Hannibal Smith was the leader of the A Team, the cult 1980's TV series. A brilliant tactician, Smith brought a group of individuals from varied walks of life together, galvanised them into a highly efficient team and motivated to defeat the enemy, especially when the odds were against them.
Sam Windsor will be aiming to be like Smith when he captains Ulster’s very own A Team at Ballynahinch RFC this evening (kick off 5pm). His plan will be to get his tactics spot-on, bring players from clubs, the Academy and the senior squad together and help the province defeat the old enemy - Leinster, against the odds.
The Australian-born flyhalf will be leading the side out for the first time and he is relishing the responsibility of wearing the armband:
“I got a tap on the shoulder earlier in the week to say that I would be captaining the A team. I didn’t expect it – but I am really looking forward to it, as they are a great bunch of boys. There is a nice mix of mix of experience and youth within the squad. I am relishing the challenge and hopefully we can put in a good performance.”
He continues, “One of the reasons that Bryn (Cunningham) and the coaches decided to take a punt on me this year is that I have a bit of experience in a few different leagues around the world. I think that has contributed to me getting the captaincy. That will help me lead the team and take control. I think my role will be a matter of bringing it all together and making sure we stay composed. A flyhalf will always have to control things - being captain is just an added bonus. It wont affect my game plan of the way I play too much.”
One of his responsibilities will be to motivate the team before the game but he says that ex-England International and Head Coach of Ulster A, Alex Codling, does a great job of firing the players up:
“He gets the boys revved up even in team meetings! I am not sure that there will be many more inspirational words needed after he is finished. I will just have to see what I can conjure up. I will try and get the boys in the right frame of mind, maybe put a personal spin on it and then away we will go.”
Windsor has been out for the past six weeks with a leg injury. Now fully fit he gets the chance to line out against one of his former teams.
“I’ll know a handful of the lads. A good few of them played in the friendly earlier in the year and I played for Leinster in the return fixture 18 months ago. They are all talented boys but at the same time that is just going to inspire us to play better.
“I am just thrilled that we have an A programme to come back through. When you are returning from injury at a lot of other clubs you don’t have the chance to play at such a high standard. For me, I will definitely be trying to show the coaches that I am worthy of a call up and I have what it takes to take that next step. I also want to get the ball rolling for the A team with the British and Irish Cup just around the corner.”
He will love it if that plan comes together.
Sam Windsor will be aiming to be like Smith when he captains Ulster’s very own A Team at Ballynahinch RFC this evening (kick off 5pm). His plan will be to get his tactics spot-on, bring players from clubs, the Academy and the senior squad together and help the province defeat the old enemy - Leinster, against the odds.
The Australian-born flyhalf will be leading the side out for the first time and he is relishing the responsibility of wearing the armband:
“I got a tap on the shoulder earlier in the week to say that I would be captaining the A team. I didn’t expect it – but I am really looking forward to it, as they are a great bunch of boys. There is a nice mix of mix of experience and youth within the squad. I am relishing the challenge and hopefully we can put in a good performance.”
He continues, “One of the reasons that Bryn (Cunningham) and the coaches decided to take a punt on me this year is that I have a bit of experience in a few different leagues around the world. I think that has contributed to me getting the captaincy. That will help me lead the team and take control. I think my role will be a matter of bringing it all together and making sure we stay composed. A flyhalf will always have to control things - being captain is just an added bonus. It wont affect my game plan of the way I play too much.”
One of his responsibilities will be to motivate the team before the game but he says that ex-England International and Head Coach of Ulster A, Alex Codling, does a great job of firing the players up:
“He gets the boys revved up even in team meetings! I am not sure that there will be many more inspirational words needed after he is finished. I will just have to see what I can conjure up. I will try and get the boys in the right frame of mind, maybe put a personal spin on it and then away we will go.”
Windsor has been out for the past six weeks with a leg injury. Now fully fit he gets the chance to line out against one of his former teams.
“I’ll know a handful of the lads. A good few of them played in the friendly earlier in the year and I played for Leinster in the return fixture 18 months ago. They are all talented boys but at the same time that is just going to inspire us to play better.
“I am just thrilled that we have an A programme to come back through. When you are returning from injury at a lot of other clubs you don’t have the chance to play at such a high standard. For me, I will definitely be trying to show the coaches that I am worthy of a call up and I have what it takes to take that next step. I also want to get the ball rolling for the A team with the British and Irish Cup just around the corner.”
He will love it if that plan comes together.