Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
REVENGE ISN’T FEATURING ON THE BILL HERE
ULSTER new boy Bill Johnston insists he won’t be embarking on a personal mission to prove former club Munster wrong in Limerick this weekend.
The young fly-half, who swapped the Reds for the northern province in the summer, returns to Thomond for the first time tomorrow night.
Johnston opted to broaden his horizons to further his career after finding himself behind Joey Carbery (inset), Tyler Bleyendaal and JJ Hanrahan in Johann van Graan’s No10 pecking order.
But he knows Ulster’s first interprovincial showdown of the season is more important that any individual sub plots lurking below the surface.
“It’s not a personal thing for me,” said Johnston of tomorrow’s PRO14 shootout. “It’s just a game, there are four or five points up for grabs and it’s a lot bigger than me.
“There are 50-odd people in each training centre planning how to beat the opposition. Whoever is better prepared and executes the best will win the game.”
Johnston, who made 12 appearances for Munster, was born in Tipperary and grew up supporting the Red Army with his family.
“Weekend trips to Thomond were a big part of my childhood,” he said. “The wet and the rain and some big European nights are some of my earliest memories.
“It’s a place you always dream of playing in and that’s not just for me. I’d say (fellow summer signings) Matt (Faddes) and Sam (Carter) would also know how special it is to play there.
“I didn’t really play many games at Thomond with Munster, but I know the dimensions of the place and I know the wind doesn’t do what the flags say!
“I’ve never really played a big game there before in terms of atmosphere, so to get to play in a game of such magnitude there is exactly where I want to be.”
Johnston endured a tough baptism of fire as an Ulster player, making his debut in last month’s thumping 63-26 defeat to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.
The 22-year-old won his second cap in last week’s 22-7 win over the Zebre, a game played in challenging conditions at the Kingspan.
“I’ve made a few mistakes along the way, but I see them all as learning opportunities and that’s how I want to approach this season,” he said.
“Maybe there was a time last year where I would rather have run from an issue than go through the fire and solve it.”
On opting to leave Munster and move to Belfast, he added:
“Having Tyler and JJ, who are exceptional, there and someone like Joey Carbery, Johan has a tough job keeping those three happy, never mind a fourth.
“Maybe I had to step to the side to move forward and who knows how far that step forward will be?”