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18
CRAIG, ROB AND ROGER LOOK FORWARD
TO FACING THE BAABAAS
MATCH PREVIEW
CRAIG GILROY
Hopefully the weather will be good and that will
give us the chance to throw the ball about a bit
and have some fun. It’s been a tough season for
us, so hopefully we can finish with a bit of craic, a
bit of running rugby and maybe give some of the
younger guys a chance to put their hands up for
next season.
The Barbarians have a star-studded squad with a
lot of top quality players to pick from. I’m sure like
any Baabaas team that I have played against they
will want to have fun and pass the ball around, so
it’s going to be a challenge but a great way to round
off the season, especially nice for Roger and Ruan
to have one last game in an Ulster jersey.
I have no doubt they will be unpredictable
opposition. They are going to throw the ball about,
we know that and we need to keep talking and
keep alert as they will throw everything at us.
We want to go out there and impress and give the
fans something to cheer, hopefully put together
some nice tries and play an entertaining game. I’m
still on standby for Ireland, so I want to keep myself
ticking over, there are always injuries, and they will
have a knock on affect for the national team as well,
so I’ll keep myself prepared and if the call comes,
then I’ll be ready and if not then I’ll just enjoy a bit
of time off and look forward to hitting the ground
running again come July.
ROB HERRING
It’s been a while since the Leinster game and it
does feel a bit strange to be honest. We fininshed
up earlier than we would have liked, and now one
month later we have a full competitive game against
the Barbarians. We have some experienced guys
away with the Lions and with Ireland and a few guys
away home already so it’s a good chance to give
the younger guys coming up some experience.
It’s a good mix of players and a good test leading
into next season to give the younger players some
exposure.
As a squad we are taking this game seriously. We
want to win it, but at the same time we are going to
be in the spirit of a Baabaas game and try to throw
it around a bit and play an expansive game. The
forecast is looking good and hopefully we can put
on a good show for the home fans!
Rob Lyttle, Jacob Stockdale and Kieran Treadwell
are all great examples of what experience, drive and
a taste of senior rugby can do. They pushed on at
the beginning of last season and have really made
their mark. Showing those young guys that if they
play well, they will get a shot in the senior team.
ROGER WILSON
Leinster was a bit of a fairytale ending for me but
here we are again, my last game! My best man is
coming over from Dubai and some good friends
are coming to this game, so it will be nice to pull on
the jersey for the very last time and celebrate with
them after. Hopefully I can keep up the try scoring
record!! It’s going to be a fast-paced game with
lots of throwing the ball around. We want to put in a
good performance and get the win but as well we
want it to be a good spectacal of rugby from both
teams for all the fans coming out to watch. They
have a lot of special plays and like to entertain the
crowd but we also have the opportunity to practise
our attacking play. The game should be a bit more
relaxed and hopefully there is a good buzz amongst
the crowd and everyone is up for a bit of fun.
The year before I played for the Barbarians they
suffered a record defeat to the Lions so the
committee gathered together and pretty much said
it’s time to get serious and honour the badge and
not focus so much on the social side. The year I
played, they focused a lot on their heritage and
motivational try scoring footage so performance is
key for them now. Their tradition is so important so
it’s critical that they get the balance right between
performance on the pitch and social time off it,
something they have been successful in doing the
last number of years.
Dusautoir will also play his last game. He was my
year at U21 level so I played against him in the
Rugby World Cup in Johannasberg. He has been
around the block and had a great career, so this
is a nice send off for him. He has a huge work
rate about him, and many international caps so a
Baabaas tour is a great way for him to finish his
career with a memorable and enjoyable experience.