"Anytime I took Jude off in a game, he thought it was because he had done something wrong. He nearly had to be hauled off the pitch and there would be an emotional outpouring!"
Paul McAteer is a proud Collegians RFC man, spending 17 seasons playing rugby there as a winger, before helping out coaching mini rugby with Lisburn RFC after his playing days ended.
During that time as a mini rugby coach, McAteer fondly remembers coaching a talented age group at Lisburn, with a team featuring Nathan Doak, Ben Carson, Reuben Crothers and Jude Postlethwaite in their ranks.
"Our team was so good for that level and it was almost an unwritten rule that if you were winning comfortably you would sub on guys to give people a chance and you take off your better players."
McAteer explained how a younger Jude Postlethwaite would never understand this way of thinking and was always extremely disappointed to be taken off.
"He just always wanted to play. His dad, Andy, said to me once that he was sorry for Jude's reaction and I said 'don't apologise at all.'
"As a coach, I could teach him how to manage his emotions but if it's not there in the first place, I can't teach him that.
"He always had a want to win and impress. He would have tears in his eyes when asking me if he didn't play well. It was a winning attitude."
McAteer has watched on proudly this season, as Postlethwaite has stepped up to gain minutes in the Senior Men's side this season.
2024/25 has not only seen him play an important role in both the Investec Champions Cup and BKT United Rugby Championship but also a call-up to the Emerging Ireland South Africa Tour and the recent Ireland 'A' side.
McAteer says his progress is no shock as he had saw his potential in those early days at mini rugby.
"Jude was always a special talent. Whenever we were showing the group a new skill or drill, he always seemed to get it quicker than his peers. Jude’s tackling was fearsome, even at that age.
"I had to work on wrapping his arms in his tackling because he would go in with that much force and commitment, he was skittling others. There would be blood, tears and snot everywhere. Jude used to say 'I only tackled the way you showed me Paul!"
His first coach also sees many of the traits now that he had showed in those early years.
"His defence was only outshone by his attack, he had silky running lines and he still does when you watch him play now. His ability to read the play and make the right decisions is what made him stand out as a talent."
Postlethwaite would be the only member of the four from that team to go to Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where he would go on to star in the Danske Bank School's Cup, being the school's leading try scorer and receiving a nomination for the player of the competition in 2020.
After leaving school, Postlethwaite gained a place in the Ulster Rugby Academy and would showcase his talent with the Ireland Sevens programme and Ireland U20s, winning a U20 Grand Slam Six Nations Championship under current Ulster Head Coach, Richie Murphy.
He made his Ulster Senior debut back in 2023 against Cardiff Rugby and hasn't looked back since.
A strong ball-carrier in the midfield, Postlethwaite has shown his physicality and power in his performances for Ulster, against some of the strongest sides in Europe.
This season he has rekindled a strong centre partnership with his Lisburn RFC colleague, Ben Carson, with the U20 Grand Slam winning pair showing their chemistry in the Champions Cup victory over Exeter Chiefs at Kingspan Stadium.
Those performances have made his first coach a very proud man.
"I followed his career when he went onto RBAI and watched it with a lot of pride. I'd give a lot of credit to the coaches there too as he has went from strength to strength.
"He’s a gentleman and anytime I see him he has a big smile on his face. He’s a very humble young man."
For McAteer, seeing his former students perform in the Ulster jersey is special and he says that the whole of Lisburn RFC is extremely proud to see their former mini rugby players play at the highest level.
"When I’m at an Ulster game singing ‘Stand Up for the Ulstermen’, I’m thinking to myself that I’m singing about four or five kids that I can still see in their school shirts and trousers from Primary School!
"It's surreal too, I can remember we played mini rugby at half-time during an Ulster game at Ravenhill.
"I remember Jude's eyes were dancing in his head. I had to talk him down to earth and make sure he wasn’t sent off for something daft but to see him now play there as an Ulster player is so special."
For now, McAteer says he is looking forward to seeing how the next chapter of the Lisburn player's career unfolds, adding "If he can stay injury free and keep working hard, I’d love to see how he goes both for Ulster and on the international stage."
"He has the qualities to have a fantastic career and I'm just glad I could play a small part in that."
Join in this weekend and celebrate your Origin!
This weekend the province is celebrating the BKT United Rugby Championship's Origins Round, with the squad wearing their Origin club/school socks for the occasion.
We are also encouraging all of our supporters to wear their rugby Origin club or school jersey with pride on Saturday night, as we celebrate grassroots rugby.
Tickets are still available for this huge clash via the link below: