THE ROB OF THE GREEN
Herring’s determined to keep sticking his hand up for an Ireland jersey
ULSTER hooker Rob Herring is relishing the battle to become Andy Farrell’s first choice hooker for Ireland’s Six Nations opener against Scotland on February 1.
With Rory Best (inset) retired and Word Cup back-ups Sean Cronin and Niall Scannell overlooked in the new head coach’s 35-man squad, the No2 berth is up for grabs.
It leaves Herring vying with Connacht’s
Dave Heffernan and
Leinster youngster
Ronan Kelleher for a starting shirt against the Scots in Dublin.
The South African won the last of his eight Ireland caps in a World Cup warm-up win over Italy in August and has yet to taste action in the Six Nations.
“I’m hungry to play international rugby - probably more so than I have ever been,” he said. “I’ve been in three or four Six Nations squads and never played, so hopefully that can change, but selection is out of my control. I’ve been happy with the way I’ve been playing, but it’s up to the coaches.
“As long as I’m rocking up every day and trying to put my best foot forward, that’s all I can do.”
Herring, for so long Best’s understudy at the Kingspan, believes he has benefited from starring in Ulster’s Champions Cup charge this season.
Ahead of tomorrow’s final Pool 3 game against Bath, he said: “In past seasons I mightn’t have had as much game time in big European games, but this season I’ve had a bit of a run.
“Starting some of the big European games gives me a lot more confidence to go into international camp knowing I’ve put in the hard work and shown it in games.”
Herring knows a win over Bath tomorrow ensures the province will reach the Champions Cup quarter-finals for a second successive season.
Prior to last year’s quarterfinal defeat to Leinster at the Aviva, it had been five years since Ulster locked horns with
Europe’s best in the knockout stages.
“In the past, we would go into a European campaign thinking if we made the knockout stages, that’s a good season,” said Herring.
“Now we’re expecting to be there and anything less isn’t good enough. Where we want to go as a club, playing knockout rugby is everything for us.
“To be in a position to do that, (going into the) last game of the pool stages with our fate in our own hands, it’s pretty exciting.”
Last week’s 13-29 defeat in Clermont means the French giants are new pool leaders and firm favourites to rubber-stamp a home quarter-final by finishing top of the group
But Herring said: “To have a knock-out place in our own hands is still a great place to be, particularly at home. That’s massively exciting for us.”