours against their direct rivals for their position, with national coaches keeping a close eye on individual displays.
This year has almost been the opposite. With only one inter-pro going ahead to this point, for Ulster’s international hopefuls it has been a frustrating wait to get back into action let alone getting the chance to show Andy Farrell why they think they should be involved.
Fly-half Billy Burns was one of those. With Joey Carbery on the sidelines yet again, that leaves an opening in the squad next month alongside Jonathan Sexton and Harry Byrne and, with Jack Carty in sumptuous form for Connacht, Burns needed games to work his way back into the equation.
“Inter-pros are always a chance for people to go up against guys that they are fighting against for positions in the international squad so, yeah, it was disappointing,” he admits of the spate of Covid postponements that have plagued the URC.
And yet the English-born No.10 goes on to insist that that was not what frustrated him most about Ulster’s Covid outbreak, which saw their games against Connacht and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium fall by the wayside under the URC’s Covid protocol.
“It was more the disappointment of not being able to carry on the momentum,” explains the 27-year-old. “I loved playing at home against Northampton in a packed stadium, it felt like ages since we had that buzz of the crowd behind us and it was incredible.
“It was one of those games that reminds you what you play rugby for and I was looking forward to getting out there again and being able to do that again in front of a packed crowd.
“There was disappointment for all sorts of reasons but there wasn’t much that we could have done about it, it happens and we are now looking forward to Munster.”
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A good way for Ulster to put their Covid nightmare behind them would be to pick up a first win at Thomond Park since 2014 today, their record against their southern rivals rather poor away from home in recent years.
Keeping that momentum going that they had accrued from wins away to Leinster and Clermont, and at home to Northampton Saints, will go a long way to that, while the side that Dan McFarland has been able to select despite their virus woes is fairly strong considering.
Burns believes that those recent results are not a flash in the pan and instead maintains that they have found a key ingredient: trust.
“I think we have always been pretty good, but I think now there is real clarity on what we expect from each other on both sides of the ball and a real clarity in our game plan,” says the former Ireland international.
“That is not to say we didn’t have that before but I think we have sort of taken ownership of that as players. I think if players take ownership more you are more likely to buy into it.
“The coaches are leading us in the right direction and it is up to the guys in the squad as well to add their input and I think that is probably just a maturity in the squad. Guys have been around for a bit longer, we’re a squad that has been playing together for a while now, with obviously a couple of new additions and the younger guys coming through as well, but the core of the squad is pretty similar.
“It is just about how hard we are willing to work for each other, our preparation going into the week I think guys are a lot more switched on and take a lot more ownership going into these games and that has given us a bit more of an edge, which is great.
“Ultimately that doesn’t win or lose you a game but it will help you out, and I think it has helped us a bit. I think we are just trying to do all our individual jobs the best we can and, if we all do that, then we are a good side.”
Facing Japan in July. Gary Carr / INPHO
Gary Carr / INPHO / INPHO
One positive that did come out of the break the squad had was the opportunity for Ulster to announce several contract extensions – one of which was a two-year extension for Burns and another going to his half-back partner, John Cooney.
The scrum-half had been flirting with a switch to France, with Bordeaux the leading destination, but tying him down beyond the end of the season has thrilled the coaches, fans and, unsurprisingly, Burns.
“There is not much I can say about John that hasn’t already been said, it was great news to see he had re-signed along with the other lads and it is great to see they are willing to stay and buy into the way we want to go,” he enthused.
“John, I don’t have to talk about how good a player he is, he shows it every week. He is a leader in our team, he leads by his actions, he controls a game really well, he understands situations well and his kicking game is probably one of the best I’ve seen, so to keep him is great, and I think he would say himself that he is still improving, which is great, and he is still adding strings to his bow.
“In terms of us working as a team, we’ve worked hard at it in training, it doesn’t happen by accident. We work hard on understanding what we want from each other, he takes a lot of pressure off me and I like to think I do the same to him at times as well.
“I’m delighted to be playing with him for a little bit longer anyway.”
Munster: Mike Haley; Seán French, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Simon Zebo; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; (1-8) Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Thomas Ahern, Fineen Wycherley; Peter O’Mahony (captain), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Jack O’Donoghue, Neil Cronin, Ben Healy, Shane Daly.
Ulster: Mike Lowry; Craig Gilroy, Ben Moxham, James Hume, Ethan McIlroy; Billy Burns, John Cooney; (1-8) Jack McGrath, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole; Alan O’Connor (captain), Sam Carter; Greg Jones, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Angus Curtis, Rob Lyttle.
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Billy Burns hopes to bounce back and stake Ireland claim with big Thomond show
NORMALLY THE FESTIVE inter-pros are when players get the chance to stake a claim for Six Nations honours against their direct rivals for their position, with national coaches keeping a close eye on individual displays.
This year has almost been the opposite. With only one inter-pro going ahead to this point, for Ulster’s international hopefuls it has been a frustrating wait to get back into action let alone getting the chance to show Andy Farrell why they think they should be involved.
Fly-half Billy Burns was one of those. With Joey Carbery on the sidelines yet again, that leaves an opening in the squad next month alongside Jonathan Sexton and Harry Byrne and, with Jack Carty in sumptuous form for Connacht, Burns needed games to work his way back into the equation.
“Inter-pros are always a chance for people to go up against guys that they are fighting against for positions in the international squad so, yeah, it was disappointing,” he admits of the spate of Covid postponements that have plagued the URC.
And yet the English-born No.10 goes on to insist that that was not what frustrated him most about Ulster’s Covid outbreak, which saw their games against Connacht and Leinster at Kingspan Stadium fall by the wayside under the URC’s Covid protocol.
“It was more the disappointment of not being able to carry on the momentum,” explains the 27-year-old. “I loved playing at home against Northampton in a packed stadium, it felt like ages since we had that buzz of the crowd behind us and it was incredible.
“It was one of those games that reminds you what you play rugby for and I was looking forward to getting out there again and being able to do that again in front of a packed crowd.
“There was disappointment for all sorts of reasons but there wasn’t much that we could have done about it, it happens and we are now looking forward to Munster.”
A good way for Ulster to put their Covid nightmare behind them would be to pick up a first win at Thomond Park since 2014 today, their record against their southern rivals rather poor away from home in recent years.
Keeping that momentum going that they had accrued from wins away to Leinster and Clermont, and at home to Northampton Saints, will go a long way to that, while the side that Dan McFarland has been able to select despite their virus woes is fairly strong considering.
Burns believes that those recent results are not a flash in the pan and instead maintains that they have found a key ingredient: trust.
“I think we have always been pretty good, but I think now there is real clarity on what we expect from each other on both sides of the ball and a real clarity in our game plan,” says the former Ireland international.
“That is not to say we didn’t have that before but I think we have sort of taken ownership of that as players. I think if players take ownership more you are more likely to buy into it.
“The coaches are leading us in the right direction and it is up to the guys in the squad as well to add their input and I think that is probably just a maturity in the squad. Guys have been around for a bit longer, we’re a squad that has been playing together for a while now, with obviously a couple of new additions and the younger guys coming through as well, but the core of the squad is pretty similar.
“It is just about how hard we are willing to work for each other, our preparation going into the week I think guys are a lot more switched on and take a lot more ownership going into these games and that has given us a bit more of an edge, which is great.
“Ultimately that doesn’t win or lose you a game but it will help you out, and I think it has helped us a bit. I think we are just trying to do all our individual jobs the best we can and, if we all do that, then we are a good side.”
One positive that did come out of the break the squad had was the opportunity for Ulster to announce several contract extensions – one of which was a two-year extension for Burns and another going to his half-back partner, John Cooney.
The scrum-half had been flirting with a switch to France, with Bordeaux the leading destination, but tying him down beyond the end of the season has thrilled the coaches, fans and, unsurprisingly, Burns.
“There is not much I can say about John that hasn’t already been said, it was great news to see he had re-signed along with the other lads and it is great to see they are willing to stay and buy into the way we want to go,” he enthused.
“John, I don’t have to talk about how good a player he is, he shows it every week. He is a leader in our team, he leads by his actions, he controls a game really well, he understands situations well and his kicking game is probably one of the best I’ve seen, so to keep him is great, and I think he would say himself that he is still improving, which is great, and he is still adding strings to his bow.
“In terms of us working as a team, we’ve worked hard at it in training, it doesn’t happen by accident. We work hard on understanding what we want from each other, he takes a lot of pressure off me and I like to think I do the same to him at times as well.
“I’m delighted to be playing with him for a little bit longer anyway.”
Munster: Mike Haley; Seán French, Chris Farrell, Rory Scannell, Simon Zebo; Jack Crowley, Craig Casey; (1-8) Dave Kilcoyne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer; Thomas Ahern, Fineen Wycherley; Peter O’Mahony (captain), John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes.
Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Jack O’Donoghue, Neil Cronin, Ben Healy, Shane Daly.
Ulster: Mike Lowry; Craig Gilroy, Ben Moxham, James Hume, Ethan McIlroy; Billy Burns, John Cooney; (1-8) Jack McGrath, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole; Alan O’Connor (captain), Sam Carter; Greg Jones, Nick Timoney, Duane Vermeulen.
Replacements: John Andrew, Andrew Warwick, Ross Kane, Kieran Treadwell, Marcus Rea, Nathan Doak, Angus Curtis, Rob Lyttle.
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland).
The42 Rugby Weekly / SoundCloud
The band is back together as Gavan Casey is joined by Bernard Jackman and Murray Kinsella for the first pod of the new year
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