Baloucoune hoping Ulster form will lead to first cap in green jersey

UNDER the previous Ireland regime of Joe

Schmidt as head coach, fringe players regularly dipped in and out of camp, but more often than not, their identities were treated like a state secret.

When Andy Farrell named his first squad back in January, he moved away from that school of thought by making a point of including four ‘development players’.

You can imagine what that did for the confidence levels of Ryan Baird, Robert Baloucoune (above), Harry Byrne and Will Connors, who were all made to feel part of Farrell’s wider plan, even if they were unlikely to feature in the Six Nations.

Each of the youngsters trained with the Ireland squad before they were sent back to their provinces with detailed feedback.

Lockdown provided them with ample time to take Farrell’s advice on board, and for Baloucoune in particular, he is using it as extra motivation in his quest to earn a first Irish cap.

Reacting

“He (Farrell) talked about reacting and using my speed and just making that call early when to go with my wheels and when to kick it,” the speedy Ulster winger explained yesterday.

“So, it’s more just reading the game and trying to be one step ahead is what puts you in place.

“It’s more about that I’m always an option and seeing the play happen before it happens. It’s kinda the hardest skill to do.”

Baloucoune has been a real success story since transitioning from the Ireland Sevens programme, but the 22-year-old knows he is playing catch-up in certain areas such as reading the game.

“It’s a bit different coming from Sevens,” the Enniskillen native explained.

“I think I’ve been able to build-in my skills to 15s quite quickly. I wouldn’t say it has held me back.”

“I’ve made quick progression since I’ve joined and I just want to be pushing for a starting place and get more game-time.

“I want to get myself more involved in the game and try to get my hands on the ball. And in terms of my kicking as an extra option.

“It’s just about having the confidence then to back it up during games.

“I’ll be trying my best to play for Ulster first off and then if that leads to getting the call for Ireland then it does, but I’ll be focusing on trying to get the best out of my games coming up.”