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ULSTER
RUGBY
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ulster
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“Going into the game against Toulon I was aware
that I had to perform,” says Mike. “It felt like I hadn’t
had the opportunity up until then this season, so
when I finally got a chance it was really a case of
making the most of it. It was nice to go over there
and play in a great stadium, on a big occasion and
to have played well. Toulon has internationals all
the way through to 23, so it was daunting on paper
but I think we gave a decent enough account of
ourselves.”
A strong performance by McComish against Toulon
saw him cross the whitewash twice and set up
another try for Paddy Jackson…
“I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel pressure going
into the game, but it was nice to go well especially
against that calibre of opposition.”
McComish has a long standing association with
Ballymena Rugby Club and has played back row
for them intermittently over the past few seasons, a
position he was fulfilling (as captain) in Dublin in the
AIL just one week before travelling to the South of
France.
“That was pretty surreal to be honest,” says Mike.
“I was playing at College Park against Trinity one
Saturday and then I was playing at Stade Felix
Mayol the next week. However I am extremely
thankful to my club Ballymena, they have been a
great support to me since I left school and it has
been great to get game time with them this year.
“Of course there is a little bit of frustration about
the extremities of that situation. I am a professional
rugby player, that is my occupation and I hadn’t
really had an opportunity for Ulster this season until
Toulon, but at the same time, rugby is a team game.
You have to play with the boundary of the whole
squad in mind and it is good that the team went
reasonably well in the game in France, albeit the
score line wasn’t great.”
Back home and Ulster faced Leicester in a game
that would also seal the Tigers fate in the European
Champions Cup, but McComish put in another
sterling performance before injury forced him to
leave the pitch.
“It was great to get a further opportunity at Kingspan
Stadium against Tigers, but unfortunately not long
into the second half I got a bit of a knock on the
head. I came off and had to do a concussion test.
Over the past few weeks I have been going through
the return to play protocols and have spent a week
on holiday in New York with my wife and little girl.”
Fully fit and well rested, Mike returns to the field this
week against Treviso, a side which caught Ulster
unawares in January when they came back fighting
at Stadio Monigo in the second half to bring the
score line to within just four points…
“Treviso are like any Italian side, they are committed,
destructive, scrappy challengers so we really need
to ensure our set piece is good, our scrums are
dominant and our lineout goes well. If we can drive
the mauls and make them defend for long periods
of the game, hopefully that will take its toll in the last
half hour in terms of energy levels and hopefully we
can capitalise on that and score a few points.
“The crowd at home against Leicester Tigers was
phenomenal, they definitely helped us to raise
the bar, everyone was committed and the Ulster
defence was awesome. The crowd play a massive
part in spurring us on at Kingspan Stadium. So no
doubt we will have that support again this weekend.
“I am really looking forward to getting back on the
pitch, my job is to play rugby so it will be nice to get
some game time especially after the break.”
With Kingspan Stadium securing the 2015 Guinness
PRO12 Final, there is certainly some added
motivation for the Ulster players to finish in the top
four…
“We try not to think too far ahead but having secured
the PRO12 Final is definitely a carrot at the end of
the season and the potential of a home final in front
of an Ulster dominant crowd would be phenomenal.
If we can get ourselves there, home support will play
a massive part in the outcome.”
Mike is an ex-pupil of schools rugby powerhouse
Campbell College, who last week were drawn
against reigning Danske Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup
champions, Methody in the quarter finals of the
competition. With many fond memories of being a
young player in that position, McComish advises the
players to work hard and take every opportunity that
comes their way:
“Being a young guy in school playing rugby, the
Schools’ Cup is the be-all and end-all. I was lucky
enough to win a Schools’ Cup in 1999 and came
fairly close the following two years. The competition
is great, I was at the Campbell v Sullivan game on
Saturday past and it just means so much to the kids
involved. The final whistle went and all the school
boys ran onto the pitch so it’s good to see that the
competition still means as much now as it did in
previous years.
“The further they go in the competition the more
pressure there is, so the players will have to cope
with that mentally and take their opportunity in these
final stages. Some lads will be in upper sixth and
this is their last shot at it and some will be in Fifth
Form with a few chances to go. So it is just a matter
of making the most of every second and working
hard in these last few weeks. Good luck to all those
players and teams going into the quarter finals next
Saturday – especially Campbell!”
There can’t be too many players that have played club rugby one week then
faced Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol the next, but that is what happened to
Mike McComish in January.
MIKE McCOMISH
MIKE McCOMISH