We caught up with Tommy Bowe at the team's training camp in Portugal to see how preparations for the new season have been progressing...
How's pre-season going?
Training is going really well. It's good to get back into it again having been out injured since March with a broken fibula. The body feels good and I have been able to take part in everything from the get go, being amongst the lads and getting stuck in.
I generally haven't been around for the start of pre-season in previous years - I’ve been very fortunate to have been away with Ireland. But it was great to have a nice break over the summer and come in refreshed and looking forward to a great year ahead.
Pre-season is obviously a little bit shorter this year because of the Barbarians game towards the end of last season. We had a great couple of days up on the North Coast and Donegal last week and we’re getting plenty of work done in Portugal this week. It’s a change of scenery but it’s been pretty brutal.
How was the visit to Inishowen RFC last week?
It’s always nice to break up the pre-season training a bit. It was great to get up to Donegal and get out into the community. We have been out to Monaghan, Cavan, etc in recent years and it’s something we try to do every summer.
I think it is always great to get out into different areas around the Province, to show that Ulster Rugby isn’t just about Belfast and the nearby towns and villages. It’s a case of getting out to the wider community and trying to get people into rugby and trying to get them to support Ulster. I think it’s a really positive thing and it’s hopefully something we’ll be doing more and more of because Ulster is a small place and we have to maximise our potential.
How has the camp in Portugal been going so far?
We generally try to get away for 5 or 6 days most pre-seasons. Guys push themselves to the absolute limit and to go and get a bit of heat and sunshine really refreshes the body. We probably train harder over here because the weather is very hot, you sweat more and breathing is more difficult. But the muscles seem to react very well to it, so it means we can push ourselves that bit harder and recover a bit easier. It gets us ready for the start of the new season and hopefully we will be firing by then.
What kind of impact are the new coaches having?
They’ve been excellent. Jono, Dwayne and Aaron have offered a fresh voice, a different opinion and they are really enthusing all the guys. They have new ideas and they have commanded a huge amount of respect from the players. Everyone seems to be really responding well to them and I’d be very hopeful that they would have a very positive impact on the squad over the next couple of years. But it’s still obviously early on, we’ve played no games yet, so we will have to see how it goes.
How are the new players settling in?
So far, so good. We obviously have big Jean, ‘Big Red Deysel’ we call him, he’s a big unit. Himself and Wiehahn have almost become inseparable already and he’s only been here a week or two. We haven’t seen much of Schalk (van der Merwe) yet and then John Cooney has come in then as well.
There are also a lot of new young fellows coming through the ranks as well, which is always really good to see. For the older lads, like myself and old man Trimble, it’s good have these young guys come in and bring real enthusiasm - you feed off that. There’s a good mix in the squad and we’re all pushing each other hard.
What is the focus on ahead of the Wasps fixture?
We are just concentrating on our own game. The new coaches have come in and they have new ideas and we are trying to implement them. It’s really exciting because they are trying to push the work we are doing on our skills and areas that may have let us down over the last year or two such as decision making and finishing off chances.
We know that Wasps are a classy outfit, they are one of the top teams over in England and they are going to be coming over here to win. There really are no such things as a ‘friendlies’ because it’s a great opportunity for people to put their hand up. We have new coaches in and it’s a clean slate, so people will want to impress from the start.
From a personal point of view I’m looking forward to getting a bit of game time, all being well.
Tickets for the Ulster v Wasps game are available from ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.
Season Tickets are available from ulsterrugby.com/seasontickets.
How's pre-season going?
Training is going really well. It's good to get back into it again having been out injured since March with a broken fibula. The body feels good and I have been able to take part in everything from the get go, being amongst the lads and getting stuck in.
I generally haven't been around for the start of pre-season in previous years - I’ve been very fortunate to have been away with Ireland. But it was great to have a nice break over the summer and come in refreshed and looking forward to a great year ahead.
Pre-season is obviously a little bit shorter this year because of the Barbarians game towards the end of last season. We had a great couple of days up on the North Coast and Donegal last week and we’re getting plenty of work done in Portugal this week. It’s a change of scenery but it’s been pretty brutal.
How was the visit to Inishowen RFC last week?
It’s always nice to break up the pre-season training a bit. It was great to get up to Donegal and get out into the community. We have been out to Monaghan, Cavan, etc in recent years and it’s something we try to do every summer.
I think it is always great to get out into different areas around the Province, to show that Ulster Rugby isn’t just about Belfast and the nearby towns and villages. It’s a case of getting out to the wider community and trying to get people into rugby and trying to get them to support Ulster. I think it’s a really positive thing and it’s hopefully something we’ll be doing more and more of because Ulster is a small place and we have to maximise our potential.
How has the camp in Portugal been going so far?
We generally try to get away for 5 or 6 days most pre-seasons. Guys push themselves to the absolute limit and to go and get a bit of heat and sunshine really refreshes the body. We probably train harder over here because the weather is very hot, you sweat more and breathing is more difficult. But the muscles seem to react very well to it, so it means we can push ourselves that bit harder and recover a bit easier. It gets us ready for the start of the new season and hopefully we will be firing by then.
What kind of impact are the new coaches having?
They’ve been excellent. Jono, Dwayne and Aaron have offered a fresh voice, a different opinion and they are really enthusing all the guys. They have new ideas and they have commanded a huge amount of respect from the players. Everyone seems to be really responding well to them and I’d be very hopeful that they would have a very positive impact on the squad over the next couple of years. But it’s still obviously early on, we’ve played no games yet, so we will have to see how it goes.
How are the new players settling in?
So far, so good. We obviously have big Jean, ‘Big Red Deysel’ we call him, he’s a big unit. Himself and Wiehahn have almost become inseparable already and he’s only been here a week or two. We haven’t seen much of Schalk (van der Merwe) yet and then John Cooney has come in then as well.
There are also a lot of new young fellows coming through the ranks as well, which is always really good to see. For the older lads, like myself and old man Trimble, it’s good have these young guys come in and bring real enthusiasm - you feed off that. There’s a good mix in the squad and we’re all pushing each other hard.
What is the focus on ahead of the Wasps fixture?
We are just concentrating on our own game. The new coaches have come in and they have new ideas and we are trying to implement them. It’s really exciting because they are trying to push the work we are doing on our skills and areas that may have let us down over the last year or two such as decision making and finishing off chances.
We know that Wasps are a classy outfit, they are one of the top teams over in England and they are going to be coming over here to win. There really are no such things as a ‘friendlies’ because it’s a great opportunity for people to put their hand up. We have new coaches in and it’s a clean slate, so people will want to impress from the start.
From a personal point of view I’m looking forward to getting a bit of game time, all being well.
Tickets for the Ulster v Wasps game are available from ulsterrugby.com/buytickets.
Season Tickets are available from ulsterrugby.com/seasontickets.