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ulster
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11
ULSTER
RUGBY
MIKE STANLEY
ENJOYING LIFE IN BELFAST
After Ireland’s RBS 6 Nations win there has been plenty of
speculation this week about how the international side will fare
in this autumn’s Rugby World Cup.
Pundits, correspondents and ex-players
have all written up Ireland’s chances with
the semi-finals and even winning the
competition now seemingly a possibility.
Barring injury, Rory Best, Tommy Bowe,
Jared Payne and Iain Henderson will be
on the plane across the Irish Sea for the
competition. Up to half a dozen other Ulster
players will hope to force their way into
contention over the coming weeks.
However, there is another member of the
Ulster squad who will be aiming to play in
the Rugby World Cup. Samoa international,
Mike Stanley, has three caps to date. Samoa
face South Africa, Japan, Scotland and the
USA in Pool B and Stanley has his fingers
crossed that he will be involved:
“I don’t want to jinx it!” he jokes. “It’s
just a case of getting my body right and
getting some game time and playing a few
matches.”
Getting minutes on the pitch is the aim for
the 25 year-old now. Brought in as injury
cover at ten, he is now competing with
Paddy Jackson and Ian Humphreys for a
place in the team.
He says: “I think the first couple of weeks,
I was just trying to get my head around the
calls and getting up to speed with that. I had
a lot of help from the boys with that but I had
a cameo appearance here against Scarlets,
then I got a half against the Dragons which
was good, then played 80 minutes for the
Ravens. It was great to get a hit out.
“It is good to feel part of the team. There
are a few boys coming back from injury and
a few coming back from international duty
too. Hopefully I’ll get a few chances in the
coming weeks. I just want to do my best
for the boys along the way. If that means
carrying pads or hitting tackle bags then so
be it. I just need to keep them in top shape
and to keep pressing them.”
While he awaits his chance, Stanley has
been enjoying life in Belfast:
“My fiancé arrived from New Zealand
recently so we have been seeing around a
bit. We have been into town. We went to the
North Coast last weekend. It is really nice
up there and we will head back up there and
hopefully see a bit more.
“I’m really glad that I made the decision to
come to Ulster. It has been a great move
so far. I have really enjoyed it and the guys
have been really good to me. It’s a friendly
environment and I just want to make the
most of it.”
If he is selected at the World Cup, Samoa
will have plenty of fans in Ulster.
MIKE STANLEY