Ulster Rugby vs Zebre

team or match day 23, to make a real contribution, to perform.” Diack is a deep thinker about the game, and about life itself, and he’s acutely aware of life after rugby, and as well as continuing with his studies he’s got personally involved in a couple of business ventures. With Ruan Pienaar he runs a thriving wine-making enterprise, and he’s just invested in a café on Belfast’s Ormeau Road. “Some people may take this the wrong way but players do have to look to their futures, to secure their families, and being financially sensible when rugby is a limited career is surely the right thing to do. And I don’t just get involved for that reason, I’ve always loved wine, and I am a very keen cook, so I’m in businesses I really care about,” he says. Surprisingly, for a player who never takes a less-than-positive attitude on to the pitch, he has been frustrated by some recent criticism of the team and of individual players. “These last few games have been very frustrating for us all. Players and coaches take it to heart because they care too, but some of the criticism has been very personal and tough to read. We don’t go out there to make mistakes, and I suppose we’re fortunate in that we get the chance to right some wrongs in the next game against Zebre. “Some of the coaches have had their say, there’s been a lot of soul-searching, and we all want to give the fans – and ourselves – the results and performances which can bring success, and starting with Zebre this evening and I believe we can.” At just 30, there’s plenty of rugby left in the Diack tank, and he’s impressively determined to be part of an Ulster team, under Les Kiss and Head Coach Neil Doak, which will realise the ambitions and reward the hard work and imaginative thinking that is the hallmark at Kingspan Stadium. “Life is really good, it can only get better if we deliver on the pitch and I have no doubts at all that we have the players to do that, and bring long-term success here. “I just want to be an important part of doing just that,” says the amiably frank South African who has achieved so much personally, but who regards the team and its supporters as the most important factors in reaching that goal.

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