Rob Herring, who captained Ulster to a 56-3 win over Oyonnax at the weekend, has set his sights on forcing his way into Ireland's match day squad as the Six Nations approaches.
The 25-year-old made his international debut on the 2014 tour to Argentina, but has been unable to add to his appearance tally since then. With Herring having already applied pressure on newly appointed Ireland captain, Rory Best, at provincial level, he is hoping that continues in the national setup.
Commenting on his selection in Joe Schmidt’s Six Nations squad, he said: “I was a bit surprised to get the call, because I haven't had that much game time in the last few weeks,” said Herring after leading Ulster on Saturday.
“When I saw the squad and saw there were four hookers I was a bit surprised. There are not normally four but I'm delighted to be included. I’ve got a chance to put my hand up for the Six Nations match-day squads. I've got to try my best to show Joe I can do a job.”
His performance against Oyonnax certainly suggested that he is more than capable of stepping into the international arena, if called upon. Herring opened the scoring with his first European try and was also involved in a few more of his side’s eight tries on the day.
“I don't score too many but it was nice as well to get over. I've been working on my carrying a bit so it's good for me to get into space and I think I'm quite quick so hopefully it's something I can add,” he said.
While Ulster has just narrowly missed out on a spot in the Champions Cup knock out stages, Herring is confident that the Province is moving in the right direction with Les Kiss at the helm.
He insists that there are plenty of positives to take from the European campaign, one of which was the emergence of some younger players like Kyle McCall, Alan O'Connor and Rory Scholes.
“There's been a big change in the mentality of the squad as a whole since Les arrived in November. I think you can see now when guys have to step in for injuries, whoever comes in can do the job. We've always spoken about having a good squad but we're showing it now. Guys can come in when they're needed.”
The 25-year-old made his international debut on the 2014 tour to Argentina, but has been unable to add to his appearance tally since then. With Herring having already applied pressure on newly appointed Ireland captain, Rory Best, at provincial level, he is hoping that continues in the national setup.
Commenting on his selection in Joe Schmidt’s Six Nations squad, he said: “I was a bit surprised to get the call, because I haven't had that much game time in the last few weeks,” said Herring after leading Ulster on Saturday.
“When I saw the squad and saw there were four hookers I was a bit surprised. There are not normally four but I'm delighted to be included. I’ve got a chance to put my hand up for the Six Nations match-day squads. I've got to try my best to show Joe I can do a job.”
His performance against Oyonnax certainly suggested that he is more than capable of stepping into the international arena, if called upon. Herring opened the scoring with his first European try and was also involved in a few more of his side’s eight tries on the day.
“I don't score too many but it was nice as well to get over. I've been working on my carrying a bit so it's good for me to get into space and I think I'm quite quick so hopefully it's something I can add,” he said.
While Ulster has just narrowly missed out on a spot in the Champions Cup knock out stages, Herring is confident that the Province is moving in the right direction with Les Kiss at the helm.
He insists that there are plenty of positives to take from the European campaign, one of which was the emergence of some younger players like Kyle McCall, Alan O'Connor and Rory Scholes.
“There's been a big change in the mentality of the squad as a whole since Les arrived in November. I think you can see now when guys have to step in for injuries, whoever comes in can do the job. We've always spoken about having a good squad but we're showing it now. Guys can come in when they're needed.”