Following news of the departure of two senior squad players in recent weeks, we caught up with Ulster Rugby's Operations Director Bryn Cunningham to discuss some of the recent business as well as reviewing how our summer signings are getting on.
At the beginning of December, it was announced that Ulster lock Dan Tuohy would be joining Aviva Premiership side Bristol, after 7 years and 136 appearances for the Province. Commenting on the move, Cunningham stated that, while the deal was done relatively quickly, it was one that was favourable for all involved:
“With Dan, it was something we would always consider if there is an interested third party. Given the stage of his career and recent injury history we felt that it was probably a good move for both parties and I think it has proven to be mutually beneficial. Dan has made a great contribution here and that was highlighted in his 11 international caps for Ireland during that time. He was born and raised in Bristol so I know he is looking forward to the next chapter in his playing career and family life.”
With a player of Tuohy’s stature moving on, Cunningham is mindful of ensuring that Ulster have adequate resources in the second row, both in the immediate and long term:
“We were always thinking of trying Robbie Diack more in the second row. We feel that a lot of his strengths - his aerial skills, his lineout ability - are well suited to the second row, and I think he showed in his first outing there after Dan’s departure against Clermont just how good he can be in that area. It also gives us another opportunity to start pushing people through like Kieran Treadwell who has came off the bench on a couple of occasions and really impressed, he’s a big man that plays with a lot of physicality. We believe he’s got a big future ahead of him, and I think its really important when we’re dealing not just with our own succession plan but also with the IRFU and Ireland in terms of what they want to see in the pathway. They want to make sure that we’re giving these young guys exposure and opportunity. We’ve already seen earlier in the season when your hands are forced a little bit due to injuries, with the likes of a Ross Kane, that you can be pleasantly surprised how well these guys stand up to the challenge.”
A week ago it was also announced that versatile Australian Sam Windsor would also be leaving the club, and Cunningham states that this was under entirely different circumstances:
“Sam had requested an early release from his contract. He recently got engaged and his fiancée is over in America at the moment, so he was keen to get out there as he was seeing very little of her. It’s a new opportunity for him, a new way of life and he’ll certainly want to try to continue playing rugby over there if possible. He’s a super individual, a real professional. We knew at the time of resigning him that it was unlikely that he was going to get a huge amount of first team rugby, but it’s important to have people like Sam around in your squad. It’s important to have players with a bit of experience around the edges who can lead A teams, and I think Sam has done a really good job of that in bringing a bit of extra professionalism to the Ulster A squad. Both Sam and Dan will be missed, however, player welfare is of paramount importance to us, so we acknowledged these were the best moves for both.”
With Windsor moving on, that opened an opportunity for another player to join the senior panel, and that place was filled by Ballymena RFC centre Callum Patterson.
“Callum is a guy that has been on our radar for a while. He has played for the Ulster A ream in the past and done very well, but in recent times he has been exceptional for Ballymena in the All Ireland League. He’s really ambitious and wants to give this a real crack to see how far he can go in the game and we’re only too delighted to be able to provide him with that opportunity. This is another important part of our succession planning where it’s crucial that we have as many home grown, indigenous players as possible coming through our ranks. We’re starting to see more within our Academy, particularly forwards, which is very encouraging, so hopefully in the next two or three years we will have a really strong quota of players who have come through our system.”
As Cunningham notes, 24-year-old Patterson’s inclusion in the squad highlights that the door is always open for potential players, regardless of their playing background:
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis in recent years to ensure that every All Ireland League game is videoed and making sure that our coaches, particularly in the Academy, are reviewing and tagging these games because we appreciate that there are guys - and it is not necessarily that they have slipped through the net, but rather more due to their own personal circumstances - who maybe just weren’t ready for going into a professional rugby environment at the age of 18, 19 or 20. They’ve had an opportunity to play a few years of club rugby, they’ve maybe physically developed a bit later, they’ve developed a hunger or appetite for it, or maybe a confidence, a maturity, whatever it may be, it’s different in every circumstance. Certainly in Callum’s situation, he feels that now is the right time, and he has fitted in very nicely.”
While fellow summer signings Charles Piutau and Rodney Ah You have already made big impressions on the Ulster faithful, Cunningham is also excited about the imminent debut of South African international Marcell Coetzee, who is approaching the final stages of his rehabilitation from ACL surgery:
“Marcell’s rehab has been going really well and he’s been a hugely positive influence on the squad, the boys have really warmed to him. Everyone can see he’s a big big unit that’s hopefully going to cause a bit of damage when he gets on the pitch, he’s going to be very very physical.
“You look through the season so far and it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster. We started so well, dipped a little bit then came back up again, but we’ve been without an absolute key person throughout that whole period. You’ve seen the impact someone like a Charles Piutau can have on a squad and almost single-handedly win games for you. Marcell is of a similar ilk, so given that we’ve been without him for so long, and also without Chris Henry up until a few weeks ago, I think it shows that we’ve probably done pretty well. The positive impact that we hope he’s going to have in the squad is going to be massive, it’s hopefully going to lead to some really big performances here.”
At the beginning of December, it was announced that Ulster lock Dan Tuohy would be joining Aviva Premiership side Bristol, after 7 years and 136 appearances for the Province. Commenting on the move, Cunningham stated that, while the deal was done relatively quickly, it was one that was favourable for all involved:
“With Dan, it was something we would always consider if there is an interested third party. Given the stage of his career and recent injury history we felt that it was probably a good move for both parties and I think it has proven to be mutually beneficial. Dan has made a great contribution here and that was highlighted in his 11 international caps for Ireland during that time. He was born and raised in Bristol so I know he is looking forward to the next chapter in his playing career and family life.”
With a player of Tuohy’s stature moving on, Cunningham is mindful of ensuring that Ulster have adequate resources in the second row, both in the immediate and long term:
“We were always thinking of trying Robbie Diack more in the second row. We feel that a lot of his strengths - his aerial skills, his lineout ability - are well suited to the second row, and I think he showed in his first outing there after Dan’s departure against Clermont just how good he can be in that area. It also gives us another opportunity to start pushing people through like Kieran Treadwell who has came off the bench on a couple of occasions and really impressed, he’s a big man that plays with a lot of physicality. We believe he’s got a big future ahead of him, and I think its really important when we’re dealing not just with our own succession plan but also with the IRFU and Ireland in terms of what they want to see in the pathway. They want to make sure that we’re giving these young guys exposure and opportunity. We’ve already seen earlier in the season when your hands are forced a little bit due to injuries, with the likes of a Ross Kane, that you can be pleasantly surprised how well these guys stand up to the challenge.”
A week ago it was also announced that versatile Australian Sam Windsor would also be leaving the club, and Cunningham states that this was under entirely different circumstances:
“Sam had requested an early release from his contract. He recently got engaged and his fiancée is over in America at the moment, so he was keen to get out there as he was seeing very little of her. It’s a new opportunity for him, a new way of life and he’ll certainly want to try to continue playing rugby over there if possible. He’s a super individual, a real professional. We knew at the time of resigning him that it was unlikely that he was going to get a huge amount of first team rugby, but it’s important to have people like Sam around in your squad. It’s important to have players with a bit of experience around the edges who can lead A teams, and I think Sam has done a really good job of that in bringing a bit of extra professionalism to the Ulster A squad. Both Sam and Dan will be missed, however, player welfare is of paramount importance to us, so we acknowledged these were the best moves for both.”
With Windsor moving on, that opened an opportunity for another player to join the senior panel, and that place was filled by Ballymena RFC centre Callum Patterson.
“Callum is a guy that has been on our radar for a while. He has played for the Ulster A ream in the past and done very well, but in recent times he has been exceptional for Ballymena in the All Ireland League. He’s really ambitious and wants to give this a real crack to see how far he can go in the game and we’re only too delighted to be able to provide him with that opportunity. This is another important part of our succession planning where it’s crucial that we have as many home grown, indigenous players as possible coming through our ranks. We’re starting to see more within our Academy, particularly forwards, which is very encouraging, so hopefully in the next two or three years we will have a really strong quota of players who have come through our system.”
As Cunningham notes, 24-year-old Patterson’s inclusion in the squad highlights that the door is always open for potential players, regardless of their playing background:
“We’ve put a lot of emphasis in recent years to ensure that every All Ireland League game is videoed and making sure that our coaches, particularly in the Academy, are reviewing and tagging these games because we appreciate that there are guys - and it is not necessarily that they have slipped through the net, but rather more due to their own personal circumstances - who maybe just weren’t ready for going into a professional rugby environment at the age of 18, 19 or 20. They’ve had an opportunity to play a few years of club rugby, they’ve maybe physically developed a bit later, they’ve developed a hunger or appetite for it, or maybe a confidence, a maturity, whatever it may be, it’s different in every circumstance. Certainly in Callum’s situation, he feels that now is the right time, and he has fitted in very nicely.”
While fellow summer signings Charles Piutau and Rodney Ah You have already made big impressions on the Ulster faithful, Cunningham is also excited about the imminent debut of South African international Marcell Coetzee, who is approaching the final stages of his rehabilitation from ACL surgery:
“Marcell’s rehab has been going really well and he’s been a hugely positive influence on the squad, the boys have really warmed to him. Everyone can see he’s a big big unit that’s hopefully going to cause a bit of damage when he gets on the pitch, he’s going to be very very physical.
“You look through the season so far and it’s been a bit of a roller-coaster. We started so well, dipped a little bit then came back up again, but we’ve been without an absolute key person throughout that whole period. You’ve seen the impact someone like a Charles Piutau can have on a squad and almost single-handedly win games for you. Marcell is of a similar ilk, so given that we’ve been without him for so long, and also without Chris Henry up until a few weeks ago, I think it shows that we’ve probably done pretty well. The positive impact that we hope he’s going to have in the squad is going to be massive, it’s hopefully going to lead to some really big performances here.”