Ulster Rugby vs Ospreys

PADDY JACKSON Following an extended summer break due to his commendable efforts on the Ireland tour of South Africa, Paddy Jackson returned to the Ulster team for the Guinness PRO12 Round 3 clash against Scarlets, by which stage Ulster had already recorded opening round wins against Dragons and Treviso. Jackson put in a man of the match performance, landing three penalties and controlling the play majestically to guide Ulster to a 19-8 win at Kingspan Stadium.

A week later, he was to the fore once again, chipping in with a try, a penalty and two conversions en route to a gritty 17-22 win away to Glasgow, Ulster’s first at Scotstoun since the PRO12 was formed. Thanks to that victory, Ulster currently proudly sit joint-top of the Championship table along with Cardiff as the only unbeaten teams after four games, and Jackson is pleased to be in that position:

which is fun to see from the backline and it gets the boys going. I think especially against Glasgow the pack really fronted up defensively and showed a lot of grit. From an out-half’s point of view it’s great to have that kind of ball and guys backing you up from the pack, so it’s a pleasure to play behind them.” When asked about his own form, Jackson is predictably modest, but also speaks with an assuring confidence:

“For myself it was good to come in after the team had already put together

“Yeah I’ve been happy enough. As an out-half you’re never completely happy and there’s still a few things that I need to get right. I’m feeling pretty confident out there and I think that comes from the guys around me making my job easier. Then I just have to focus on getting the ball to them and if I

PADDY JACKSON two wins. The lads did really well against the

Dragons and Treviso so it made my job a bit easier coming into a winning environment. “At out-half it’s great to have the likes of Jared (Payne) and Charles (Piutau) outside me who want the ball so I just try and get it to them and let them do their thing.

get an opportunity for a gap I can take that on myself. So yeah, I’m feeling confident and hopefully I can keep this momentum going.” While he is still just 24 years old, Jackson has four full seasons under his belt and over 100 Ulster caps to his name, and since the appointment of Les Kiss back in November 2015, the out-half has taken on an enhanced position of leadership within the Ulster camp. “Naturally, as I have gotten a bit older, the leadership thing has started to come in. I’ve been here a while so I know how things work and I know how to get the best out of guys around me. I would say there’s a bit of both; between Les

We’re still missing the likes of Trimby (Andrew Trimble) and Gilly (Craig Gilroy), Tommy (Bowe) as well, so there’s a lot of competition and that makes my life a bit easier having guys like that around you.” While much of the talk has centred around the Ulster backline, Director of Rugby Les Kiss was keen to praise the work of his forwards after the Glasgow in, and it is a point on which Jackson concurs: “Absolutely. You see the likes of Rodney (Ah You) and Hendy (Iain Henderson) throwing boys about

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