Ulster Rugby vs Newport Dragons

‘ON TRACK’ BOWE’S SIX NATIONS VIEW Ideally he’d be relaxing this evening, focussing on the next five or six weeks of rugby wearing the green jersey of Ireland.

his own beloved Ireland, and the failure of any of the Championship sides to make the impact they would have hoped at the World Cup. “I look at Ireland, with Cian Healy, Marty Moore, Mike Ross, Dan Tuohy, Peter O’Mahony, Iain Henderson and the departed Paul O’Connell all out and you realise the forward unit is going to be a relatively new one, and it must fire early on. “I believe Ireland will be competitive, and there’s the incentive to be the first side to win the Six Nations three times in a row, and that will be a target. Jared Payne, who hadn’t played since the Italy game in the World Cup, has played two superlative games for Ulster in the last couple of weeks, everyone is ‘purring’ about him, and rightly so, we see so much to his game, his rugby brain every time he takes to the pitch,” says an admiring Bowe. “And in Luke Marshall and Stuart McCloskey the squad has arguably the form centres, and I’d really hope they get a run-out. While he’s delighted his longtime wing partner – and close friend – Andrew Trimble – is back ‘in the frame’. “Trimby’s been through a lot, but he always comes back stronger, and I’m hoping very much to see his name on the team-sheet, though we’ll probably have a bit of ‘banter’ about that. “As far as key players are concerned I was going to say Rory, but to Rory Best captaincy is something he takes in his stride, it’s more important to me that he has been Ireland’s best player in the World Cup, he just got better and better, and as a player he’s such a big influence on how Ireland plays. “To me the ‘crunch’ game is always the first one, win it and we would travel to Paris with real confidence, and there’s hardly a bigger ‘opener’ than Wales in Dublin on Sunday,” he says, keenly aware of how the Welsh will want to ‘get’ to Ireland, and knowing the quality of the players in Warren Gatland’s panel having plied his trade so successfully at Ospreys. He believes Justin Tipuric is one of the best open-side flankers in world rugby, and with skipper Sam Warburton having played so little rugby, Bowe thinks he could make a real impact. He finds the coaching ‘match-up’ intriguing. “Two very different personalities, but Joe and Warren have such remarkable coaching records, they’re at the very top of their own games. I’ve worked with both and been successful with both, but I obviously would like Joe Schmidt to come out on top on Sunday.” Bowe thinks the surprise packets could be Scotland, for he’s been impressed by the progress made under Vern Cotter, an old ally of Joe’s and who seems to have brought real stability to the international set-up, witness that near-miss against Australia in the World Cup. A semi-final was within the Scots’ grasp and, as hindsight and video replays have endlessly shown Australia wasn’t

But for Tommy Bowe, Ulster’s favourite son, he’ll watch the RSB Six Nations Championship begin this weekend from the sidelines. The knee injury which ended his – and to a great extent his country’s – World Cup ambitions last autumn, is recovering well, but the galloping winger, the player who brings Ulster, Ireland and Lions’ fans to their feet, is patiently building up himself back to full fitness, hopeful he might play an important role yet for his club in the Guinness PRO12. “It’s been difficult, having to wear an awkward brace for so long, to have to look on while the guys are doing their ‘stuff’ for Ulster, and with Less Kiss on board now I was really looking forward to a big, healthy year,” says the man who may have invented the term ‘engaging’! “But it’s actually been a lot harder for Lucy, who is a darned good nurse but she didn’t expect to start married life having a patient at home as well! “What I can say is that if had a track to fitness, I’m on it!” he quips. “Seriously, trust me to get a knee injury which is way more complicated than we usually hear about, and you have to deal with it. I’ve had a few bad injuries and come through, and I’m working hard every day, and there’s muscle growing fast and – barring setbacks – I hope to play games for Ulster this season.” “You have to have little things to aim for, in my case they’re not that little I suppose! But, seriously, when you see a player of the class of Stuart Olding suffering two back-to-back cruciate injuries, and the elbow and head knocks he’s had at such a young age, his return is truly inspirational. It certainly makes me work harder and think how much character he’s had to show,” says Bowe, genuinely proud of his team-mate’s determination and resilience to come back, often against the odds. Tommy Bowe says he’s actually busier than ever when he’s not able to play, other aspects of being an elite athlete ‘kick’ in: “There are media events, some coaching at schools, around Christmas it was crazy, ‘rehab’, promoting a clothes and shoe line bearing my name, and then, because you’re injured, invitations to do things go ‘through the roof’.” And he admits that apart from having a coffee with friends, spending as much time as possible with Lucy, “my brain does somersaults, coming up with ideas for this and that, business ideas etc. Then Lucy reins me in, thank heavens!” he says. Turning to the Six Nations he believes it’s going to be one of the tightest Championships yet. There are many factors in his thinking, new squads, the arrival of new coaches with England and France, the injury toll on

SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP He’s also targeting a place in the Ireland summer tour to South Africa, then a really consistent campaign with Ulster from August, and though he’s loathe to talk about it, he has an ambition to be a three-time British and Irish Lion in 2017.

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