In our series, Behind the Player in association with Deloitte, Ulster’s Women players share a little bit about themselves, as well as recommendations for coping during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, Ulster Rugby spoke to Queen’s University and Ulster back row, Shannon Buller.
Tell us a little about your rugby pathway to date.
My rugby pathway was quite late compared to others; I didn’t start playing until I went to university. My original sporting career was in cycling, so I did mountain biking since age 6 or 7, and raced for Banbridge Cycling Club all over Ireland and have representative honours in cycling. I’ve represented Ulster at school games and Ireland in European Championships. It wasn’t until I got to uni when my rugby career started. I went to Stranmillis to do my undergraduate degree and didn’t know many people being from Banbridge. I thought I would try something new and I’m quite friendly with Jemma Jackson and she suggested giving rugby a go. I turned up on a Monday night at the Dub and absolutely loved it. I went back the following Wednesday night and was asked to play.
I was Queen’s University for three years before moving to Loughborough University to do my PGCE and played for Loughborough Lightning. I got a few games there and learned loads. I played with international players who are in the English Premiership which was fantastic. Last season, I got my first cap for Ulster which was my fourth season of playing rugby. That’s my rugby career in a nutshell!
Who have been your main influences in your rugby career?
What barriers have you had to overcome to reach this point?
I’ve been quite lucky. There is a stigma around women playing rugby, but it’s brilliant to see how well it’s been approached recently in the support behind women playing rugby. There’s the ‘I am Enough’ movement at the minute which is gaining attention.
There are lots of players working full-time along with being international rugby players, so there are barriers for them balancing work and being elite athletes.
For me personally, being able to back myself and my self-confidence is a challenge. Rugby was a new sport to me. My brothers played it through their youth and I’ve been around Banbridge Rugby Club for years but I never thought it would be me on the other side of the whitewash. My confidence has been helped by coaches like Popcorn (Neill Alcorn) and Diesel (Paul Heasley). They’ve all been there to support me and put their hand on my shoulder.
My family has supported me so much and it helps breaks down that barrier to see them excel too.
What have you been up to in the last few months?
During lockdown, I was still a student doing my PGCE so that continued. When I came home during the school closures, I was still teaching on placement and had to finish that until the middle of May. My PGCE didn’t finish until the end of June. That kept me occupied during the day. I’m from a farming background so there was plenty of work needing done to help dad and my brothers. I’ve been working the last couple of months coaching as well. I’ve just started my first teaching job which has kept me on my toes with all the changes due to COVID-19, it’s been a bit mad but I love it.
What have you been doing to stay fit – any tips you can share?
Being in a really sporty family, everyone was out doing something whether it was a run out on the country roads or going out on the bikes, we were keeping active. We also have a turbo trainer and roller for the bike in the house. When I had a full day of uni, my go-to for de-stressing would be to go on the turbo trainer for 45 minutes or an hour. I would go out on the bike when I could; there are plenty of hills around us for the extra challenge.
We did the 5K running challenge as a family. We nominated each other and by the end of it, we were trying to see who could get the fastest time. My brother got the fastest time of 20 minutes at age 17. It got as close as a few seconds apart! That all kept us going through lockdown.
Make sure what you do is fun. If you don’t love what you do, what’s the point in doing it?
What about any healthy eating advice?
For those who know me, I’m not the best when it comes to healthy eating. I’m not a fan of fruit and vegetables so I don’t always practice what I preach! The way I get through it is to not make healthy eating or exercising a chore. A lot of people aren’t motivated and feel it is a chore, but if you make it fun and you enjoy it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to stick at it. Treat yourself. There’s no point going completely off chocolate or crisps, because you’ll make it 10 times harder.
What do you do to relax?
I like to chill out on the sofa, scrolling through social media or watch TV. During lockdown, Disney+ was the big craze. I love it – I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Frozen 2 – I’m a big kid! I just like to take half an hour to myself. One thing I’ve found being at uni, training and being flat-out, it can be intense, so I’ve learned to find half an hour for myself to wind down.
Have you got any podcast or book recommendations?
I read Rory Best’s autobiography in a couple of weeks. I’ve just finished Catherine Spencer’s ‘Mud, Maul and Mascara’. It was really interesting to read her perspective of being England captain and her preparations for World Cups.
I have to give a shout-out for the ‘Women Who Sport’ podcast with Sarah Bonar and Rhona Lloyd. I played with them at Loughborough Lightning and that’s how I found out about their podcast. All of my podcasts are rugby related – ‘Rugby Pod’, ‘Women’s Rugby Pod’ with Johnnie Hammond and Rachael Burford, the ‘House of Rugby’, now ‘Potholes and Penguins’ with Baz and Andrew, plus the ‘Good, the Bad and the Rugby’. I listen to them religiously!
What has been the best advice you’ve received?
In my rugby and cycling careers, seeing others succeed drives me on. Seeing my brother get those international caps or seeing players getting Ulster caps when I wasn’t in the Ulster programme really motivated me.
Within Ulster, there’s the famous saying that goes around the team which is to work hard, do your job and move onto the next.
Another bit of advice I learned at Loughborough was to create the small moments to create the masterpiece. It means getting to the ruck to support your team-mate, getting the offload away to the next player and creating that moment; the masterpiece will come.
Another would be to play for the badge on the front, not the number on the back. Rugby is a team sport and everyone has a job that involves everybody.
One of the girls at Loughborough Lightning told me, “Never say ‘can’t’”, but rather you “can’t yet”. It’s one piece of advice that has stuck with me because I moved from being a back to a forward and had to learn new skills. I used to watch scrums and lineouts thinking it would never be me doing that. Learning those new skills and adapting my game was a big thing. I probably said I couldn’t do it at the start, but now I can say I can and I have done it.
What have been your proudest moments in rugby?
Do you have a pre-match song you always listen to?
My pre-match song is usually instrumental with no words whatsoever. It can be anything at all. I’m a massive fan of the Piano Guys. I don’t very often with earphones in though; I like to feel the atmosphere with the rest of the team, getting a feel for the pitch is more important for me. I keep myself to myself and run through what my jobs are that day. I try not to get too overcome by it all, but at the same time, build myself up for the game.
What are your rugby aspirations?
Short-term, I just want to get back playing as soon as possible! With lockdown, we’re in the process of getting back training. At Queen’s we have our first game in October if all goes well. On top of that, if the Inter-Pros go ahead, I’d like to get into the Ulster squad and get a few more caps to my name.
Long-term, I want to stay with Queen’s who have done a lot for me. They have grown and developed so much. When I arrived, there were only a few of us and the girls banged their heads together. I’ve seen the work behind the scenes to get promoted from Division 2 to the Premiership. Last season, we were sitting at the top of the table. It killed me not to be there with them but I was very proud and glad to see how far they’ve come.
I’d love to get into coaching when my playing career finishes. I’ve got major coaching aspirations having been involved in the Banbridge youth coaching setup. I’d love to pull on a Banbridge Rugby Club jersey because they’ve done so much for me, but the focus is on building the youth section and hopefully get them to the level of experience that we can get a women’s team out.
I want to be a positive role model for younger girls and support, encourage and grow the game. It has grown so much since I started playing, but hopefully we will continue to develop the game more.
Who have been your main influences in your rugby career?
What barriers have you had to overcome to reach this point?
I’ve been quite lucky. There is a stigma around women playing rugby, but it’s brilliant to see how well it’s been approached recently in the support behind women playing rugby. There’s the ‘I am Enough’ movement at the minute which is gaining attention.
There are lots of players working full-time along with being international rugby players, so there are barriers for them balancing work and being elite athletes.
For me personally, being able to back myself and my self-confidence is a challenge. Rugby was a new sport to me. My brothers played it through their youth and I’ve been around Banbridge Rugby Club for years but I never thought it would be me on the other side of the whitewash. My confidence has been helped by coaches like Popcorn (Neill Alcorn) and Diesel (Paul Heasley). They’ve all been there to support me and put their hand on my shoulder.
My family has supported me so much and it helps breaks down that barrier to see them excel too.
What have you been up to in the last few months?
During lockdown, I was still a student doing my PGCE so that continued. When I came home during the school closures, I was still teaching on placement and had to finish that until the middle of May. My PGCE didn’t finish until the end of June. That kept me occupied during the day. I’m from a farming background so there was plenty of work needing done to help dad and my brothers. I’ve been working the last couple of months coaching as well. I’ve just started my first teaching job which has kept me on my toes with all the changes due to COVID-19, it’s been a bit mad but I love it.
What have you been doing to stay fit – any tips you can share?
Being in a really sporty family, everyone was out doing something whether it was a run out on the country roads or going out on the bikes, we were keeping active. We also have a turbo trainer and roller for the bike in the house. When I had a full day of uni, my go-to for de-stressing would be to go on the turbo trainer for 45 minutes or an hour. I would go out on the bike when I could; there are plenty of hills around us for the extra challenge.
We did the 5K running challenge as a family. We nominated each other and by the end of it, we were trying to see who could get the fastest time. My brother got the fastest time of 20 minutes at age 17. It got as close as a few seconds apart! That all kept us going through lockdown.
Make sure what you do is fun. If you don’t love what you do, what’s the point in doing it?
What about any healthy eating advice?
For those who know me, I’m not the best when it comes to healthy eating. I’m not a fan of fruit and vegetables so I don’t always practice what I preach! The way I get through it is to not make healthy eating or exercising a chore. A lot of people aren’t motivated and feel it is a chore, but if you make it fun and you enjoy it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be able to stick at it. Treat yourself. There’s no point going completely off chocolate or crisps, because you’ll make it 10 times harder.
What do you do to relax?
I like to chill out on the sofa, scrolling through social media or watch TV. During lockdown, Disney+ was the big craze. I love it – I don’t know how many times I’ve watched Frozen 2 – I’m a big kid! I just like to take half an hour to myself. One thing I’ve found being at uni, training and being flat-out, it can be intense, so I’ve learned to find half an hour for myself to wind down.
Have you got any podcast or book recommendations?
I read Rory Best’s autobiography in a couple of weeks. I’ve just finished Catherine Spencer’s ‘Mud, Maul and Mascara’. It was really interesting to read her perspective of being England captain and her preparations for World Cups.
I have to give a shout-out for the ‘Women Who Sport’ podcast with Sarah Bonar and Rhona Lloyd. I played with them at Loughborough Lightning and that’s how I found out about their podcast. All of my podcasts are rugby related – ‘Rugby Pod’, ‘Women’s Rugby Pod’ with Johnnie Hammond and Rachael Burford, the ‘House of Rugby’, now ‘Potholes and Penguins’ with Baz and Andrew, plus the ‘Good, the Bad and the Rugby’. I listen to them religiously!
What has been the best advice you’ve received?
In my rugby and cycling careers, seeing others succeed drives me on. Seeing my brother get those international caps or seeing players getting Ulster caps when I wasn’t in the Ulster programme really motivated me.
Within Ulster, there’s the famous saying that goes around the team which is to work hard, do your job and move onto the next.
Another bit of advice I learned at Loughborough was to create the small moments to create the masterpiece. It means getting to the ruck to support your team-mate, getting the offload away to the next player and creating that moment; the masterpiece will come.
Another would be to play for the badge on the front, not the number on the back. Rugby is a team sport and everyone has a job that involves everybody.
One of the girls at Loughborough Lightning told me, “Never say ‘can’t’”, but rather you “can’t yet”. It’s one piece of advice that has stuck with me because I moved from being a back to a forward and had to learn new skills. I used to watch scrums and lineouts thinking it would never be me doing that. Learning those new skills and adapting my game was a big thing. I probably said I couldn’t do it at the start, but now I can say I can and I have done it.
What have been your proudest moments in rugby?
Do you have a pre-match song you always listen to?
My pre-match song is usually instrumental with no words whatsoever. It can be anything at all. I’m a massive fan of the Piano Guys. I don’t very often with earphones in though; I like to feel the atmosphere with the rest of the team, getting a feel for the pitch is more important for me. I keep myself to myself and run through what my jobs are that day. I try not to get too overcome by it all, but at the same time, build myself up for the game.
What are your rugby aspirations?
Short-term, I just want to get back playing as soon as possible! With lockdown, we’re in the process of getting back training. At Queen’s we have our first game in October if all goes well. On top of that, if the Inter-Pros go ahead, I’d like to get into the Ulster squad and get a few more caps to my name.
Long-term, I want to stay with Queen’s who have done a lot for me. They have grown and developed so much. When I arrived, there were only a few of us and the girls banged their heads together. I’ve seen the work behind the scenes to get promoted from Division 2 to the Premiership. Last season, we were sitting at the top of the table. It killed me not to be there with them but I was very proud and glad to see how far they’ve come.
I’d love to get into coaching when my playing career finishes. I’ve got major coaching aspirations having been involved in the Banbridge youth coaching setup. I’d love to pull on a Banbridge Rugby Club jersey because they’ve done so much for me, but the focus is on building the youth section and hopefully get them to the level of experience that we can get a women’s team out.
I want to be a positive role model for younger girls and support, encourage and grow the game. It has grown so much since I started playing, but hopefully we will continue to develop the game more.