An hour after leaving the Kingspan Stadium pitch on Friday Andrew Trimble had the carriage of a man who'd found a new contentment.
He shared his thoughts sporting a quickly blackening left eye, a signal perhaps of a physical encounter with the giants of Stade Toulousain.
Yes, he’d a feeling of huge relief having scored a spectacular solo try just before the interval, which was to prove critical on the way to a stunning 38-0 defeat of the mighty French club.
“You do begin to wonder, I’m 31 and I’d only got one try this season and as a winger if you aren’t scoring tries you feel you are not doing your job for the team. I didn’t want to be out there on what I’d done, say, two years ago when I was possibly in the best form of my life. So yes, I found my performance, but the team’s performance most importantly of all, very pleasing.
“I’ve had a long time getting back to fitness, injury probably cost me a World Cup place so it’s been difficult at times but I’ve worked hard. It’s been difficult, but tonight the team is a happy team, and I’m a very happy player,” he smiles with that typically modest demeanour, his eyes focussing on the floor.
“But this is a night when we showed loads of ambition, we had to express ourselves and we did, and we got the crowd behind us and it’s hard to explain what a part that plays. We moved the big Toulouse pack around the pitch – in the tunnel you knew what was coming – and we did that, and it was based on a defence which was quite superb and we’re proud that we were so positive but also that we kept our line intact.”
Trimble in full, purposeful flight brings fans to their feet, and his clever kick ahead, the certain collection of the loose ball, Toulouse tacklers spread-eagled, and the powerful drive over the line had the Kingspan thundering its acclaim for a team transformed and, in particular, for an Ulster favourite in his pomp.
“I felt in the last couple of matches there were glimpses of my best form, and I felt my footwork was getting so much better and confident. Against Toulouse I was finding open spaces, and I was having flashbacks to the game against them back in 2006 when we were ‘flying’ as a side,” he says.
“We knew that we had let ourselves and the supporters down with the opening European performance against Saracens, and especially those last eight minutes. It hurt. Against Toulouse at home we had promised ourselves as a squad and as individuals that it would be very different.
“I think we have sent out a message with this win, and the credit goes to a lot of guys involved in the coaching set-up, to Neil Doak, Allen Clarke, Joe Barakat, Niall Malone. Les Kiss cracks the whip, his attention to detail is incredible, he demands professionalism in all we do in training and in games. And Doaky brings such creativity to training and preparation, and I think you all saw it out there against a side which is second in France’s Top 14, and we outthought them, outfought them and played rugby to enjoy,” says Andrew, his mind surely drifting towards resuming an Ireland career next month so cruelly interrupted by a foot problem.
But no, he’s already thinking of Sunday’s return Champions Cup date in France. “We know Toulouse will be a completely different proposition at home, but we must be clever, be ambitious, and the coaches will be already working on new ideas for the weekend. But I do believe that when we play with ambition that is what suits Ulster best and this group of very talented players.”
And having given generously of his thoughts, and insistent that though he hoped he had played a role it was the team, the entire 23-man panel on Friday, which had justified the self-belief which had coursed through the week before the match. “We aren’t thinking about winning the competition, we’ve just played two games remember, but we’ll travel to France with the work done, in the right, realistic frame of mind.
“And we’ll be confident, I can guarantee that.”
And ambitious.
He shared his thoughts sporting a quickly blackening left eye, a signal perhaps of a physical encounter with the giants of Stade Toulousain.
Yes, he’d a feeling of huge relief having scored a spectacular solo try just before the interval, which was to prove critical on the way to a stunning 38-0 defeat of the mighty French club.
“You do begin to wonder, I’m 31 and I’d only got one try this season and as a winger if you aren’t scoring tries you feel you are not doing your job for the team. I didn’t want to be out there on what I’d done, say, two years ago when I was possibly in the best form of my life. So yes, I found my performance, but the team’s performance most importantly of all, very pleasing.
“I’ve had a long time getting back to fitness, injury probably cost me a World Cup place so it’s been difficult at times but I’ve worked hard. It’s been difficult, but tonight the team is a happy team, and I’m a very happy player,” he smiles with that typically modest demeanour, his eyes focussing on the floor.
“But this is a night when we showed loads of ambition, we had to express ourselves and we did, and we got the crowd behind us and it’s hard to explain what a part that plays. We moved the big Toulouse pack around the pitch – in the tunnel you knew what was coming – and we did that, and it was based on a defence which was quite superb and we’re proud that we were so positive but also that we kept our line intact.”
Trimble in full, purposeful flight brings fans to their feet, and his clever kick ahead, the certain collection of the loose ball, Toulouse tacklers spread-eagled, and the powerful drive over the line had the Kingspan thundering its acclaim for a team transformed and, in particular, for an Ulster favourite in his pomp.
“I felt in the last couple of matches there were glimpses of my best form, and I felt my footwork was getting so much better and confident. Against Toulouse I was finding open spaces, and I was having flashbacks to the game against them back in 2006 when we were ‘flying’ as a side,” he says.
“We knew that we had let ourselves and the supporters down with the opening European performance against Saracens, and especially those last eight minutes. It hurt. Against Toulouse at home we had promised ourselves as a squad and as individuals that it would be very different.
“I think we have sent out a message with this win, and the credit goes to a lot of guys involved in the coaching set-up, to Neil Doak, Allen Clarke, Joe Barakat, Niall Malone. Les Kiss cracks the whip, his attention to detail is incredible, he demands professionalism in all we do in training and in games. And Doaky brings such creativity to training and preparation, and I think you all saw it out there against a side which is second in France’s Top 14, and we outthought them, outfought them and played rugby to enjoy,” says Andrew, his mind surely drifting towards resuming an Ireland career next month so cruelly interrupted by a foot problem.
But no, he’s already thinking of Sunday’s return Champions Cup date in France. “We know Toulouse will be a completely different proposition at home, but we must be clever, be ambitious, and the coaches will be already working on new ideas for the weekend. But I do believe that when we play with ambition that is what suits Ulster best and this group of very talented players.”
And having given generously of his thoughts, and insistent that though he hoped he had played a role it was the team, the entire 23-man panel on Friday, which had justified the self-belief which had coursed through the week before the match. “We aren’t thinking about winning the competition, we’ve just played two games remember, but we’ll travel to France with the work done, in the right, realistic frame of mind.
“And we’ll be confident, I can guarantee that.”
And ambitious.