Ulster Rugby vs Toulon

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ANDY WARWICK:
‘A MASSIVE CHALLENGE
THAT I CAN’T WAIT FOR’
It was something the 23 year old prop didn’t
think it would be possible a few years ago
when he was lining up to play teams like
Bruff and working for his family’s engineering
company. “I wasn’t in Ulster set up at all so I
definitely wouldn’t have thought I’d be playing
in a game like this. It’s brilliant and I’m enjoying
every minute,” he enthused.
He gained a place in the Hughes Insurance
Academy before being rewarded with a
development contract this season. Warwick
will come up against former New Zealand
tight head Carl Hayman tonight and having
watched All Black legend as a kid, it’s
something he is truly relishing. “He’s been one
of the best scrummagers in the world over the
past decade and a person I’ve looked up. It
will be a massive challenge but one that I can’t
wait for.”
Warwick made his European bow last
weekend against Leicester Tigers and while
the Ballymena man noticed a step up in
intensity, he believes he adjusted well. “I felt
pretty good out there to be honest. A couple
of decisions didn’t go my in the scrums which
I’m not sure about, but it was another learning
curve for me and that’s important.
“We left too much to do with the mistakes
we made early on but we came back well in
the second half and scored a couple of nice
tries. But we have to learn from last week,
particularly at set piece time, to ensure we’re
firing against Toulon,” he added.
The highlight of his brief Ulster career came
at the official opening of the redeveloped
Kingspan Stadium in May when Leinster were
the visitors. That was before Toulon rolled
into town: “The Leinster match was brilliant. I
remember running out and the atmosphere
was absolutely amazing; I can just imagine it
will be even better with Toulon coming here
with all their stars.”
Having watched Toulon’s tournament opener
against Scarlets on Sunday, Warwick is
confident Ulster can get the better of the
French outfit. “We’ve prepared very well
through the week. We have to work on
disrupting their set piece, competing well at
the breakdown and getting up in their faces
in defence to close the space down. We’ll be
looking to have a far better start this week and
I’m sure we will. It’s a huge game and one that
we can definitely win!”
Last season Andy Warwick played most of his
rugby for Ballymena in the All Ireland League,
but he has racked up 12 Ulster appearances
since making his provincial debut in March,
and will earn his 13th cap against the reigning
European champions this afternoon.
44 ULSTERRUGBY
ANDY WARWICK