Tommy Bowe reflects on reaching 150 appearances for Ulster this time last week in Parma...
“It was brilliant to continue the momentum that we had gathered in the two weeks leading up to last weekend in Parma,” he says. “To go over there and get maximum points and keep us in the hunt towards the end of the season was great. I was delighted to reach 150 caps, it seems like a long time ago since it was my first cap, but it’s great to reach that milestone.”
It was 13 years ago that Bowe made his senior debut and he remembers it well:
“My first cap was in April 2004 against Connacht, I remember running out onto the pitch behind Andy Ward, who was captain at the time, and the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. Jonny Bell put me in for a try that day, so it’s one game that will stay with me for a long time.”
Having racked up 59 tries and 295 points, the fan-favourite has had many outstanding moments for the men in white:
“I have a lot of amazing memories in an Ulster jersey and I hope that many more great memories are to come, but the top 3 at the minute would have to be:
- Beating Toulouse 38-0 at home in 2015
- When David Humphreys kicked a drop goal against Ospreys to win the league in 200
- Most recently, beating Clermont at home in January was a great day, the supporters were amazing and we played some great rugby"
Along with the many ups that his 150 cap career has seen to date, there has been one significant disappointment:
“The toughest game I have played in has to be in the 2013 PRO12 Final against Leinster at the RDS, it was Johann’s last game. We had gone so well that season and to lose that game was really disappointing, especially when we were the better team on the day. To come away with nothing was heart-breaking.”
Since Tommy’s debut the Province has experienced a huge amount of change…
“So much has changed at Ulster and in rugby in general from my first cap but at the end of the day, the craic, the hard work that goes in behind the scenes and the camaraderie is still the same as when I started and I think that’s what makes this game so special. The surroundings of course are a lot more modern now, the support has increased, the use of sports science, technology and video analysis is integral and players are getting bigger and faster and stronger but at the end of the day it’s 15 people on a pitch and it’s still a great sport steeped in tradition.”
There is plenty more to come from the Monaghan man as he aims to catch up with Ulster’s most-capped player Roger Wilson, and his eyes are firmly set on silverware:
“My goal this season is to keep pushing for a place in the team, and for everyone in the squad, it’s pushing on to win the PRO12. We are not going to shy away from that, it’s something we are all focused on - the team, the supporters, the management - we are all pushing hard to go on and win the Championship."
“It was brilliant to continue the momentum that we had gathered in the two weeks leading up to last weekend in Parma,” he says. “To go over there and get maximum points and keep us in the hunt towards the end of the season was great. I was delighted to reach 150 caps, it seems like a long time ago since it was my first cap, but it’s great to reach that milestone.”
It was 13 years ago that Bowe made his senior debut and he remembers it well:
“My first cap was in April 2004 against Connacht, I remember running out onto the pitch behind Andy Ward, who was captain at the time, and the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. Jonny Bell put me in for a try that day, so it’s one game that will stay with me for a long time.”
Having racked up 59 tries and 295 points, the fan-favourite has had many outstanding moments for the men in white:
“I have a lot of amazing memories in an Ulster jersey and I hope that many more great memories are to come, but the top 3 at the minute would have to be:
- Beating Toulouse 38-0 at home in 2015
- When David Humphreys kicked a drop goal against Ospreys to win the league in 200
- Most recently, beating Clermont at home in January was a great day, the supporters were amazing and we played some great rugby"
Along with the many ups that his 150 cap career has seen to date, there has been one significant disappointment:
“The toughest game I have played in has to be in the 2013 PRO12 Final against Leinster at the RDS, it was Johann’s last game. We had gone so well that season and to lose that game was really disappointing, especially when we were the better team on the day. To come away with nothing was heart-breaking.”
Since Tommy’s debut the Province has experienced a huge amount of change…
“So much has changed at Ulster and in rugby in general from my first cap but at the end of the day, the craic, the hard work that goes in behind the scenes and the camaraderie is still the same as when I started and I think that’s what makes this game so special. The surroundings of course are a lot more modern now, the support has increased, the use of sports science, technology and video analysis is integral and players are getting bigger and faster and stronger but at the end of the day it’s 15 people on a pitch and it’s still a great sport steeped in tradition.”
There is plenty more to come from the Monaghan man as he aims to catch up with Ulster’s most-capped player Roger Wilson, and his eyes are firmly set on silverware:
“My goal this season is to keep pushing for a place in the team, and for everyone in the squad, it’s pushing on to win the PRO12. We are not going to shy away from that, it’s something we are all focused on - the team, the supporters, the management - we are all pushing hard to go on and win the Championship."